North Korea has some of the worst religious freedom conditions in the world, according to a U.S. federal organization that called on the government to invoke all policy means available to address the issue.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom(USCIRF), established by the U.S. Congress, held a webinar on the North's religious freedom and U.S. policy on the occasion of International Religious Freedom Day.

Characterizing religious freedom conditions in the North as among the world’s worst, USCIRF Vice Chair Abraham Cooper said recent reports show the regime’s systematic, ongoing and egregious violations are almost at the level of mass slaughter and crimes against humanity.

Cooper reportedly said that China is worsening the situation by deporting North Korean refugees, calling on the U.S. to seek creative measures and deploy every possible means to respond to the brutality.