Mar 13, 2024

USCIRF Calls for Accountability for Iran’s Crimes Against Humanity

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the U.S. government to support a United Nations (UN) Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court following the finding by a panel of UN-appointed experts that Iran’s crackdowns on protests against mandatory hijab and other religious freedom violations amount to crimes against humanity. Last week, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran determined that this repression “intersects with discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion.”

The Fact-Finding Mission’s determination reflects meticulous consideration of the evidence of the Iranian regime’s egregious violations of religious freedom, many of which have explicitly targeted women and girls,” said USCIRF Commissioner Eric Ueland. “The Biden administration must work with like-minded partners, including fellow members of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, to support the Mission’s investigation and hold accountable Iranian regime officials complicit in these crimes, including through Global Magnitsky sanctions, visa bans, and similar measures.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission determined that “methods of torture of detainees from ethnic or religious minorities were particularly severe and brutal” and expressed concern over the “severe…violations of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.” It also noted Iran’s use of vague legal provisions against insulting Islam to target religious minorities who peacefully asserted their freedom of religion or belief. Iranian authorities have used widespread sexual and gender-based violence against religious freedom protesters as a tool of repression.

The Iranian government relentlessly violates women’s religious freedom and targets any individual who supports freedom of religion or belief in the country. USCIRF applauds the U.S. government’s support for the international efforts to hold Iran accountable for its heinous acts,” said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck. “USCIRF also urges Congress to reauthorize the bipartisan Lautenberg Amendment, a family unification program that provides a life-saving path to resettlement in the United States for persecuted Iranian religious minorities.”

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF called on the U.S. government to support the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran and its important work. In September 2023, USCIRF published a report detailing Iran’s crackdown on peaceful protesters and outlining a new law that further restricts women’s freedoms on the basis of religion. In May 2023, USCIRF held a hearing on transnational repression of religious minorities, including by the government of Iran.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Nicaragua

Religion or Belief: Christian – Catholic

Date of Detainment: January/1/2024

Current Status: Not Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Association Religious Belief Religious Expression Religious Identity

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Carlos Alberto Bojorge Martínez

Extra Bio Info:

Carlos Alberto Bojorge Martínez is detained for his religious freedom advocacy.

On January 1, 2024, Martínez attended mass wearing a shirt that referenced the Nicaraguan government's persecution against the Catholic Church. When the mass concluded, Martínez shouted "Long live the Catholic Church!" Later that day, police officers arrested Martínez.  

Mar 11, 2024

USCIRF Leaves Saudi Arabia After Government Official Insisted Chair to Remove Kippah

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) ended early an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after authorities required the USCIRF delegation to leave the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh when the USCIRF Chair, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, refused their requests that he remove his religious head covering (kippah).

The Saudi government had invited the delegation, led by Chair Cooper and Vice Chair Reverend Frederick A. Davie, to tour the site on March 5, as part of their official visit to the country that had started on March 3. After several delays to the tour, officials requested that Cooper, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, remove his kippah while at the site and anytime he was to be in public, even though the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approved the site visit. U.S. Embassy staff accompanying the USCIRF delegation supported and conveyed to Saudi officials Chair Cooper’s polite but resolute refusal to remove the kippah. Despite their efforts, site officials escorted the delegation off the premises after Chair Cooper indicated he sought no confrontation or provocation but as an observant Jew could not comply with a request to remove his kippah.

No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew,” said USCIRF Chair Cooper. “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision. However, especially in a time of raging antisemitism, being asked to remove my kippah made it impossible for us from USCIRF to continue our visit. We note, with particular regret, that this happened to a representative of a U.S. government agency promoting religious freedom. USCIRF looks forward to continuing conversations with the Saudi government about how to address the systematic issues that led to this troubling incident.”

Saudi officials’ request for Chair Cooper to remove his kippah was stunning and painful. It directly contradicted not only the government’s official narrative of change but also genuine signs of greater religious freedom in the Kingdom that we observed firsthand,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Davie. “We stand by our Chair and look forward to further discussions with our Saudi counterparts about protecting freedom of religion or belief for all. While we appreciate the various meetings we had in country with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Human Rights Commission, and other interlocutors, this unfortunate incident starkly illustrates that much more work remains to be done for Saudi Arabia to align with international legal protections guaranteeing this fundamental right.”

The key to real progress for all who seek peace is to remember that respect is a two-way street,” Chair Cooper and Vice Chair Davie added.

USCIRF has recommended the U.S. Department of State designate Saudi Arabia as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations every year since 2000, most recently in its 2023 Annual Report. The State Department has designated Saudi Arabia a CPC repeatedly since 2004, most recently in December 2023; however, it has issued waivers on taking any action as outlined in the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). As USCIRF has emphasized repeatedly, including in this recent publication, the right to religious freedom, as protected under international human rights law, includes the freedom to wear religious symbols and attire.

 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].