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November 24, 2008    

Contact: Judith Ingram

Communications Director

(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

SAVE THE DATE – Public Hearing  
Thursday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2325 
 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is holding a public hearing to focus attention on Bangladesh’s upcoming national elections. Bangladesh’s last national elections, in October 2001, were followed by numerous reports of violence against members of religious minority communities, particularly Hindus.  Elections previously scheduled for January 2007 were postponed amid allegations that they would not be free and fair.  Since January 2007, Bangladesh has been administered by a military-backed caretaker government, a state of emergency has restricted political rights, and there have been serious human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings and torture.

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Nov. 24, 2008  

Contact: Judith Ingram

Communications Director

(202) 523-3240, ext 127

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WASHINGTON—The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is deeply concerned over a draft law that gravely threatens freedom of religion in Kazakhstan in the latest, disturbing signal of tightening restrictions on human rights in the Central Asian country.  The current, unpublished version of the law does not reflect most key points challenged in public discussion inside Kazakhstan or points conveyed by the Commission in press releases, conversations, or meetings with Kazakh officials over the past several months, including last week.  While an expert team from the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe will be in Kazakhstan this week to analyze the latest draft—just as the country’s parliament will be voting on the final draft –the Kazakh government so far has refused to make public either the latest draft or the reportedly extensive OSCE critiques of it. 

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Nov. 19, 2008

Contact: Judith Ingram

Communications Director
(202)523-3240, ext. 127
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WASHINGTON—Kyrgyzstan has joined the roster of former Soviet republics that are intent on asserting state control over faith communities.  In the process, these states are depriving many citizens of the freedom of religion guaranteed by their constitution and protected by international conventions.  A new draft law that has been passed by the Kyrgyz parliament and is awaiting President Kurmanbek Bakiev’s signature requires that a religious organization have 200 members before it can operate legally, a steep increase from the 10 members previously required, prohibits children from participating in religious organizations, and bans the distribution of religious materials in public places.  The draft law poses an existential threat to small denominations.

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Contact:  Judith Ingram
Communications Director
202/523-3240, ext. 127
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WASHINGTON—The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom condemns the recent death by stoning of a 13-year-old girl in Somalia and calls on the U.S. government to join with other states in speaking out decisively in international fora against such grave human rights abuses.

Today, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom marks the tenth anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).  This U.S. legislation focused a spotlight on the importance of ending violations of religious freedom around the world and the need to promote this and other freedoms as integral components of U.S. foreign policy.  Developments of the past decade have reinforced recognition of the importance of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, as the U.S. government navigates a world threatened by religion-based extremism and religion-imbued conflict. 

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Contact:  Judith Ingram, 
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
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WASHINGTON—The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomes the release of four Baha’is from a Yemeni prison earlier this week but calls on the U.S. government to urge Yemen to rescind the deportation order against them.  The three Iranian nationals and one Iraqi national, all long-time residents of Yemen who had been imprisoned for months without charges, were released on condition that they leave the country within two months.

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October 16, 2008

Contact:  Judith Ingram,
Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127
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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is concerned about the status of Baha'i and Christian prisoners in Yemen, who have been imprisoned for months without charge and could face severe punishments.  Some of the Baha'i prisoners could be deported to Iran, where the Iranian government has imprisoned and tortured Baha'is in recent years.  The Christians, who are converts from Islam, could face the death penalty if charged with apostasy.   According to sources familiar with the cases, the Baha'is and Christians were detained for sharing their faith.

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WASHINGTON-Felice D. Gaer, Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Vice Chair Michael Cromartie marked the tenth anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this week.  Gaer and Cromartie served as official members of the U.S. delegation to the meeting, which was held in Warsaw, Poland, and closed on Friday. 

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Oct. 3, 2008 

Contact:  Judith Ingram,
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
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WASHINGTON—The Kazakh parliament has moved decisively toward passage of a draft law governing religious communities that would restrict rather than strengthen protections of freedom of religion or belief.  The law follows the example of other former Soviet republics that have increased legal and other restrictions on freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief.

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 Contact: Judith Ingram, Communications Director
Tel. 202/523-3240, ext 127

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 WASHINGTON—Vietnam continues to demonstrate a disturbing disregard for fundamental human rights, with police violence against protesters at peaceful vigils at properties formerly owned by the Catholic Church of Vietnam, the drawn-out imprisonment and house arrest of numerous religious freedom advocates, and the detentions earlier this month of pro-democracy activists.  Rather than releasing imprisoned human rights lawyer and religious freedom advocate Li Thi Cong Nhan, the Vietnamese government has offered her exile abroad, which she refused.    The U.S. Commission calls on the State Department to re-designate Vietnam among the worst violators of religious freedom and demand the unconditional release of all prisoners of concern.