May 14, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2015 | USCIRF 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Pakistani Taliban splinter group now reportedly affiliated with ISIL, on May 13 murdered at least 45 Ismaili Muslims in Karachi.  The killers boarded a bus transporting Ismailis and shot riders at point blank range.  Ismailism comes from a branch of Shi'a Islam, and the Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist groups regularly target Shi'a mosques and processions, as well as Christians and Hindus.

"We condemn this horrific attack and extend our condolences to the grieving families," said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.  "The Pakistani government must redouble its efforts to confront militant groups that target minority religious communities, be they Ismailis, other Shi'as, Christians or Hindus.  The perpetrators and planners must be brought to justice."

USCIRF Commissioners Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon made the first ever Commissioner-level visit to Pakistan in March 2015.  They met with high ranking Pakistani officials, including National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz and officials in the Ministries of Interior and Religious Affairs.  Tragically, suicide bombers attacked two churches in Lahore the day the USCIRF delegation left Pakistan.

"Having visited Pakistan recently and met with targeted communities, I understand the challenging security environment Prime Minister Sharif and his government are facing. These attacks underscore the urgent need for the government to provide protection to religious minority communities," said Lantos Swett.  "This attack is further evidence of how more must be done to provide adequate protection to targeted groups and prosecute perpetrators and those calling for violence."

USCIRF’s recently released 2015 Annual Report found that “Pakistan represents one of the worst situations in the world for religious freedom for countries not currently designated by the U.S. government as ‘countries of particular concern.’”  Sectarian violence is chronic, and Pakistan’s repressive blasphemy laws and anti-Ahmadi laws continue to violate religious freedoms and foster a climate of impunity.

Click here for more of USCIRF’s work on Pakistan.  

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

May 13, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2015 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Andijon massacre.  On May 13, 2005, as many as 1,000 people were killed when Uzbek soldiers fired indiscriminately and without warning into a crowd of demonstrators in the city of Andijon during a largely peaceful protest in support of 23 local businessmen on trial for alleged ties to Islamic extremism.

“The Andijon tragedy is a black mark which will remain until the Uzbek government allows a credible investigation of this tragic event and undertakes the necessary reforms to respect religious freedom and human rights,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.  “While Uzbekistan faces legitimate security concerns, these concerns cannot be used as excuses to violate the religious freedom and human rights of its citizens.”

In the aftermath of the Andijon massacre, Uzbek authorities ignored calls for an international investigation and jailed hundreds of local residents, human rights activists, and journalists.  USCIRF observed in its recently released 2015 Annual Report that the Uzbek government’s harsh campaign against those Muslims who are independent from state-sanctioned Islam continues as it targets those linked to the May 2005 Andijon protests.  The government also has imprisoned 231 people for their alleged connection to this event, including ten prisoners who died in detention.  Uzbekistan also continues to pressure countries to return Uzbek refugees who fled after the Andijon tragedy. 

“Uzbekistan represents one of the worst nations in the world for religious freedom.  The State Department since 2006 has named Uzbekistan as a ‘country of particular concern' for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.  The U.S. and international community must condemn the Uzbek government for its culpability in the tragic events related to Andijon and ongoing government repression of religious freedom and related human rights,” concluded Dr. Lantos Swett.

The 2015 USCIRF Annual Report also noted that the government of Uzbekistan imprisons individuals who do not conform to officially-prescribed practices or whom it claims are extremist, including as many as 12,000 Muslims.  USCIRF has called for  the U.S. Government to make U.S. assistance – except for humanitarian assistance and human rights programs – contingent on the Uzbek government’s adoption of specific actions to improve religious freedom conditions and comply with international human rights standards, including reforming the 1998 religion law and permitting an international investigation into the 2005 Andijon events.

Click here to view the full 2015 Annual Report.

View the Uzbekistan chapter in English, Uzbek or Russian.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

Apr 30, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2015 | USCIRF

 

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2015 Annual Report.  This year’s report, the 16th since the Commission’s creation in 1998, documents religious freedom violations in 33 countries, makes country-specific recommendations, and assesses the U.S. government’s implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

"Not a day goes by without at least one country from these lists appearing on the front page of a major newspaper.  Humanitarian crises fueled by waves of terror, intimidation and violence have engulfed an alarming number of countries over the past year,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.

“With serious religious freedom violations occurring all around the world, these horrors speak volumes about how and why religious freedom and the protection of the rights of vulnerable religious communities matter.  All nations should care about abuses beyond their borders not only for humanitarian reasons but because what goes on in other nations rarely remains there.  The full recognition of religious freedom is a critical guarantor of the safety, security and survival of the persecuted and vulnerable.”

USCIRF, in its role as an independent U.S. federal government advisory body, recommends that the State Department add eight more nations to its list of “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, where  particularly severe violations of religious freedom are perpetrated or tolerated.  These countries are:

USCIRF also recommends that the State Department redesignate as CPCs the following nine countries and take additional actions to promote religious freedom:

Along with recommending CPC designations, USCIRF also places 10 countries on its 2015 “Tier 2” list, a Commission designation for governments that engage in or tolerate violations that are serious but not CPC-level.   USCIRF urges increased U.S. government attention to the following countries:

The USCIRF Report also highlights religious freedom concerns in countries that do not meet Tier 1 (CPC) or Tier 2 thresholds, but should also be the focus of concern.  These countries are:

Click here to view the full 2015 Annual Report.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using #USCIRF2015

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-9812.

 

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