Sep 30

WHEN:

Sep 30th 11:00am - Sep 30th 12:00pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

USCIRF Conversation: Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity

Thursday, September 30, 2021
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Virtual Event

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event exploring opportunities for justice of crimes against humanity.

Governments and non-state actors continue to commit crimes against humanity and other mass atrocities that target religious communities, including Afghanistan, Burma, China, Iraq, and Syria. USCIRF recently held a hearing on Ending Genocide – Accountability for Perpetrators that highlighted specific accountability gaps that make obtaining justice for crimes against humanity particularly elusive. Unlike genocide and war crimes, crimes against humanity are not codified in an international treaty. In addition, there is not a statute in the United States that enables prosecution or immigration consequences for these heinous crimes. This event will highlight ongoing initiatives to promote greater accountability for perpetrators by enacting a U.S. statute and international treaty for crimes against humanity and provide recommendations for how the U.S. government can further promote accountability and prevent mass atrocities.

The discussion will feature USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and Commissioner Khizr Khan as well as experts from American Bar Association Center for Human Rights Working Group on Crimes against Humanity Ambassador David Scheffer and Professor Leila Sadat. The event will be moderated by USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava, followed by questions and answers from attendees. 

Panelists

  • Nadine Maenza, Chair, USCIRF
  • Khizr Khan, Commissioner, USCIRF
  • Ambassador David Scheffer, Northwestern Law School; former Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, U.S. Department of State
  • Professor Leila Sadat, Special Advisor on Crimes Against Humanity to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor; James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law; former Commissioner, USCIRF

Moderator

  • Anurima Bhargava, Commissioner, USCIRF

 

This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].

Additional Name(s): 来桂芳

Gender: Female

Current Location: Liaoning Women's Prison, Yuhong

Perpetrator: China

Religion or Belief: Falun Gong

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: October/8/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Cult

Lai Guifang

Extra Bio Info:

Lai Guifang is imprisoned for her religious activity.

On or around October 8, 2017, public security officials from the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Dalian municipality, Liaoning province, detained 19 Falun Gong practitioners, including Lai.

On an unspecified day in 2018, Lai sentenced to seven years in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

Lai is currently at Liaoning Women's Prison.

Related Cases: Zhou Haiyan, Hu Zhiqin

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): 张树德

Gender: Male

Current Location: Nanshan Prison

Perpetrator: China

Religion or Belief: Falun Gong

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: June/29/2017

Date of Sentencing: February/8/2018

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Possession of Religious Materials Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Cult

Zhang Shude

Extra Bio Info:

Zhang Shude is imprisoned for his religious activity.

On June 29, 2017, police arrested Zhang, raided his home, and confiscated Falun Gong-related materials. Days before his arrest, Zhang had visited a police station in Xinglongtai district, Panjin municipality, Liaoning province, to get an extension on his residence permit. There, he acknowledged being a Falun Gong practitioner after police questioned him. He subsequently had his permit request denied.

On February 8, 2018, The Xinglongtai People’s Court sentenced Zhang to seven years in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

On August 24, 2018, the Panjin Intermediate People's Court rejected Zhang's appeal. 

On October 16, 2018, Zhang was transferred to Nanshan Prison.

Zhang has reportedly been denied family visits.

Publicly Available Information:
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