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April 12, 2013 | By USCIRF

WASHINGTON, DC – President Barack Obama on April 11, 2013 announced his intent to appoint Eric P. Schwartz to serve on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom. 

“USCIRF welcomes Eric Schwartz,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett. “Given his remarkable depth of knowledge, experience, and commitment, I am confident that he will be a great asset to our Commission as we work to help advance the cherished right of freedom of religion or belief around the world.”

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April 5, 2013| By USCIRF 

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today expressed concern about the Egyptian government’s continued application of blasphemy-like charges that are used to stifle dissent and limit the freedoms of religion and expression.

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March 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission dedicated to monitoring the universal right to freedom of religion or belief, urges the Obama Administration during its second term to promote religious freedom as both a pivotal human right and a practical necessity.  Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that encompasses other freedoms -- including those of expression, association, and assembly.  It serves as the proverbial canary in the coal mine, as it often is the first freedom taken away.  Recent studies have also shown that restrictions on religion are rising worldwide, and with that, an increase in societal hostility and instability. Consequently, religious freedom has real national security relevancy, as conditions supporting religious freedom can help combat the rise of violent religious extremism. 

USCIRF is committed to working with the Administration and encourages the U.S. government, across agencies, to utilize the expertise of the Commission. USCIRF recommends that the Obama Administration implement the following actions.

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March 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – USCIRF released the following letter in response to the issuance by the United States Government Accountability Office of its report on the International Religious Freedom Act:  State Department and Commission are Implementing Responsibilities but Need to Improve Interaction. The full report can be found here.

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March 14, 2013| By USCIRF

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today called for Saudi Arabia to release Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and Dr. Abdullah bin Hamad, leading Saudi human rights activists, from prison immediately and unconditionally.

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March 13, 2013 | By USCIRF

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) yesterday met with family members of Baha’is unjustly imprisoned in Iran.  These family members seek to highlight the status of their family members and friends who have been persecuted and imprisoned solely for adhering to their faith.   

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MARCH 1, 2013| By USCIRF

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) marked the 2^nd anniversary of the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti with a renewed call for the Pakistani government to both bring his killers to justice and stem the rising tide of violent religious extremism that victimizes all Pakistanis.   Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in the cabinet, was gunned down in Islamabad on March 2, 2011.  Despite the Pakistani Taliban claiming responsibility for the killing the attackers remain at large and the investigation seemingly has ended.   

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FEBRUARY 28, 2013| By USCIRF

The following article appeared in The Economist on February 28, 2013.

For Katrina Lantos Swett, who chairs one of the two American agencies that are mandated to monitor religious freedom, life is full of pleasant and unpleasant surprises. On a trip to the Middle East a few weeks ago, she had a brusque encounter with a senior member of Egypt’s new administration who adheres to the zealous Salafi reading of Islam. As the daughter of two holocaust survivors, Ms Swett told him of her personal horror over recently unearthed statements by Egypt’s new President Mohamed Morsi, who in 2010 urged Egyptians to “nurse their children and grandchildren” on hatred for Jews and Zionists. 

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FEBRUARY 27, 2013 | By USCIRF

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on “Anti-Semitism: A Growing Threat to all Faiths.”

Click here to view the full written testimony. 

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February 26, 2013| By USCIRF

USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantoss Swett testified on February 26, 2013 before the Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Demonstrations in Tahrir Square: Two Years Later: What Has Changed? 

Click here to view the written testimony.

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January 28, 2013| By USCIRF 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The trial and conviction of Pastor Abedini represent an outrageous miscarriage of justice and  yet one more damning piece of evidence pointing to the rampant denial of religious freedom and the absence of any semblance of rule of law in Iran, " said Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.