FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2017

TURKEY: USCIRF Delegation Visits Imprisoned U.S. Citizen Pastor Andrew Brunson

Pastor Brunson says, "Knowing that I am not forgotten is important to me"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Almost a year to the day when American Pastor Andrew Brunson was detained, Vice Chairwomen Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga, of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), visited him in Kiriklar Prison in Izmir, Turkey. Since his imprisonment, only his lawyer, relatives, and U.S. embassy officials had been able to see him.

"The government of Turkey has fabricated charges against Pastor Brunson, largely based on purported 'secret testimony'," said Vice Chairwoman Arriaga. "He should be released immediately.""I wish to thank everyone who is advocating and praying for me," Pastor Brunson said during the visit. "Knowing that I am not forgotten is important to me."

Pastor Brunson was initially confined to a cell meant to accommodate 8 men but was instead crowded with 21 prisoners. He has since been moved to Kiriklar Prison where he is confined 24-hours a day to a cell with two others accused of being members of the Gülen movement. Suffering from the effects of the sustained stress he has endured, he has lost over 50 pounds.

Pastor Brunson spent over 20 years ministering to Christians in Turkey. He has been accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government and its constitution, all charges he says are completely false.  If convicted, Pastor Brunson could be sentenced to life in prison.

USCIRF Vice Chairwoman Jolley said, "He lives in a world of psychic and physical dislocation. Despite a public veneer of a legal process, the truth is Pastor Brunson has had no due process, no true information about the charges against him, unreliable court dates, and no idea when he ever again will see his children or his country."

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2017

H.R. 390: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes Genocide Bill

USCIRF Chairman Mark calls committee action “a key step toward helping victims of ISIS genocide”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) praises the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of H.R. 390, the “Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017.”   USCIRF urges the full Senate to quickly take up this urgently needed legislation, the House to swiftly reconsider it, and the President to expeditiously sign it into law.

“The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has targeted religious and ethnic minorities and others throughout Iraq and Syria,” said USCIRF’s Chairman Daniel Mark.  “Two U.S. administrations have singled out ISIS for committing genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims.  Now greater steps must be taken to give these groups the aid, protection, and justice they deserve. Delay only further endangers them and makes accountability more difficult.”

As passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, H.R. 390 would provide emergency relief for victims of genocide, crimes against humanity in Iraq and Syria, address urgent humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs, and provide accountability for perpetrators of these crimes.

“This past April, pursuant to the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, USCIRF recommended that ISIS in Iraq and Syria be designated as an Entity of Particular Concern,” said Chairman Mark.  “This latest legislation is a key step toward helping victims of ISIS genocide.”

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 27, 2017

USCIRF Releases New Report: 

A Right for All:  Freedom of Religion or Belief in ASEAN

Chairman Mark calls on ASEAN to work to “uphold international human rights standards”

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released A Right for All: Freedom of Religion or Belief in ASEAN, a report documenting the state of this freedom in the 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  The study examines ASEAN’s and the Member States’ approaches to this fundamental right, praising the fact that “ASEAN has achieved some level of cooperation across such diversity” and noting where improvement is needed.

“ASEAN has demonstrated a clear willingness to become an economic, political, and cultural force in the region and the world,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark.  He added, however, that “ASEAN and the Member States have a responsibility to uphold international human rights standards, including by protecting freedom of religion or belief and related human rights.”

The report’s author, Tina Mufford, USCIRF Senior Analyst for East Asia, found that ASEAN’s approach to human rights has been shaped by two competing interests: Member States’ desire to integrate as a bloc and their historical commitment to independence and non-interference in each other’s affairs.  Citing ASEAN’s 50^th anniversary and 40 years of U.S. engagement, Ms. Mufford said that the United States is uniquely positioned to press Member States to uphold international human rights standards.  “Doing so,” she said, “would send a strong and clear signal about U.S. priorities in the region.”

Each ASEAN nation faces crosscutting challenges that transcend borders, such as refugees, terrorism, and ultra-nationalism.  Common religious freedom violations include the detention of prisoners of conscience and the use of blasphemy laws and other similar measures.

“USCIRF calls upon ASEAN to protect the religious freedom of all,” said Chairman Mark.  “Burma’s Rohingya crisis is a prime example of where ASEAN should step up to its international commitments and work with its Member States to prevent ongoing violations and help protect and aid this vulnerable population.”  Read USCIRF’s recent press release about the Rohingya crisis here.

The full report may be found here.  Follow USCIRF’s posting about this report on Twitter (@USCIRF) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/USCIRF/).

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).