Religious Persecution Bill Clears Senate

After months of negotiations, the Senate unanimously passed legislation Friday requiring the president to take action against countries that engage in a pattern of religious persecution.

Senators passed the Freedom From Religious Persecution Act, 98-0, after the White House agreed to language that was considerably weaker than in previous versions. The House already has approved similar legislation.

Under the Senate bill, the president would choose from a list of options, ranging from diplomatic protest to economic sanctions, to use against countries found to violate religious rights. But the measure also would allow the president to waive sanctions if a foreign government makes improvements or if U.S. officials determine that a waiver is in the “important national interests” of the United States.

Previous versions of the bill set a higher waiver standard: the protection of national security.

Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.), sponsor of the bill, said the sanctions are intended to promote religious tolerance around the world.

“It is a reminder to the executive branch of the American government, both now and in the future, that as it encourages human rights all over the world, it must consider freedom of religion,” said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.).

The measure would create a federal office responsible for monitoring treatment in countries where the State Department has documented acts of religious persecution. There were 77 such countries in a 1997 report released by the department.