The United States should provide humanitarian parole for a limited number of Bangladeshi writers at imminent risk of assassination by extremist groups, said US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The commission, set up by Congress as an independent body under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, made the recommendation in its annual global report 2016 upon analysing the situation in Bangladesh.

Citing last year's gruesome murders of bloggers, it said dozens of individuals had either fled the country or their areas of residence following threats that include "Hit Lists" of individuals targeted for assassination.

The commission urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and all government officials to frequently and publicly denounce religiously-divisive language.

The US government should provide technical assistance and encourage the Bangladesh government to further develop its national counter terrorism strategy, it said in the report

It also urged the government to investigate claims of land grabbing and to repeal its blasphemy law.

Land grabbing by people, including police and political leaders, is widespread throughout Bangladesh, causing it to be a serious concern, said the commission on religious freedom.

"Attacks on property holders and arson almost always accompany incidents of land grabbing. Religious minorities, particularly Hindus, believe that a lack of political representation makes them especially vulnerable," it said. The global situation is also not good. The refugee crisis, political strife and economic dislocation all contributed to a worldwide deterioration of religious freedom last year and an increase in "societal intolerance", according to the report.

The commission identified 17 countries as "Tier One" concerns meaning they have witnessed severe violations of religious freedom, which are "systematic, ongoing, and egregious."

They are Myanmar, Tajikistan, Nigeria, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Vietnam.

The commission also singled out Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia and Turkey for various incidents of violations of religious freedom in these nations.

The report refers to the mass displacements triggered by ISIS persecution of Christians and minorities in the Middle East, acts of bigotry against Jews and Muslims in Europe, imprisonment of Christian lawyers and pastors in China who protested against crackdown on churches and crosses, among several other "serious and sustained assault(s)," on freedom of religion all over the world.