FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will hold a public, on-the-record hearing on Friday, April 30 at the CUNY Queens College School of Law in Flushing, NY on "Bangladesh: Protecting the Human Rights of Thought, Conscience, and Religion." The hearing is scheduled from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, 65-21 Main Street, Flushing, NY.

The hearing will examine recent trends regarding religious freedom for both Muslims and non-Muslims in Bangladesh and the implications of those trends for U.S. policy. Bangladesh has constitutional and other legal protections for human rights. Nevertheless, there were numerous reports of severe abuses targeting members of religious minorities at the time of the national elections in October 2001. In addition, according to the State Department violence against women is widespread and sometimes led by religious leaders, particularly in rural areas. There is concern that the growth of religious extremism could have a negative impact on the rights of all Bangladeshis.

Congressman Joseph Crowley, representing New York's 7th Congressional District, will participate in this event. Congressman Crowley, a member of the House Committee on International Relations, is Chair and founder of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh. He represents the second largest South Asian community in the United States, based in Jackson Heights, Queens. This past January, Congressman Crowley made his second trip to Bangladesh, which was sponsored by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), where he visited with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the leader of the Awami League, and other high level ministerial officials. He also participated in the groundbreaking of the Asian University for Woman in Chittagong, and visited a UNFPA project site.

WHAT:"Bangladesh: Protecting the Human Rights of Thought, Conscience, and Religion"

WHEN:Friday, April 30, 2004, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE:City University of New York (CUNY), Queens College

School of Law Auditorium, 65-21 Main Street, Flushing, NY

Confirmed witnesses are as follows:

Latifur Rahman, former Chief Justice of Bangladesh

U. A. B. Razia Akter Banu, Professor of Political Science, University

of Dhaka

Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International's lead researcher on Bangladesh

Aroma Dutta, civil society activist and Executive Director, PRIP Trust

Faustina Pereira, advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is hosting an on-the-record briefing about the situation for religious freedom in Pakistan. Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti will make remarks and take questions.

Bhatti founded the Christian Liberation Front of Pakistan (CLF), which led to the formation of the All Pakistan Minority Alliance (APMA), which joins together Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Balmeek, Bheel, Maingwal, Zoroastrian, Baha'i and Kelash communities from all over Pakistan in an effort to secure and protect the economic, social, and political rights of religious minorities.

Bhatti has met on numerous occasions with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali to discuss the concerns of religious minorities in Pakistan. In his capacities as President of the CLF, Chairman of the APMA, and Executive Director for the Pakistan Council for Human Rights and Democracy, Mr. Bhatti also travels frequently to the United States and Europe in order to make presentations at conferences and other meetings and to participate in sessions of the UN Human Rights Commission.

WHAT:On-the-record briefing: "Religious Extremism and the Situation for Religious Minorities in Pakistan"

WHO:Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, Lahore, Pakistan

WHEN:Friday, April 9, 2004, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

WHERE:The Offices of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,

800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 790, Washington, DC 20002

** Seating is limited, so please RSVP by calling Shahriar Hafizi at (202) 523-3240, ext. 24 or email [email protected] no later than Thursday, April 8th **

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.

Visit our Web site at www.uscirf.gov

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240 (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wrote to Ambassador Richard S. Williamson recommending that the United States strongly advocate for a resolution at the current session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva condemning the grave human rights violations committed by the North Korean government and establishing a mandate for a Special Rapporteur to monitor and report on those violations. The USCIRF also recommends that the U.S. Delegation take full advantage of the current session in Geneva to build international support for raising concerns regarding human rights and refugees as part of the current six-party talks on North Korea.

"Details of the abysmal human rights record of the North Korean government continue to emerge despite the regime's efforts to maintain a tight grip on information regarding conditions in the country. The United States has designated North Korea as a "country of particular concern" for particularly severe violations of religious freedom," said USCIRF Chair Michael K. Young. "Given the lack of cooperation by the North Korean government with the mechanisms contained in last year's resolution by the Commission on Human Rights, the resolution this year should appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor and report on human rights in North Korea. Failure to do so may be interpreted by the North Korean regime as indifference by the international community to the government's flouting the requirements of last year's resolution."

The text of the letter follows:

Dear Ambassador Williamson:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom respectfully recommends that, at the current session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the United States should strongly advocate for a resolution condemning grave human rights violations committed by the North Korean government. To be effective in upholding international scrutiny, the resolution should also establish a mandate for a Special Rapporteur to monitor and report on those violations. Assigning the mandate for follow-up to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is an inadequate response considering the gravity of the situation and the extent of abuses. Simply put, it is a soft option that does not provide a focus for advocacy or accountability for human rights violations in North Korea.

North Koreans are among the least free people in the world, and up to 300,000 have fled the country. Details of the abysmal human rights record of the North Korean government continue to emerge despite the regime's efforts to maintain a tight grip on information regarding conditions in the country. The United States, as you know, designated North Korea as a "country of particular concern" for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.

With U.S. leadership last year, the UN Commission on Human Rights for the first time passed a resolution critical of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. That resolution called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to engage the North Korean government on ways to improve its human rights practices. It also called on the North Korean authorities to ratify certain human rights treaties and cooperate with other UN human rights officials. The High Commissioner's office will report back to the Commission that the government has been non-responsive and uncooperative in these matters.

Given the lack of cooperation by the North Korean government with last year's resolution, the resolution this year should appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor and report on human rights in North Korea. Failure to do so may be interpreted by the North Korean regime as indifference by the international community to the government's flouting the requirements of last year's resolution. A Special Rapporteur can provide an international focal point for the growing body of evidence on North Korean human rights practices and ensure regular reporting of that information to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly. In the past, Special Rapporteurs have been effective in their work despite non-cooperation by the government of the country concerned.

While the Commission on Human Rights has many thematic Special Rapporteurs, it has dramatically reduced the number of Special Rapporteurs assigned to monitor particular countries, yet it is the latter who can focus international scrutiny in a way that cannot be casually ignored. According to press reports, last year's Commission Chair, Libya, has called for country resolutions - and the mechanisms that are established by them - to be eliminated altogether. This would be precisely the wrong direction to take if the goal is to hold governments accountable for human rights violations.

We urge that the United States again exert leadership this year and advocate strongly a resolution by the UN Commission on Human Rights appointing a Special Rapporteur for North Korea. We also recommend that the U.S. Delegation take full advantage of the current session of the Commission as an opportunity to build international support for raising concerns regarding human rights and refugees as part of the current six-party talks on North Korea.

Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations.

Sincerely,

Michael K. Young

Chairman

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.