Governments around the world continue to breach international law by engaging in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (“ill treatment”) of individuals. In promoting international religious freedom, the U.S. government is required to consider the connection between religious freedom violations and torture. Recognizing how torture and ill treatment can be used to violate religious freedom strengthens both the protection of this right and the right to be free from torture by expanding remedies for victims and increasing state accountability for violations. This factsheet provides an overview of U.S. policy related to this nexus, relevant international human rights standards, and contexts where violations occur concurrently. The factsheet includes case studies highlighting this intersection from countries including Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Turkmenistan.