Country of Particular Concern (CPC) is a designation by the United States Secretary of State (under authority delegated by the President) of a country responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 (H.R.
[9] In November 2022, the U.S. Department of State designated Burma (Myanmar), China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern and Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as countries on the Watch List.
Entities of Particular Concern includes Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel (formerly known as ISIS-Greater Sahara), ISIS-West Africa, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, the Taliban, and the Wagner Group based on its actions in the Central African Republic.
[10] In December 2023, the U.S. Department of State designated Burma (Myanmar), China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern and Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as countries on the Watch List.
Entities of Particular Concern includes al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel (formerly known as ISIS-Greater Sahara), ISIS-West Africa, al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and the Taliban.