United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

December 24, 2025 | Mariam Wahba, Samuel Ben-Ur

Eight Things to Know About Christians in China

The latest wave of religious repression in China represents the most aggressive internal clampdowns in years. Catholic bishops appointed by the Vatican have been disappeared, despite a deal allegedly giving...

December 11, 2025 |

Iran Steps Up Persecution of Baha’i Faith 

Increased Targeting of Baha’i Minority Since War With Israel: Iranian authorities have increased efforts to target members of the Baha’i faith, subjecting Baha’i citizens...

November 12, 2025 | Clifford D. May |

The war against Christians

President Trump is giving attention to this matter

September 26, 2025 | Seth J. Frantzman |

From Pariah to Partner? Inside Syria’s Washington Comeback Bid

Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Shara’a and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani travelled to Washington and New York for a week of key meetings in the third...

August 17, 2025 | Mariam Wahba |

Egypt’s War Against the World’s Oldest Christian Monastery

The state’s suppression of St. Catherine’s is a microcosm of Egypt’s broader campaign against the country’s Christians—including my family.

February 12, 2025 | |

A ‘Country of Particular Concern’: Iran Rearrests Two Christians for Practicing Their Faith 

Iran’s Renewed Discrimination: The Islamic Republic once again incarcerated two Christians in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for practicing their faith, the religious freedom...

September 27, 2024 | Tzvi Kahn |

U.S. Should Sanction Iran’s Brutal Judge Iman Afshari

The death sentences keep coming from Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. In July, the court’s presiding judge, Iman Afshari, pronounced the dreaded verdict for Pakhshan Azizi, a prominent...

May 3, 2024 | |

Executions Surge in Iran as Protests Persist

Executions in Iran are surging. The Islamic Republic executed 63 people in the last two weeks of April, bringing the total number in 2024 to 175, the Norway-based nonprofit Iran...

January 31, 2024 | |

Iran Executes Four Men Falsely Accused of Mossad Ties

Iran on January 29 hanged four prisoners accused of planning to sabotage a Defense Ministry factory and having links with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Iranian state media...

November 15, 2023 | |

Iran’s Repression of Baha’is Condemned by U.S. Agency

A key U.S. agency condemned Iran on November 15 for its resurgent persecution of the Baha’is, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. The U.S. Commission on International...

September 12, 2023 | |

Iran’s Uprising Nears First Anniversary as Protests Persist 

September 16 marks the first anniversary of the Iranian morality police’s murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. Her death sparked...

December 28, 2022 | Clifford D. May |

Strategery 101

When an enemy attacks a friend, back the friend

September 1, 2022 | David Adesnik, John Hardie

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: September

March 24, 2022 | Aykan Erdemir, Ryan Brobst

Engines of Influence

Turkey’s Defense Industry Under Erdogan

December 15, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir, Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir

Bottom-Up Hope: Local Governments Bolster Religious Pluralism in Turkey

When powerful states and their proxies intensify religious persecution worldwide and democratic governments under a neo-isolationist spell look the other way, where can vulnerable religious minorities find...

December 3, 2021 | David Adesnik |

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: November

November 26, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir, Paul Gadalla

Russia’s Power Games Extend to the Orthodox Church

Pushing back against Russia’s multipronged assault on the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which includes Putin and Erdogan’s coordinated pressure on an institution they see as posing a threat to their respective illiberal projects, requires devising and implementing a concerted transatlantic strategy.

August 10, 2021 | David Adesnik |

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Early August

August 9, 2021 | Aykan Erdemir, Sude Akgundogdu

Turkey’s Anti-Kurdish Measures Violate Religious Freedom

Turkey has a long history of discrimination against its Kurdish citizens as well as restrictions against using the Kurdish language. While this systematic exclusion has drawn international attention, its...

June 30, 2021 | Tzvi Kahn, David May, Craig Singleton

United Nations Human Rights Council