2007 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom To Be Released on Friday, September 14, 2007

September 14, 2007

The U.S. Department of State will release its 2007 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom at a special briefing at the State Department on September 14 at 12:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time .  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will deliver opening remarks on the release of the Report, and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom John V. Hanford III will speak following the Secretary.  Following the briefing, the report will be available on the web at www.state.gov/g/drl/irf.

The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom provides a comprehensive review of actions taken by the United States and countries around the world during the past year to promote the universal right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief.  The Report describes conditions for religious freedom around the world and inter-related human rights in countries of particular concern, highlights key findings, and reports on actions taken by the U.S. government to raise public awareness and promote religious freedom in each country.  Each individual country report describes the status of religious freedom and assesses the nature and extent of restrictions and abuses of religious freedom in that country. 

For more information on the report, please contact Public Affairs Officer James Warren at 090-342-4997 or Press Specialist Pham Trong Thuc at 090-344-9684.