In December the U.S. State Department for the first time placed Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.” The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported an uptick in the suppression of religious freedoms and an intensification of persecution targeting Muslim communities, with 19 individuals reportedly jailed for their faith in the preceding year. The Azerbaijani government strongly contested this classification, with its State Committee on Work with Religious Institutions claiming bias in the report, a…