Sep 17, 2021
When Afghanistan was under Taliban control in 1996-2001, the Taliban discriminated against and violently persecuted the Hazara Shi’a community—which they labeled as “heretical.” Subsequently, the Hazara community continued to face targeted attacks over the last 20 years by the Taliban and ISIS-K. In the first half of 2021 alone, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented at least 20 violent incidents targeting Hazara.
Religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan have drastically deteriorated since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan last month. This does not bode well for vulnerable minorities in Afghanistan such as the Hazara community.
We discuss the current situation for the Hazara community in Afghanistan with Farkhondeh Akbari and Andrea Gittleman. Ms. Akbari is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University who is a member of the Hazara Shi’a community, and Ms. Gittleman is with the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Read more USCIRF reporting on Afghanistan here.
Sep 16, 2021
USCIRF Releases Factsheet on Laos’ Decree 315
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report highlighting the religious freedom implications of Laos’ Decree on Management and Protection of Religious Activities, known as Decree 315.
Laos’ Decree 315 Factsheet – This factsheet assesses the religious freedom implications of Decree 315, the implementation of the decree, as well as the ongoing internal review conducted by the government of Laos. Issued in 2016, Decree 315 was an improvement over its predecessor, Decree 92, providing clearer expectations for religious communities and a path for minority religious groups to become recognized by the state. However, it still provides a legal framework for the government to significantly interfere with the administration and practices of faith communities. The central authorities are currently conducting an ongoing review of this decree in Laos’ provinces. The factsheet includes USCIRF’s recommendation to the U.S. government to help develop an updated decree that secures freedom of religion and belief for all Laotians, regardless of faith.
From 2009 to 2019, USCIRF placed Laos in its Tier 2 category. The following year, USCIRF no longer included a Tier 2 category and instead made recommendations for countries to be placed on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL), which has different standards. As a result of this change, Laos does not appear in USCIRF’s 2020 or 2021 Annual Report. However, USCIRF remains concerned about religious freedom conditions in Laos, even if the country does not meet the criteria for USCIRF to recommend placement on the SWL.
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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 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].
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Cuba
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Sentence: 9 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: June/10/2021
Date of Sentencing: June/15/2021
Current Status: Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role
Nature of Charges: Unlawful Disobedience
Ibrahim Figueredo Fonseca
Extra Bio Info:
Ibrahim Figueredo Fonseca was imprisoned for his religious leadership role.
On June 10, 2021, authorities detained Fonseca, a pastor from Güira de Melena, Artemisa province, while on his way to the electric company office in El Gabriel to try to reconcile an unreasonably high electric bill that his church could not afford. His arrest came despite the Office of Religious Affairs previously instructing churches to contest electric bills on a case-by-case basis with local officials.
On June 15, 2021, Naranjo was convicted of "disrespect" and sentenced to nine months in prison. Cuban Christian leaders believe that Fonseca's arrest is meant to intimidate them from contesting electricity costs, after the government imposed high tariffs on churches and other non-state, non-residential entities in January 2021.
Fonseca is married and has two children. His wife has not seen him since the trial, and communication between the two has been extremely limited. He has reportedly been moved to Taco Taco Maximum Security Prison, 53 miles (86 km) away from his town.
Fonseca's sentence should have ended in March 2022.
In June 2024, sources reported that Naranjo had been released from prison on an unknown date.