FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2004

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

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today on Capitol Hill held its first China Human Rights Forum titled Talking with China about Human Rights: Assessing the Future of Bilateral Human Rights Dialogues. The United States and China are currently negotiating a resumption of their bilateral human rights dialogue. The European Union, Canada, and Australia are all reviewing the effectiveness of their bilateral human rights dialogues. The Forum was convened at this opportune time in order to assess bilateral dialogues with China from an international perspective and to discuss their efficacy, as well as ways to improve and more thoroughly coordinate the various bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the future.

"Forum participants offered recommendations about the future of bilateral human rights dialogues and ways, if any, that they can be improved. Participants discussed problems and shared new approaches and best practices from around the globe," said USCIRF Chair Preeta D. Bansal.

The Commission's China Human Rights Forum was created to bring together U.S. government officials, international and academic experts, NGO representatives, and human rights activists for off-the-record discussions on human rights and U.S.-China relations. In past years the Commission has held China Religion Roundtables on Xinjiang and on U.S. policy to promote religious freedom in China. Forums seek to ensure that religious freedom goals are well integrated into the programs of government agencies and regional and international institutions to which both the United States and China belong.

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.

Preeta D. Bansal, Chair

• Felice D. Gaer, Vice Chair Nina Shea,Vice Chair Archbishop Charles J. ChaputMichael CromartieKhaled Abou El FadlElizabeth H. ProdromouBishop Ricardo RamirezMichael K. YoungAmbassador John V. Hanford III,Ex-Officio Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2004

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

WASHINGTON - A staff delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently visited Eritrea, which was designated a "country of particular concern" (CPC) by the State Department in September. The delegation discussed the religious freedom situation in formal meetings with leaders of the four major faiths sanctioned by the Eritrean government as well as with unregistered religious groups, senior Eritrean government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and members of the U.S. and foreign diplomatic communities.

In early 2004, the Commission recommended that the State Department designate Eritrea as a CPC. In its annual report it noted that the government of Eritrea engages in particularly severe violations of freedom of religion and belief. It violates the rights of members of various religious groups, including closing churches not belonging to officially recognized denominations, arresting participants at prayer meetings and other gatherings, and imprisoning armed forces members reportedly found in possession of certain religious literature.

"Following previous refusals to discuss religious freedom, citing national security concerns, the Eritrean government has recently agreed to do so," said USCIRF Chair Preeta D. Bansal. "One can only hope that this new openness will lead to improvements in religious freedom conditions in Eritrea. The Commission continues to monitor the situation closely as it begins its annual CPC deliberation process and will be developing appropriate policy recommendations to the U.S. Government."

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
November 5, 2004

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

WASHINGTON - A delegation of Commissioners from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) visited Uzbekistan October 16-23, as part of the Commission's annual deliberative process. As required by Congress in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), each year the Commission reviews the status of freedom of religion or belief worldwide and makes recommendations to the Secretary of State as to which countries should be designated "countries of particular concern," or CPCs, for their "systematic, ongoing, and egregious abuses" of religious freedom. Uzbekistan has been on the Commission's Watch List since 2002.

In Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, delegation members held an intensive series of discussions with senior officials of the Foreign, Internal, and Justice Ministries, the Presidential Administration, the Committee on Religious Affairs, and the Parliamentary Ombudsmen' s office. The delegation also met with representatives of the major religious communities in Uzbekistan, Uzbek human rights activists and public defenders, victims of repression and their families, representatives of western non-governmental organizations that are active in Uzbekistan, and U.S. Embassy officials. The Commission also visited the cities of Samarkand, Ferghana City, Margilon, and Andijan, where the delegation met with regional officials, human rights activists, and local religious leaders.

A staff delegation visited Baku, Azerbaijan October 24-28. Delegation members met with Azeri government officials, leaders of the official Muslim establishment as well as independent Muslim groups, representatives of minority religious communities, representatives of Azeri human rights groups and western human rights organizations, and U.S. Embassy officials.

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.