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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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April 1, 2013 | By USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett 

Even as we prepare to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, European society's dark past of bigotry haunts our present

The following op-ed appeared in The Guardian on March 31, 2013. 

As fellow Americans prepare to join their Jewish friends and neighbors in solemn commemoration of Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on 8 April, for many, the question that haunts us is this: has Europe fully transcended its past? If the past decade is any indicator, it has not. Despite much soul-searching following America's liberation of that continent, European antisemitism persists.

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March 26, 2013| By USCIRF

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 18, 2013| By: Katrina Lantos Swett and M. Zuhdi Jasser

The following op-ed appeared in Roll Call on March 15, 2013.

While the world remains riveted to Egypt’s challenges and Syria’s travails, much is also at stake in Bahrain, a strategically vital Gulf nation that is home to the Middle East’s largest U.S. naval base.

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March 15, 2013| By USCIRF

USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified on March 15, 2013 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing on The Worsening Plight of Religious Minorities in Iran.

Click here to view the full written testimony.