FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2019

USCIRF Raises Serious Concerns and Eyes Sanctions Recommendations for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in India, Which Passed Lower House Today

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply troubled by the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), originally introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah, in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) given the religion criterion in the bill. The CAB will now move to the Rajya Sabha (Indian Parliament’s Upper House). If the CAB passes in both houses of parliament, the United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister and other principal leadership.

The CAB enshrines a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that specifically excludes Muslims, setting a legal criterion for citizenship based on religion. The CAB is a dangerous turn in the wrong direction; it runs counter to India’s rich history of secular pluralism and the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law regardless of faith. In conjunction with the ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam and nationwide NRC that the Home Minister seeks to propose, USCIRF fears that the Indian government is creating a religious test for Indian citizenship that would strip citizenship from millions of Muslims.

The Lok Sabha first passed the CAB in January 2019, but due to protests, the government withdrew it before it could be voted on by the Rajya Sabha. Both houses of parliament must ratify a bill before it can become law. The BJP included the passage of the CAB as part of its manifesto released ahead of its overwhelming electoral victory in May 2019.

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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 persehcution 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
December 9, 2019

USCIRF Raises Alarm about Speech Laws that Restrict Religious Freedom in More than Half of African Countries
Briefing Tomorrow to Feature New Report and Recommendations

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a report entitled “Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Hate Speech Laws in Africa: Implications for Freedom of Religion or Belief.” This report examines these speech restrictions and their impact on religious freedom across the African continent.

“The freedoms of religion or belief and expression or opinion, enshrined in Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights respectively, are intricately linked. This report illustrates how essential it is that we work to safeguard both rights when countering discrimination and hate,” said Chair Tony Perkins.

The report details the prevalence of problematic speech laws in more than half of the countries in Africa: at least nine countries maintain apostasy laws; 26 countries have laws against blasphemy; and 29 countries criminalize hate speech. Laws that prohibit blasphemy (the insult of a religion or religious objects or places) and apostasy (the public renunciation of one’s faith) violate international human rights law. Narrow restrictions on hate speech and its most dangerous forms, such as incitement to genocide, are permissible under international law. But, the effects of broad and vague hate speech laws have the potential to negatively impact religious freedom.

“We have seen the dangers of speech laws that fail to protect human rights in Africa – from the misapplication of hate speech laws in South Sudan to the use of the blasphemy law in Mauritania to impose a death sentence on a blogger. We urge the U.S. government to push for the repeal of blasphemy and apostasy laws in Africa, as well as for the assessment and reform of hate speech laws to conform with international standards,” said Vice Chair Gayle Manchin.

USCIRF is holding a public briefing entitled “Silencing Religious Freedom in Africa: The Impact of Speech Restrictions” to release the report on Human Rights Day, Tuesday, December 10 at 9:30 AM at 421 Cannon House Office building.

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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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2019

USCIRF Condemns Arrests of Baha’is During Iran Protests

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the mass arrests of Baha’is in Iran amidst national protests against the government. Since November 27, the Iranian government has arrested at least 11 Baha’is in Isfahan and Khuzestan, searched their houses, and confiscated personal items.

“It is appalling that Iran’s government continues to target the Baha’i community rather than meet the demands of its people,” said USCIRF commissioner Gary Bauer. “Until Iran ends the repression, harassment, and arrest of Baha’is and other religious minorities, the U.S. Treasury Department should continue to sanction officials like Mohammed Golpayegani who are complicit in the systematic persecution of religious communities.”

“I call on Iran’s government to free all detained members of the Baha’i community, and to stop imprisoning citizens who peacefully assert their right to freedom of religion and belief as enshrined in international law,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin. “Congress should continue to support and ensure executive implementation of the bipartisan Lautenberg Amendment to resettle persecuted Iranian religious minorities in the United States.”

As reported in USCIRF’s 2019 Annual Report chapter on Iran, that country’s government considers the Baha'i faith a heretical “deviant sect” whose members are de facto apostates. Following the outbreak of protests over the government’s decision to end fuel subsidies, the government coordinated a weeklong near-total shutdown of internet access and has killed more than 200 people. Earlier this year, the Intelligence Ministry summoned and interrogated 32 Baha’is in Karaj, while the government has also shuttered Baha’i businesses and prevented Baha’i students from enrolling at public universities. Iran has arrested city council members in Isfahan and Shiraz who have spoken out on behalf their arrested Baha’i constituents. Baha’is constitute the largest non-Muslim religious minority community in Iran and at least 75 Baha’is are languishing in Iranian prisons because of their religious beliefs.

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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.