Jan 4, 2024

USCIRF Troubled by New Religion Law in Belarus

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlights a setback to religious freedom in Belarus. Yesterday, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed into law “On Amendments to Laws on the Activities of Religious Organizations,” which retains the most regressive provisions of the country’s 2002 religion law and imposes more undue restrictions on religious communities.

Instead of repealing its highly restrictive religion law enacted over two decades ago, which did not meet international human rights standards, Belarusian officials have doubled down and implemented a more repressive religion law that grants the government unbridled control over religious communities and their affairs,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper. “Religious communities will face the daunting choice of practicing their religion or belief ‘illegally’ or submitting to a brutal regime that uses indiscriminate force and intimidation against its own people.”

Following the breakout of popular protests against the country’s fraudulent 2020 elections that kept President Lukashenka in power, authorities have sought to eliminate independent civil society and subjugate all aspects of social life to state control and surveillance. Belarus’ new religion law imposes strict, burdensome requirements on religious communities and includes vague prohibitions that will likely curtail the peaceful expression of religious beliefs. The law requires religious communities to reregister within a year, which is expected to result in the deregistration of dozens of small religious communities, as occurred after the enactment of the country’s 2002 religion law. Under the new religion law, unregistered religious activity will remain illegal, with punishments ranging from fines to up to three years’ imprisonment.

In 2023, Belarusian authorities have bulldozed and liquidated the Pentecostal New Life Church, detained and fined dozens of Christian religious leaders for perceived political activities, and blacklisted human rights organizations working on religious freedom issues,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie. “The Biden administration and Congress must prioritize religious freedom as part of U.S. government efforts to hold Belarus accountable for its gross human rights violations.”

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF highlighted the negative trajectory for religious freedom conditions in Belarus. USCIRF recently published a report examining the problematic provisions of the revised religion law and other religious freedom violations in Belarus. In November 2021, USCIRF also released a report that detailed the decline of religious freedom in Belarus following the government’s brutal crackdown on popular anti-government protests in 2020.

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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].

Jan 4, 2024

USCIRF Condemns Nicaragua’s Arbitrary Detention of Priests  

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the Nicaraguan government’s arbitrary arrest and detention of clergymen in the days leading up to and immediately after Christmas. Among the arbitrarily detained clergymen are Father Silvio Fonseca, who has openly criticized the Nicaraguan government’s intense persecution of the Catholic Church, and Bishop Isidro Mora and Father Pablo Villafranca, each of whom offered prayers for the wrongfully imprisoned Bishop Rolando Álvarez prior to their arrests.

USCIRF is outraged that the Nicaraguan government has chosen to continue its brutal crackdown on members of the Catholic Church for speaking out about the religious freedom and human rights violations occurring in the country,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie. “It has become increasingly clear that President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo are intent on silencing the voice of any individual peacefully following the dictates of their conscience.

On Christmas Eve, the regime also sentenced six former employees of the Catholic charity Caritas, Julio Sevilla, Julio Berríos, Bladimir Pallés, María Verónica Herrera Galeano, Freydell Andino, and Mariví Andino, to six years imprisonment on dubious money laundering charges. This latest wave of persecution bookends a year which saw the Nicaraguan government, among many other violations, sentence Bishop Rolando Álvarez to 26 years’ imprisonment, expel religious prisoners of conscience to the United States and the Vatican, and shutter Catholic charitable and educational institutions such as the Jesuit-run University of Central America.

We urge the U.S. Congress to help stem these egregious religious freedom violations and hold violators accountable by passing the bipartisan Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act of 2023,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frank Wolf. “This bill expands the U.S. government’s ability to sanction officials responsible for religious freedom and human rights violations and ensures the U.S. government’s support for the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, which is working diligently to investigate all alleged human rights violations and abuses committed in the country since 2018.”

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the U.S. Department of State redesignate Nicaragua as a Country of Particular Concern for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In November 2022, USCIRF held a hearing on the “Crackdown on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua” and discussed the situation in an episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast.

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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: December/20/2023

Date of Release: January/14/2024

Current Status: Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Criticizing Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Activity Religious Belief Religious Expression Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role Religious Freedom Advocacy

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Tony Palacios

Extra Bio Info:

Tony Palacios was detained for his religious leadership role.

On December 20, 2023, Nicaraguan police arrested Palacios, a seminarian, alongside Bishop Isidro Mora after the bishop reportedly offered prayers for the wrongly imprisoned Bishop Rolando Álvarez during mass. Palacios's arrest comes amid a crackdown on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

On January 14, 2024, Palacios was released from prison and exiled to the Vatican.

Related cases: Rolando ÁlvarezIsidro MoraAlester Sáenz