FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
March 16, 2020

USCIRF Releases New Factsheet on the Impact of Coronavirus on Religious Freedom

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new factsheet on the global response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact on religious practice and religious freedom.

Coronavirus Factsheet - This factsheet documents how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has affected religious freedom around the world. First, it examines the extent to which international law allows governments to impose restrictions on religious freedom in order to protect public health. Next, it provides examples how government and societal responses to the pandemic - including in China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy - have impacted the practice of religion. The factsheet urges governments to strategize a public health response to the pandemic that avoids measures placing an undue burden on or stigmatizing religious groups.

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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 threats to 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] or call (202) 523-3240.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2020

USCIRF Commends Sudan’s Disbanding of Former Regime-Appointed Church Councils

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends Sudan’s Transitional Government, and in particular Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments Nasreldin Mofreh, for ordering the dissolution of church councils that the deposed former regime had created to legitimize and obfuscate its persecution of several Christian communities, including the confiscation and destruction of church properties.

USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins said, “We are pleased by the Minister’s decree, given the role these illegitimate church councils played in the former regime’s persecution of Christians and the obstacles they continued to present to churches’ ability to represent their own interests to the government.” He continued, “This decree confirms our sense that while Sudan has many serious challenges ahead, its transitional leadership is sincere in its promise to implement concrete and meaningful measures to improve religious freedom conditions in the country.”

Commissioner Anurima Bhargava stated, “We are encouraged by Minister Nasreldin Mofreh’s decision to demonstrate support for and inclusion of Sudan’s Christian community. By disbanding these church councils, the Sudanese government is returning agency to religious organizations and allowing them to conduct their own affairs.” She added, “We hope this decree serves as an important first step in extending full rights to long-persecuted religious minority communities, including the restoration of property seized by the former regime.”

USCIRF has long described Sudan, under the rule of deposed former president Omar al-Bashir, as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom. However, following the overthrow of al-Bashir in April 2019 and the establishment of joint civilian-military rule in August, the Transitional Government expressed its commitment to granting greater religious, social, and other freedoms to the Sudanese people, and has started implementing reforms, including repealing the long-standing public order laws. During USCIRF’s country visit to Khartoum in late February and early March 2020, representatives of the Transitional Government—Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments Nasreldin Mofreh—affirmed this commitment and pledged to continue to engage with the United States and other international partners as they seek to implement additional reforms.

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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 threats to 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] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2020

USCIRF Condemns Use of Uighur Muslim Forced Labor in China and Urges Congressional Response

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the Chinese government for coercing tens of thousands of Uighur and other Muslims to work in textile factories. According to reports from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and other sources, dozens of companies, including major American companies, are suspected of directly employing forced labor or sourcing from suppliers suspected of doing so. USCIRF welcomes the introduction of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in the House (H.R.6210) and in the Senate (S.3471​), which would bar the importation to the United States of any goods made in Xinjiang.

“The Chinese government has compounded its mistreatment of Uighur and other Muslims by forcing them to work in factories,” said USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “We urge all American companies, including Amazon, Nike, Apple, and Calvin Klein, to conduct a thorough investigation of their supply chains in China and cease any operations if they cannot definitively rule out the use of forced labor.”

“We want to commend Representative Jim McGovern and Senator Marco Rubio for their bipartisan leadership on this important issue,” added USCIRF Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee. “We urge Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act swiftly. It is unacceptable for the United States to import any products made with forced labor.”

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF called upon the administration to use its authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the International Religious Freedom Act to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations, especially Chen Quanguo, the current Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang. In February 2020, USCIRF released a factsheet explaining how the Chinese government’s new Regulation for Religious Groups could further restrict 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 threats to 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] or 202-523-3240.