For Your Information

November 26, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared in the Boston Herald on November 22, 2012. 

Thanksgiving Day and the first feast of the Pilgrims remind us of their brave journey across the Atlantic in search of the freedom to honor their religious convictions according to their conscience.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2012 | By USCIRF

USCIRF today welcomes a Pakistani court’s decision to drop all charges against Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl accused of blasphemy, and applauds the successful efforts of Paul Bhatti, the Adviser on National Harmony to the Pakistani Prime Minister.  The Islamabad High Court reportedly dropped the charges because there were no witnesses who had seen her burning pages of the Qur'an.  The Zardari government now has an opportunity to build on this positive outcome and address the culture of impunity and intolerance that is plaguing Pakistan. 

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sent the following letter to President Obama on November 14, 2012. 

The President 

The White House 

Washington, DC 20500 

Dear Mr. President:   

On behalf of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), allow me to wish you a safe and productive visit to East Asia this week.  During your historic trip to Burma, we respectfully urge you to raise issues of religious freedom and the abuses that continue to arise from ongoing ethnic and communal violence, particularly in the Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan states of Burma.  

For Your Information

November 13, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared on Al.com (By Special to The Birmingham News) on November 10, 2012. 

We observe Veterans Day Monday and honor our fellow Americans who have bravely defended our freedoms and kept us safe and secure.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2012| By USCIRF

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned about the increasing deterioration of religious freedoms for Muslims in Ethiopia.  Since July 2011, the Ethiopian government has sought to force a change in the sect of Islam practiced nationwide and has punished clergy and laity who have resisted.  Muslims throughout Ethiopia have been arrested during peaceful protests: On October 29, the Ethiopia government charged 29 protestors with terrorism and attempting to establish an Islamic state.

For Your Information 

November 6, 2012 

The following article written by Eric Schulzke appeared in Deseret News on November 6, 2012. 

When a punk rock group got sent to prison for a protest at a Moscow cathedral earlier this year, Katrina Lantos Swett was an ocean away— but not all that surprised. To her, the harsh reaction reflected a tight link between the Putin regime and the Russian Orthodox Church.