Apr 20, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2017
RUSSIA: Supreme Court Outlaws the Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Russian Supreme Court Decision Banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is disappointed, but not surprised, at the recent Russian Supreme Court decision to ban the Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating anywhere in the country. USCIRF Chair, Thomas J. Reese, S.J., commented that “The court’s decision sadly reconfirms the disregard of the government for religious freedom in present-day Russia. Individual and community expressions of faith, and even private religious beliefs, are not safe from state-sponsored repression and coercion in Russia today.”
Russian Justice Ministry attorney Svetlana Borisova reportedly said in court that the Jehovah’s Witnesses “pose a threat to the rights of citizens, public order and public security.” USCIRF Chair Reese dismissed this statement as “simply a politicized assault on a religious group known worldwide for its pacifism and avoidance of politics.”
USCIRF firmly believes that a stable, prosperous, and tolerant Russia is in the world’s interest. Yesterday’s ruling, however, can only lead to the impression that Russia is isolating itself from other advanced nations. USCIRF Chair Reese went on to say that “The Russian government’s premeditated attack demonstrates that it does not consider itself bound by internationally recognized norms or conventions. With this decision, the Russian government takes another unnecessary step away from the international community and toward isolation.”
Should the Jehovah’s Witnesses choose to appeal this decision, USCIRF urges the Russian court system to overturn this unjustified ruling.
To interview a Commissioner please contact [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/+1-202-786-0611).
Apr 11
Apr 11th 8:10pm
The State of International of International Religious Freedom
May 17, 2017
USCIRF held a public event to discuss the 2017 Annual Report, including the newly launched Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. Tom Gallagher of Religion News Service moderated the panel. Panelists included: Chair Thomas J. Reese, Vice Chairman Daniel Mark, Commissioner Kristina Arriaga, Commissioner Sandra Jolley, Commissioner Clifford D. May, Commissioner John Ruskay, and Commissioner Jackie Wolcott. More information on the event here.
Launch of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
April 6, 2017
USCIRF publicly launched its Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project at the Capitol Hill Visitor’s Center in Washington, D.C.. USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J., and Commissioners Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz, Tenzin Dorjee, and Sandra Jolley spoke on behalf of their religious prisoners of conscience.
Tolerance: A Key to Religious Freedom
February 9, 2017
USCIRF cohosted with the Religious News Service/Religious News Foundation a panel discussion on tolerance. The panel discussion focused on the grave humanitarian consequences when religious freedom is violated, the role of education in building tolerance and religious understanding, and the need for members of Congress to set aside partisan differences and continue to travel together to investigate religious persecution firsthand and visit the imprisoned and their families. Panelists were: former Rep. Frank Wolf, former Ambassador-at-Large Rabbi David Saperstein, John Sexton, president emeritus of New York University, and Joyce Dubensky, CEO of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J. moderated the panel.
Read the full transcript of the event here.
Barriers to Protection: Expedited Removal and the Detention of Asylum Seekers
January 19, 2017
USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese Reese, S.J. and Senior Policy Analyst Tiffany Lynch discussed the newly released USCIRF report Barriers to Protection at a panel discussion held at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonito, Texas.
Burma at the Brink: Religious Freedom Violations Threaten its Future
December 13, 2016
USCIRF at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. publicly released two reports highlighting Burma’s serious religious freedom challenges: Hidden Plight: Christian Minorities in Burma and Suspended in Time: The Ongoing Persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Burma.
With opening remarks from USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J., panelists included: Rachel Fleming, independent human rights research and activist, and author of Hidden Plight: Christian Minorities in Burma, Susan Hayward, Director at Religion and Inclusive Societies at the United States Institute of Peace, and Tina Mufford, Senior Policy Analyst at USCIRF.
Barriers to Protection – USCIRF Issues Report on the Treatment of Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal
August 3, 2016
USCIRF, along with Human Rights First, held an event specific to USCIRF’s report, Barriers to Protection. The report highlights challenges with the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum seekers in Expedited Removal the moment asylum seekers enter the United States. USCIRF’s Director of International Law and Policy, Elizabeth K. Cassidy, and Senior Policy Analyst Tiffany Lynch served as panelists.
Click here to watch the event. Click here to read a transcript of the event.
Religious Extremism in Africa
August 1, 2016
USCIRF and CSIS examined the dynamics that drive extremism among some Muslim and Christian communities in parts of Africa and analyzed the threat such extremism poses to security, community cohesion, and social development. The discussions focused on how governments and non-governmental actors (religious communities, civil society, and the media) address the threat of extremism, including examples of successful approaches and what can be learned from these approaches. USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Tiffany Lynch served as a panelist.
Europe at a Crossroad: Civil Society Efforts to Counter Religious Hatred and Bigotry in Europe,
April 11, 2016
USCIRF hosted a conversation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. that examined efforts by grassroots, student, and faith leaders to prevent and combat religious hatred, counter extremism, and improve religious freedom and equality for all, taking into account recent terrorist attacks. Panelists included Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, and European civil society leaders. Former USCIRF Commissioner Hannah Rosenthal moderated the panel, and former USCIRF Chair George and former Commissioner Lantos-Swett, along with then Commissioner Zogby provided remarks.
A Global Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis
October 28, 2015
Then UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres participated in a conversation hosted by USCIRF at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. which focused on the urgent refugee crisis taking place in Syria and across many parts of the world, the role of religious freedom violations in this crisis, and policies that best would address conflicts and their humanitarian consequences. Then USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George and Commissioners Eric P. Schwartz spoke at the event.
Apr 3, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2017
RUSSIA: Russia Suspends Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Actions That Would Eliminate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Legal Existence in Russia
Washington, D.C. – Russia’s Justice Ministry suspended the Jehovah’s Witnesses on March 24, alleging that its activities “violate Russia’s laws on combating extremism.” The Russian authorities have used their extremism law to systematically harass the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a legally registered religious group in Russia with close to 200,000 adherents. That law, which requires neither the use nor advocacy of violence for activity to be labeled extremist, was enacted after a sustained Russian campaign against this group began in early 2006.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated, “The Russian government’s latest actions appear designed to eliminate the legal existence of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. If the Supreme Court rules in April that this group is ‘extremist’ it would mark the first time that Russia legally has banned a centrally-administered religious organization and would effectively criminalize all Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activity nationwide. USCIRF calls on the Russian government to stop its harassment of this peaceful religious group.”
The treatment of the Jehovah’s Witnesses reflects the Russian government’s tendency to view all independent religious activity as a threat to its control and the country’s political stability. This approach dates back to the Soviet period and impacts other religious groups, including peaceful Christians and Muslims. These groups are also being persecuted for their beliefs in the Russian-occupied areas of Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
In March 2016, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office warned the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ national headquarters that the organization could be banned and its activities shut down nationwide if further evidence of alleged “extremism” was found within a year. In January 2017, an appellate court rejected the Witnesses’ appeal of the warning, and in March 2017 the Ministry of Justice filed a formal request for the Russian Supreme Court to designate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ headquarters as extremist.
USCIRF calls on the Russian government and judiciary to respect the freedom of religion or belief and halt their harassment of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious groups.
For more information, see USCIRF’s 2016 Annual Report chapter on Russia. Click here to view the Russian version of the chapter.
To interview a Commissioner please contact [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/+1-202-786-0611).