US Report: Rel. Freedom Is Declining Worldwide; Sees "Continued Global Increase in Anti-Semitism"

Religious freedom is on the decline in many parts of the world, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department, which calls the trend "worrying," the Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty website reports today (May 20, 2013).

The 2012 International Religious Freedom Report also documents what it calls "a continued global increase in anti-Semitism."

Secretary of State John Kerry released the annual report -- which surveys almost 200 countries and territories -- at the State Department in Washington, D.C. on May 20. He told reporters that the "freedom to profess and practice one's faith, to believe, or not to believe, or to change one's beliefs is a birthright of every human being."

The report found that China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asian countries remain among the world's most difficult places to worship freely, but it also noted that many countries around the world have authoritarian leaders who restrict and repress religious thought and practice. Some government officials go so far as to punish individuals for holding their religious beliefs, and deny them their judicial rights.