,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bgdg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #i1 
#bjbe,mr4 ,cruz introduced the following
 bill2 which was read twice and referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign          
,relations  ,a ,,bill  ,to require the  
,secretary of ,state to designate the   
,federal ,republic of ,nigeria as a     
,country of ,particular ,concern1 to    
impose certain sanctions1 and for other 
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,nigeria ,religious 
,freedom ,accountability ,act of #bjbe4 
#b4 ,imposition of sanctions  7a7 ,in   
general ,the ,president shall impose the
 sanctions described in ,executive      
,order #achah 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2
 relating to blocking the property of   
persons involved in serious human rights
 abuse or corruption7 on the persons    
identified in the report required under 
subsection 7b74  7b7 ,report required   
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij    
days after the date of the enactment of 

this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the 
,secretary of ,state shall submit to the
 appropriate congressional committees a 
report listing ,nigerian persons who    
are-- 7,a7 ,federal officials or state  
governors who have1 during the period   
specified in paragraph 7#b7-- 7i7       
promoted1 enacted1 or maintained        
,nigerian blasphemy laws1 including     
through public advocacy1 legislative    
action1 or executive enforcement        
directives2 or  7ii7 tolerated violence 
by non-state actors invoking religious  
justifications to commit acts of        
violence1 including persons designated  
as-- 7,i7 foreign terrorist             
organizations pursuant to section       
#bai7;a7 of the ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#aahi7;a772 or  7,,ii7 specially        
designated global terrorists pursuant to
 ,executive ,order #acbbd 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4
 #agja note2 relating to blocking       
property and prohibiting transactions   
with persons who commit1 threaten to    

commit1 or support terrorism72 or  7,b7 
judges1 magistrates1 prison officials1  
or other judicial or law enforcement    
authorities who have1 during the period 
specified in paragraph 7#b71 enforced   
blasphemy laws1 including through       
prosecution1 conviction1 imprisonment1  
or other deprivation of liberty of      
individuals pursuant to such laws4  7#b7
 ,period specified ,the period specified
 in this paragraph is-- 7,a7 with       
respect to the first report required by 
paragraph 7#a71 the period beginning #aj
 years before the date of the enactment 
of this ,act and ending on the date on  
which the report is submitted2 and  7,b7
 with respect to each subsequent such   
report1 the period beginning on the date
 on which the previous such report was  
submitted and ending the date on which  
the new report is submitted4  7#c7 ,form
 ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 
shall be submitted in unclassified form1
 but may include a classified annex1 if 
appropriate4  #c4 ,designations and     

amendments related to the ,international
 ,religious ,freedom ,act  7a7 ,in      
general ,in reports required under      
section #djb7;b77#a77;,a7 of the        
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4                 
#fddb7;b77#a77;,a77 and concurrent      
reviews required under section #cja7;a7 
of the ,frank ,r4 ,wolf ,international  
,religious ,freedom ,act of #bjaf 7#bb  
,u4,s4,c4 #fddb;a7a771 the ,secretary of
 ,state shall designate1 for engaging in
 or tolerating systematic1 ongoing1 and 
egregious violations of religious       
freedom-- 7#a7 the ,federal ,republic of
 ,nigeria as a ,country of ,particular  
,concern 7,,cpc72 and  7#b7 ,boko ,haram
 and ,,isis-,west ,africa as ,entities  
of ,particular ,concern 7,,epc74  7b7   
,waiver authority  7#a7 ,,cpc ,the      
,secretary of ,state may waive the      
requirement to impose a designation     
required under subsection 7a77#a7 if the
 ,secretary transmits to the appropriate
 congressional committees a             

determination that-- 7,a7 neither entity
 listed in subsection 7a77#b7 is        
currently operating in ,nigeria2 and    
7,b7 the ,federal ,government of        
,nigeria and all state governments in   
,nigeria are not currently enforcing    
blasphemy laws4  7#b7 ,,epc ,the        
,secretary of ,state may waive the      
requirement to impose a designation     
required under subsection 7a77#b7 if the
 ,secretary transmits to the appropriate
 committees a determination that the    
entity not being designated is not      
currently operating4  7c7 ,technical    
correction ,section #fje7;a77#a7 of the 
of ,international ,religious ,freedom   
,act of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fdgc;a7 is
 amended by striking freedom religion   
and inserting religious freedom4  #d4   
,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7        
,appropriate congressional committees   
,the term appropriate congressional     
committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee  
on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2  
and  7,b7 the ,committee on ,foreign    

,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives4  7#b7 ,boko ,haram    
,the term ,boko ,haram means ,jama'tu   
,ahlis ,sunna ,lidda'awati wal-,jihad4  
7#c7 ,,isis-,west ,africa ,the term     
,,isis-,west ,africa means the ,islamic 
,state ,west ,africa ,province4  7#d7   
,nigerian blasphemy laws ,the term      
,nigerian blasphemy laws refers to      
provisions in ,nigeria's criminal1      
penal1 or ,shari'a codes that           
criminalize expression1 behavior1 or    
belief perceived as insulting religion4 
7#e7 ,person ,the term person means an  
individual or entity4