A senior United States congressman called for increased diplomatic and economic action after a federal commission identified 18 countries as the most severe violators of religious freedom, according to a March 11 statement.
The issue is significant because the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2026 Annual Report on March 4, documenting violations throughout 2025 and making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress regarding religious freedom abroad.
Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey who has served in Congress since 1981 representing New Jersey’s 4th district, welcomed the report but pressed for more robust measures. “The United States must use every diplomatic and economic tool at its disposal to fervently defend the fundamental right of religious freedom,” Smith said in a statement.
The USCIRF report recommended adding Afghanistan, India, Libya, Syria, and Vietnam to the Countries of Particular Concern list. These join other countries such as China, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, and Russia. The report highlighted violence in Nigeria where nearly 53,000 civilians have been killed since 2009 due to targeted violence. In just the past five years about 21,000 deaths were recorded. In one incident in 2025 alone, gunmen abducted over 300 children from a Catholic school dormitory; other incidents included the execution of a Christian priest and a market vendor being burned alive following blasphemy accusations.
Smith recently introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 which would require the U.S. Secretary of State to compile a comprehensive report on American efforts addressing ongoing persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria. The USCIRF report also noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced reductions affecting about 5,200 USAID programs—representing approximately 83 percent of all USAID programs—including major cuts to human rights and rule-of-law initiatives.
Smith has chaired more than thirty hearings across three congressional committees focused on religious persecution trends. He is also author of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act which expanded U.S. tools for advancing religious liberty through diplomacy and foreign assistance.
Beyond CPC designations, eleven countries were recommended for inclusion on the Special Watch List for severe violations falling short of CPC status; new additions include Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, and Turkey.
Chris Smith was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1953 and currently lives in Manchester Township according to available information. He graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
