Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025
A Republican bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 aims to hold officials accountable regarding religious freedom. It requires the Secretary of State to designate the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Additionally, the bill designates Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa as Entities of Particular Concern. The President is directed to impose sanctions on specific Nigerian persons identified in a required report. This report will target officials and law enforcement involved in promoting or enforcing blasphemy laws or tolerating religious violence.
Yes
- Scored +8
Does this protect the freedom to practise a religion?
The bill targets officials who promote or enforce blasphemy laws to protect religious freedom.
- Scored +5
Does this protect the individual right to speak freely?
By targeting blasphemy laws, the bill seeks to protect expression that is currently criminalized.
- Scored +4
Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad?
The bill uses diplomatic designations and sanctions to address human rights concerns in Nigeria.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Sanctions on human rights abusers: The President shall impose sanctions under Executive Order 13818 on persons identified in the Secretary of State's report, which includes federal officials, state governors, and judicial authorities (Section 2(a)).
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Accountability for blasphemy laws: The bill targets individuals who have promoted, enacted, or maintained Nigerian blasphemy laws, or who have enforced them through prosecution or imprisonment (Section 2(b)(1)(A)-(B)).
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Addressing religious violence: The act requires the identification of officials who have tolerated violence by non-state actors who use religious justifications for their actions (Section 2(b)(1)(A)(ii)).
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Designation of extremist groups: The Secretary of State is directed to designate Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa as Entities of Particular Concern (Section 3(a)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Sanctions on Nigerian officials: Certain Nigerian federal officials, state governors, judges, magistrates, and prison officials may face sanctions based on their actions regarding blasphemy laws or tolerance of violence (Section 2(b)(1)).
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Impact of legal designations: The designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and certain groups as Entities of Particular Concern is required unless specific waiver conditions are met (Section 3(a)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this protect the freedom to practise a religion? — The bill targets officials who promote or enforce blasphemy laws to protect religious freedom.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect the individual right to speak freely? — By targeting blasphemy laws, the bill seeks to protect expression that is currently criminalized.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad? — The bill uses diplomatic designations and sanctions to address human rights concerns in Nigeria.
- 11/18/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/9/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ashley MoodyRepublican · Florida