USCIRF designated 10 countries as Tier 2 nations that have serious religious freedom issues, but which do not rise to the level of CPC's: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey.
In making its recommendations, USCIRF said in part:
Non-state actors, such as transnational or local organizations, are some of the most egregious violators of religious freedom in today’s world. In some places, such as the Central African Republic and areas of Iraq and Syria, governments are either non-existent or incapable of addressing violations committed by non-state actors. USCIRF has concluded that the CPC classification should be expanded to allow for the designation of countries such as these, where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are occurring but a government does not exist or does not control its territory. Accordingly, USCIRF’s CPC recommendations reflect that approach.