USCIRF Chair Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. Welcome to USCIRF.
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USCIRF Commissioner Kristina Arriaga speaks at a Hudson Institute event on "Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Its Importance for Regional and Global Security," September 12, 2016. Watch the event.
USCIRF's Tiffany Lynch and Elizabeth Cassidy present findings from USCIRF's new report, Barriers to Protection: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal, at an event with Human Rights First, August 3, 2016. Watch the event here.
USCIRF Commissioner Jackie Wolcott speaks at the 68th Jalsa Salana Ahmadiyya convention in Harrisburg, PA, July 30, 2016. Watch her speech here.
USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J., testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing on Blasphemy Laws, July 14, 2016. Read his testimony here.
USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst, Tina Mufford, speaking at the Falun Gong rally on Capitol Hill, July 14, 2016.
USCIRF Commissioner Kristina Arriaga speaking at the International Christian Concern conference, July 2016.
USCIRF Commissioners with the Archons of Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church, July 12, 2016.
USCIRF Commissioner Jackie Wolcott (center) meets with representatives from Vietnam's religious communities during Vietnam Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, June 22, 2016.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2016 Annual Report on May 2, 2016. In the report, USCIRF recommends that the State Department add these eight countries to its list of “countries of particular concern,” defined under law as countries where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are tolerated or perpetrated: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.
USCIRF also recommends that the following nine countries be re-designated as “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
In addition, USCIRF also recommends ten countries as Tier 2 Countries, those countries whose governments engages in or tolerates at least one of the elements of the "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" standard, but do not fully meet the CPC standard: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey. Other Countries Monitored include: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Horn of Africa, Kyrgyzstan, Western Europe.
USCIRF on August 2, 2016 released a new report, Barriers to Protection: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal, which highlights serious problems with the U.S. government's treatment of asylum seekers in Expedited Removal. View the report here. USCIRF presented findings from the report at an August 3, 2016 event with Human Rights First. Watch the event here.
USCIRF held an event on April 11, 2016 at the National Press Club entitled "Europe at a Crossroad: Civil Society Efforts to Combat Religious Hatred and Bigotry in Europe." The event featured a keynote address by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, a panel of European civil society leaders, and remarks by USCIRF Commissioners.
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December 21, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the Sudanese government for charging 25 Muslims with apostasy and public disorder. Apostasy charges in Sudan carry the death penalty.
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December 17, 2015
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December 10, 2015 | Mary Ann Glendon and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The National Interest on December 10, 2015
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December 9, 2015
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December 7, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today issued the following statement:
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December 1, 2015
USCIRF Calls for Continued Syrian Refugee Resettlement
Rigorous individualized vetting allows the United States to both welcome Syrian refugees and protect security.
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November 30, 2015 | M. Zuhdi Jasser and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on November 30, 2015
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November 30, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns in the strongest possible terms the heinous attack on an Ahmadi Muslim factory and mosque on November 21 and 22 in the Jehlum district located in the Punjab province.
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November 24, 2015
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the Turkish government to reopen the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki, which was closed 44 years ago this month when the government nationalized all private institutions of higher learning.
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November 13, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the government of Burma to protect religious and ethnic minorities during the post-election period and beyond. Although Election Day largely was peaceful, the underlying electoral process was deeply flawed given the disturbing interjection of religion, the 25 percent reservation for the military of unelected seats, and the disenfranchisement of Rohingya Muslims.
Who We Are
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world, that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad.
What We're About
Inherent in religious freedom is the right to think as we please, believe or not believe as our conscience leads, and live out our beliefs openly, peacefully, and without fear.
We are about freedom…
Thomas Bill Search