FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2011

April 28, 2011 | by USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2011 Annual Report and recommended that the Secretary of State name the following nations “countries of particular concern” or CPCs:  Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.  

For the first time, USCIRF recommended that Egypt be designated a CPC.    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the State Department during this week’s Human Rights dialogue and the upcoming Strategic and Economic dialogue with China to raise religious freedom issues prominently and demonstrate it is a critical U.S. interest.  The urgency of raising religious freedom as a priority concern was demonstrated again during Easter week when authorities prevented members of Beijing’s Shouwang Protestant Church from peacefully holding a public Easter service in the Zhongguancun area of northwest Beijing’s Haidian district.   According to Shouwang Church senior leaders, starting the night before Easter Sunday 500 members of the congregation were detained in their homes.  In addition, at least 34 church members who made it to the designated site of the worship service were also detained.  Twenty-four were detained in police vans at the site and at least eight others were taken to police stations.  All those detained were allowed to go free within a few hours, though the church leaders remain under house detention.  Also, released late last week was human rights defender Jiang Tianyong, a lawyer known for his defense of Falun Gong and unrecognized Protestants, who returned home after being “disappeared” for two months.  

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During Christianity’s holiest week, China has renewed pressure on Christians who refuse to subject themselves to government control.  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the Chinese government to allow all Easter services to proceed without harassment or detentions, including planned public worship by Beijing’s Shouwang Church.  

Thursday, April 28, 2011, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
National Press Club, First Amendment Room

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will release its twelfth annual report on nations committing egregious violations of religious freedom on April 28.

At the event, USCIRF Commissioners will detail abuses in 28 nations, many of which are at the top of U.S. foreign policy agenda, including Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Vietnam. Commissioners will also provide recommendations to the Obama administration, the U.S. State Department and members of Congress regarding ways in which U.S. policy can promote religious freedom and related human rights in nations USCIRF identifies as the world’s most severe religious rights abusers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2011

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the U.S. government to speak out publicly on behalf of jailed human rights defender Cu Huy Ha Vu, who was found guilty and sentenced to seven years under vague national security laws for his activities defending victims of land confiscation and abuse of power, including representing the Catholic villagers of Con Dau.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC –The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)  welcomed the UN Human Rights Council’s significant step away from the pernicious “defamation of religions” concept.  Today, the Council adopted a resolution on religious intolerance that does not include this dangerous concept.   The defamation concept undermines individual rights to freedom of religion and expression; exacerbates religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence; and provides international support for domestic blasphemy laws that often have led to gross human rights abuses.  The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has promoted this flawed concept at the United Nations for more than a decade.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today noted the release of human rights lawyer and religious freedom advocate Nguyen Van Dai after serving his four-year sentence and urged the government of Vietnam to lift his administrative or “house arrest” sentence.  USCIRF also advocated the unconditional release of Father Nguyen Van Ly, whose medical parole ends next week, after which he could be returned to prison.              

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. government should urge the government of Indonesia to protect the embattled Ahmadiyah religious community and to repeal laws prohibiting the Ahmadiyah community from manifesting their faith, said the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today.