This bill requires the U.S. State Department to designate Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" due to violations of religious freedom, and to impose sanctions against specific Nigerian officials involved in enforcing blasphemy laws or tolerating religiously-motivated violence. Within 90 days of the law's enactment and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State must identify federal officials, state governors, judges, and law enforcement authorities who have promoted, enacted, enforced, or tolerated such abuses, with sanctions applied through existing executive order authorities targeting human rights violators. The bill also designates the militant groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa as "Entities of Particular Concern." The Secretary of State may waive these requirements only if they certify to Congress that these terrorist groups are no longer operating in Nigeria and that the country has stopped enforcing blasphemy laws. This legislation aims to hold Nigerian officials accountable for religious freedom violations without specifying new funding requirements or appropriations.
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