Meir Soloveichik Elected as USCIRF Vice Chair

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) unanimously elected Meir Soloveichik as its Vice Chair following former Vice Chair Eric Ueland’s departure from the Commission for a federal role.

“It is truly an honor to be elected as Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Soloveichik. “I want to thank my esteemed colleagues for their unanimous support as I lead alongside Chair Schneck to further advance the Commission’s vital mission.”

Vice Chair Soloveichik was appointed to the Commission in 2024 by Senator Mitch McConnell for a term until May 2026. Vice Chair Soloveichik is Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, the Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University, and a Senior Scholar at the Tikvah Fund.

“We thank former Vice Chair Ueland for his significant contributions to the Commission’s mission to advance freedom of religion or belief in U.S. foreign policy,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “I am eager to continue our work with Vice Chair Soloveichik whose good nature, expertise, and passion will be essential contributions to leadership that advances USCIRF’s work.”

USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. Also serving on the Commission are Ariela Dubler, Mohamed Elsanousi, Maureen Ferguson, Susie Gelman, Vicky Hartzler, and Asif Mahmood. Read the Commissioners’ biographies here.

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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].

USCIRF Welcomes Release of Two Religious Prisoners of Conscience Imprisoned on Blasphemy Charges in Egypt

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the release of Abdulbaqi Said Abdo and Nour Gerges. Both men were arrested in 2021 on blasphemy charges. Abdo, a Christian convert from Yemen, was in pre-trial detention for publicizing his conversion online. Gerges is an Evangelical Christian charged with purportedly leading a Facebook group for those wishing to convert from Islam to Christianity. While Abdo and Gerges are no longer in detention, the Egyptian authorities have not formally dropped the charges against both men.

“We are pleased with the release of Abdulbaqi Said Abdo and Nour Gerges after being unjustly detained on blasphemy charges,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi. “While USCIRF is heartened that Abdo and Gerges were released, Marco Girgis and Ahmed Mohamed remain imprisoned on blasphemy charges. The U.S. government must advocate for their immediate release.”

“We call on the Trump administration to impress upon the Egyptian government that greater protections are needed for all religious communities in Egypt,” said USCIRF Commissioner Meir Soloveichik. “The U.S. government should urge the Egyptian government to repeal Article 98(f) of its Criminal Code, which criminalizes blasphemy.”

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Egypt as a “Special Watch List,” or SWL, country for engaging in systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.

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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]

USCIRF Alarmed by Regressive Amendments to Kyrgyz Laws

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) decries recent amendments to the religion law and related legislation in Kyrgyzstan. The amendments exacerbate an already burdensome registration process for religious organizations. They also impose the quasi-independent Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Kyrgyzstan as the governing body for all Muslims and ban the wearing of face-coverings in public, which could restrict religious garb. By signing the amendments into law, President Sadyr Japarov is expanding regulations that infringe on Kyrgyz citizens’ right to freedom of religion or belief.

“The Kyrgyz government is chipping away at religious freedom and other human rights in the country,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “These new amendments indicate a further regression in already-poor religious freedom conditions in Kyrgyzstan, with violations of this fundamental right continuing almost entirely unchecked.”

Over the past few years, USCIRF has documented increasing religious freedom violations in Kyrgyzstan. These include mass inspections and closures or suspensions of independent Islamic institutions, raids on minority religious groups, prison sentences for those opposing official religious policies, and detentions and forced renunciations of faith of individuals from banned but peaceful religious groups.

“If enforced, these amendments will create further obstacles for the Kyrgyz people to practice their faith according to their conscience, especially independent Muslims and members of other disfavored religious groups,” said USCIRF Commissioner Vicky Hartzler. “The U.S. government must not overlook the Kyrgyz government’s increasing religious freedom violations.”  

In its 2024 Annual Report, for the first time, USCIRF recommended Kyrgyzstan for inclusion on the State Department's Special Watch List for the government’s ongoing and systematic violations of religious freedom. In December 2024, USCIRF released an issue update on the abuse of extremism laws in Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan. In November 2024, USCIRF discussed the Kyrgyz government’s treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in an issue update. In October 2023, USCIRF released a country update on the state of religious freedom in Kyrgyzstan.

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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].