In 2016, Congress passed the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act which mandated that USCIRF maintain a list of individuals targeted for their religion or belief. In 2019, USCIRF launched its Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List – an online database that catalogues persons detained, imprisoned, placed under house arrest, disappeared, forced to renounce their faith, and tortured for their religious belief, religious activity, and religious freedom advocacy. Since then, the FoRB Victims List has documented almost 2,000 victims with that number unfortunately continuing to grow.

USCIRF Researcher, Dylan Schexnaydre, joins Research Analyst, Zack Udin, to discuss the database’s background, recent upgrades, and data for 2022.

Read USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Factsheet

View USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List or complete the Victims List Intake Form. 

With Contributions from:

Dylan Schexnaydre, Researcher, USCIRF

Zachary Udin, Research Analyst, USCIRF

Veronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF