Tuesday, October 8, 2002

WASHINGTON The U.S. State Department on Monday released an annual report on religious freedom in the world, accusing China, North Korea, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam of engaging in religious repression.

Cuba was the only non-Asian country that was singled out in the State Department document for allegedly making totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to control religious belief or practice.

On China, the State Department report said, "The government continued to restrict religious practices to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship, and to control the growth and scope of the activity of religious groups to prevent the rise of possible sources of authority outside of the control of the government." The report said China continued its harsh repression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, noting that several hundred Falun Gong adherents have died in detention since 1999.

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The 1998 U.S. International Religious Freedom Act requires the secretary of state to submit an annual report to Congress about religious freedom around the world. (Kyodo News)

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