Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice introduces the
2005 Report on International Religious
Freedom during a State Department briefing
in Washington, Tuesday, November 8. The
annual report to Congress reviews the
status of religious freedom around the
world and examines barriers to religious
freedom in individual countries. (State
Dept. photo - Janine Sides) | |
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The U.S. Department of State released
the seventh annual International Religious Freedom Report,
which examines the status of religious freedom around the
world.
The annual report to Congress, released
November 8, is mandated by the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998 and seeks to examine barriers to religious freedom
in 197 countries and territories. The report also notes
countries in which conditions have improved and outlines
U.S. actions to promote international religious freedom.
The 2005 report redesignates Burma, China,
Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam
as "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPC) for
severe violations of religious freedom. The same countries
were listed as CPCs in the 2004 report.
The report reviews countries’ commitments
to religious freedom and examines barriers to the free practice
of religion in several countries, including CPCs.
According to the report, Georgia, India,
Turkmenistan and United Arab Emirates have showed “significant
improvement” in the protection and promotion of religious
freedom through modification of legal and social barriers.
Some countries cited in the report curtail
religious freedom by controlling religious expression and
practice. These countries “regard some or all religious
groups as enemies of the state because of their religious
beliefs or their independence from central authority.”
Other countries named in the report allow
the free practice of religion for established, majority
religions but curtail religious freedom of “minority
or non-approved” religions. These governments are
“hostile and oppressive” toward minority religions
and implement policies that “demand adherents to recant
their faith, cause religious group members to flee the country,
or intimidate and harass certain religious groups, or have
as their principal effect the intimidation and harassment
of certain religious groups,” according to the report.
The report also identifies countries that
restrict religious freedom through state neglect or discrimination
against or persecution of minority religions, discriminatory
legislation or policies prejudicial to certain religious
practices and denunciations of certain religions by affiliating
them with dangerous "cults" or "sects."
The report concludes with an overview of
U.S. efforts to promote and support international religious
freedom through public advocacy and support of active monitoring
of religious freedom conditions.
“The pursuit of religious liberty
supports other freedoms, including speech, assembly, and
conscience,” according to the report. “When
the cause of religious freedom is furthered, so is the pursuit
of democracy.”
The full
text of the 2005 report and previous reports are available
on the State Department Web site.
For more information, see International
Religious Freedom.
Alexandra Abboud
Washington File Staff Writer
URUGUAY SEGMENT OF THE 2005 INTERNATIONAL
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT:
International Religious
Freedom Report 2005
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the
Government generally respects this right in practice.
There was no change in the status of respect for religious
freedom during the period covered by this report, and government
policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice
of religion.
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society
contributed to religious freedom.
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with
the Government as part of its overall policy to promote
human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has an area of 68,039 square miles, and its
population is estimated at 3.2 million. While the Government
keeps no statistics concerning religious affiliation, an
October 2004 academic survey published in the daily newspaper
El Pais reported that 54 percent of those surveyed designated
themselves as Roman Catholics, 6.3 percent as evangelical
Protestants, 5 percent as Protestants, 9 percent as believers
without a religious affiliation, and 26 percent as nonbelievers.
The mainline Protestant minority is composed primarily of
Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, and Baptists. Other denominations
and branches include evangelicals, Pentecostals, Mennonites,
Eastern Orthodox, and members of Jehovah's Witnesses. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) claims
85,000 members. There are approximately 30,000 Jews, who
support 15 synagogues.
The Unification Church is active in the country and has
major property holdings. There also is a Muslim population
that lives primarily near the border with Brazil. The estimated
4,000 Baha'is are concentrated primarily in Montevideo.
Many Christian groups perform foreign missionary work. For
example, there are an estimated 360 Mormon missionaries
in the country.
Section II. Status of Religious
Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the
Government generally respects this right in practice. The
Government at all levels strives to protect this right in
full and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental
or private actors. The Constitution and law prohibit discrimination
based on religion.
There is strict separation of church and state. All religious
groups are entitled to tax exemptions on their houses of
worship, and there were no reports of difficulties in receiving
these exemptions. To receive the tax exemptions, a religious
group must register as a nonprofit entity and draft organizing
statutes. It then applies to the Ministry of Education and
Culture, which examines the legal entity and grants religious
status. The group must reapply every 5 years. Once the ministry
grants religious status, the church can request an exemption
each year from the taxing body, which is usually the municipal
government.
Religious instruction in public schools is prohibited. Public
schools allow students who belong to minority religions
to miss school for religious holidays without penalty. There
are private religious schools, which are mainly Catholic
and Jewish.
The holy days of Three Kings Day, Carnival (the Monday and
Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday), Holy Thursday, Good Friday,
All Souls' Day, and Christmas are celebrated as official
national holidays.
The Penal Code prohibits mistreatment of ethnic, religious,
and other minority groups. The House of Deputies' Constitutional
Legislative Affairs Commission revised the code to broaden
the definition of hate crimes, thereby making it easier
for police to classify certain offenses as hate crimes and
to provide the judicial system with the tools necessary
to sentence violators to jail. In September 2004, Law 17.817,
which specifically penalizes acts of xenophobia and other
types of discrimination, went into effect.
Foreign missionaries face no special requirements or restrictions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to the generally
free practice of religion.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally
removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow
such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted at specific religions
by terrorist organizations during the period covered by
this report.
Section III. Societal Attitudes
The generally amicable relationship among religions in society
contributed to religious freedom. The Christian-Jewish Council
meets regularly to promote interfaith understanding. In
addition, the mainstream Protestant denominations meet regularly
among themselves and with the Roman Catholic Church. There
are several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that promote
interfaith understanding.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with
the Government as part of its overall policy to promote
human rights. During the period covered by this report,
U.S. Embassy representatives met with human rights and religious
NGOs, including B'nai B'rith and the Israeli Central Committee
of Uruguay. They also met with the leaders of religious
communities, including representatives of the Catholic Church,
the Jewish community, the Islamic community, and Mormon
and Protestant groups.
The Embassy maintains frequent contact with religious and
nonreligious organizations that are involved in the protection
of human rights, such as Mundo Afro, which represents the
interests of citizens of African descent.
Released on November 8, 2005
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