PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The chapter gives simple meanings for important words used later in the law. Ambassador at Large means the official who serves on international religious freedom. Annual Report means the yearly report on international religious freedom. Appropriate congressional committees means the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on International Relations, and for certain presidential actions it can also include the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Commensurate action means an action the President may take in response to violations. Commission means the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and Human Rights Reports mean the State Department’s human rights reports to Congress. Executive Summary means the short summary of the Annual Report. Government or foreign government includes any agency or instrumentality. Institution of higher education means the term as defined in federal education law. Non-state actor means a non-sovereign group that controls territory and politics, is outside government control, and often uses violence. Office means the Office on International Religious Freedom. Particularly severe violations of religious freedom means systematic, ongoing, extreme abuses such as torture, prolonged detention without charges, forced disappearance, or other flagrant denials of life, liberty, or security. Special Adviser means the President’s Special Adviser on International Religious Freedom. Special Watch List means the Special Watch List used under this chapter. Violations of religious freedom means breaches of the international right to freedom of religion, including arbitrary bans or punishments on peaceful religious activities (worship, preaching, prayer, speaking about beliefs, changing beliefs, not following a religion, possession or distribution of religious literature including Bibles, or raising children in a chosen faith) and violent or coercive acts for religious reasons (detention, interrogation, onerous financial penalties, forced labor, forced mass resettlement, imprisonment, forced conversion or forcing people to recant, beating, torture, mutilation, rape, enslavement, murder, and execution).

Title 22, §6402

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter:

(1)Ambassador at Large

The term “Ambassador at Large” means the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom appointed under section 6411(b) of this title.

(2)Annual Report

The term “Annual Report” means the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom described in section 6412(b) of this title.

(3)Appropriate congressional committees

The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives; and

(B)in the case of any determination made with respect to the taking of President action under paragraphs (9) through (15) of section 6445(a) of this title, the term includes the committees described in subparagraph (A) and, where appropriate, the Committee on Banking and Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.

(4)Commensurate action

The term “commensurate action” means action taken by the President under section 6445(b) of this title.

(5)Commission

The term “Commission” means the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom established in section 6431(a) of this title.

(6)Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The term “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” means the annual reports required to be submitted by the Department of State to Congress under section 2151n(d) and 2304(b) of this title.

(7)Executive Summary

The term “Executive Summary” means the Executive Summary to the Annual Report, as described in section 6412(b)(1)(F) of this title.

(8)Government or foreign government

The term “government” or “foreign government” includes any agency or instrumentality of the government.

(9)Human Rights Reports

The term “Human Rights Reports” means all reports submitted by the Department of State to Congress under section 2151n and 2304 of this title.

(10)Institution of higher education

The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given that term in section 1001 of title 20.

(11)Non-state actor (12) Office

The term “non-state actor” means a nonsovereign entity that—

(A)exercises significant political power and territorial control;

(B)is outside the control of a sovereign government; and

(C)often employs violence in pursuit of its objectives.

(13)Particularly severe violations of religious freedom

The term “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” means systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom, including violations such as—

(A)torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment;

(B)prolonged detention without charges;

(C)causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons; or

(D)other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons.

(14)Special Adviser

The term “Special Adviser” means the Special Adviser to the President on International Religious Freedom described in section 3021(i) of title 50.

(15)Special Watch List

The term “Special Watch List” means the Special Watch List described in section 6442(b)(1)(A)(iii) of this title.

(16)Violations of religious freedom

The term “violations of religious freedom” means violations of the internationally recognized right to freedom of religion and religious belief and practice, as set forth in the international instruments referred to in section 6401(a)(2) of this title and as described in section 6401(a)(3) of this title, including violations such as—

(A)arbitrary prohibitions on, restrictions of, or punishment for—

(i)assembling for peaceful religious activities such as worship, preaching, and prayer, including arbitrary registration requirements;

(ii)speaking freely about one’s religious beliefs;

(iii)changing one’s religious beliefs and affiliation;

(iv)not professing a particular religion, or any religion;

(v)possession and distribution of religious literature, including Bibles; or

(vi)raising one’s children in the religious teachings and practices of one’s choice; or

(B)any of the following acts if committed on account of an individual’s conscience, non-theistic views, or religious belief or practice: detention, interrogation, imposition of an onerous financial penalty, forced labor, forced mass resettlement, imprisonment, forced religious conversion, forcibly compelling non-believers or non-theists to recant their beliefs or to convert, beating, torture, mutilation, rape, enslavement, murder, and execution.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 105–292, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2787, known as the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 6401 of this title and Tables. section 3021(i) of title 50, referred to in par. (14), was redesignated section 3021(k) by Pub. L. 110–53, title XVIII, § 1841(g)(1), Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 500.

Amendments

2016—Pars. (10) to (14). Pub. L. 114–281, § 3(2), (3), added pars. (10) and (11) and redesignated former pars. (10) to (12) as (12) to (14), respectively. Former par. (13) redesignated (16). Par. (15). Pub. L. 114–281, § 3(4), added par. (15). Par. (16). Pub. L. 114–281, § 3(1), redesignated par. (13) as (16). Par. (16)(A)(iv) to (vi). Pub. L. 114–281, § 3(5)(A), added cl. (iv) and redesignated former cls. (iv) and (v) as (v) and (vi), respectively. Par. (16)(B). Pub. L. 114–281, § 3(5)(B), inserted “conscience, non-theistic views, or” after “an individual’s” and “forcibly compelling non-believers or non-theists to recant their beliefs or to convert,” after “forced religious conversion,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on International Relations of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Foreign Affairs of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Jan. 5, 2007. Committee on Banking and Financial Services of House of Representatives abolished and replaced by Committee on Financial Services of House of Representatives, and jurisdiction over matters relating to securities and exchanges and insurance generally transferred from Committee on Energy and Commerce of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Jan. 3, 2001.

§6402 Definitions