Rights Groups Criticize US No Longer Listing Nigeria as Violator of Religious Freedom

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech on U.S.–Africa Policy at the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja, Nigeria, on Nov. 19, 2021. Andrew Harnik/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

JOS, Nigeria—Human-rights groups from around the world have reacted with dismay to the recent delisting of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by the U.S. Department of State.

Ahead of his Nov. 18 visit to Nigeria, Secretary of State Antony Blinken listed China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as CPCs. The secretary of state designates a CPC for severe violations of religious freedom.