I N T R O D U C T I O N A N D OV E R V I E W imposed a harsh version of Shari'a and strict behavior rules, especially on women, in its areas of control in central Mali. Changes in SWL Recommendations In this report, USCIRF is not recommending SWL placement for three countries—Bahrain, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan— that were among its SWL recommendations in the 2020 Annual Report and in prior years. USCIRF has concluded that, although religious freedom concerns remain in all three countries, conditions during calendar year 2020 did not meet the high threshold required to recommend SWL status. As previously discussed, a SWL recommendation is based on USCIRF finding that the government perpetrated or tolerated severe religious freedom violations, meaning violations that meet two of the elements of IRFA’s systematic, ongoing, and egregious test. USCIRF will continue to monitor all three countries on an ongoing basis. Should conditions in any of them deteriorate during 2021 to the level of severe violations, USCIRF will not hesitate to renew that country’s SWL recommendation. USCIRF commends Bahrain on the furlough of notable prisoner of conscience Nabeel Rajab. However, USCIRF remains concerned about restrictions on religious literature in prison and the treatment of Shi’a Muslim prisoners. USCIRF also notes that Shi’a Muslims continue to face employment discrimination in the private sector and in Bahrain’s military, but tracking the extent of progress in these areas is difficult due to a lack of data and restrictions on civil society. Reporting the percentages of Shi’a Muslim Bahrainis in the workforce and expanding space for civil society and the media to raise issues of religious freedom for Shi’a Muslims would enhance Bahrain’s efforts toward further progress. USCIRF also appreciates the government of Bahrain’s engagement with the Commission over the years. CAR USCIRF first recommended CAR’s designation as a CPC in its 2015 Annual Report, due to elevated sectarian violence and ethnic targeting of Muslims amid the country’s civil conflict. In the 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF shifted its recommendation on CAR to placement on the SWL, due to the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement on the ground Bahrain and reduced sectarian violence in 2019. In 2020, CAR continued to make The change in status for Bahrain reflects ongoing improvements in progress on protecting religious freedom. For example, the governthe government’s approach toward the country’s marginalized Shi’a ment worked with international partners to implement key aspects of Muslim majority in 2020. USCIRF began reporting on Bahrain in its the peace agreement and hold violators accountable, while local orga2012 Annual Report in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings of 2011 nizations continued to implement successful programs to strengthen and, based on a sharp deterioration in conditions for the Shi’a Muslim interfaith tolerance. As a result, there was a reduction in violence against community, placed the country on what USCIRF then called its “Tier individuals based on their religious identity. In January 2021, President 2” in the 2017 Annual Report. Faustin-Archange Touadéra highlighted security, reconciliation, and These conditions have improved over the years, including in 2020. justice as key priorities for his administration. For example, Shi’a Muslims in Bahrain were able to observe the Ashura However, while certain religious freedom conditions improved holiday in 2020 with mostly reasonable social distancing precautions in 2020, religious minorities in CAR continue to face ongoing relifor COVID-19 put into effect in coordination with Shi’a Muslim religious gious freedom violations. The Touadéra government took no action authorities. Bahrain remains the to ensure that refugees, many only Gulf Cooperation Council of whom are religious minorities (GCC) country where Ashura is displaced by sectarian violence, Sudan’s transitional government . . . has observed as a public holiday. Recent would be represented in the years have seen improvements relDecember national elections. taken concrete steps toward ative to earlier ones, when Bahraini Muslims face discrimination from ending systematic, ongoing, and security forces deployed tear gas local government officials, and egregious religious freedom violations. . . . during Ashura processionals. renewed post-election violence A d d i t i o n a l l y, i n 2 0 2 0 , has the potential to trigger backBahrain’s King Hamad Centre sliding of religious freedom gains for Global Coexistence signed a memorandum of understanding in this fragile context. The situation in CAR remains dire, and USCIRF’s with the State Department to combat antisemitism and adopted the decision to remove it from the SWL reflects only USCIRF’s narrow International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of the mandate to focus on religious freedom conditions and not the overall term. Bahrain was one of several Muslim-majority countries to norpolitical, security or human rights concerns, which are pervasive. malize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Domestically, Bahrain has continued to provide wide latitude for freedom of reliSudan gion for the Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian communities. A Until 2020, USCIRF had recommended that Sudan, under the Islamist Catholic cathedral that will serve as a regional headquarters is nearing regime of former president Omar al-Bashir, be designated as a CPC completion, and Bahrain hosts a Hindu community that worships in a every year since USCIRF’s first set of CPC recommendations in 2000. 200-year-old continuously operating temple. After the overthrow of the Bashir regime in April 2019, Sudan’s tranUSCIRF will continue to monitor religious freedom conditions sitional government, which assumed office that August, has taken in Bahrain and remains concerned that government authorities sumconcrete steps toward ending systematic, ongoing, and egregious moned and interrogated at least eight Shi’a Muslim religious figures religious freedom violations, and it has closely engaged with USCIRF over the content of their sermons and religious supplications in 2020. and other international stakeholders in doing so. The transitional conWhile Bahrain faces legitimate security threats from Iran and Iranianstitution no longer identifies Islam as the primary source of law, and supported terrorist organizations, continuing to integrate rather than it includes a provision ensuring the freedom of belief and worship. In marginalize Shi’a Muslims in Bahrain is the best way to mitigate these November 2019, the transitional government repealed the repressive groups’ ability to disrupt Bahraini national security. public order law that the former regime had long used to punish those, USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2021 3