USCIRF Condemns School Abductions in Nigeria

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the attack on a Christian school in Nigeria, where 125 students are reportedly missing after unknown gunmen raided Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State.

“Religious freedom includes the freedom to attend religious schools and to learn and teach according to one’s beliefs,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie. “Abductions like these undermine religious freedom in Nigeria and heighten sectarian tensions.”

The attack on Bethel Baptist High School on July 5 is the tenth mass school kidnapping in Nigeria since December 2020. Kaduna State has seen significant criminal and intercommunal violence in the past year that has included several attacks on churches and religious leaders. The Nigerian government has recently requested U.S. military assistance to address growing criminal violence in the country.

“It is unfathomable that these attacks are still happening in Nigeria with impunity,” said USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins. “It has been over four years since USCIRF’s Religious Prisoner of Conscience Leah Sharibu was abducted in a similar attack, and she continues to be held hostage because she will not abandon her faith. The United States must encourage the Nigerian government to do more to rescue these children and prevent future school abductions.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of international religious freedom. The State Department designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time in December 2020. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department redesignate Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) as “entities of particular concern,” or EPCs. Additionally, USCIRF has produced recent analyses on religious freedom conditions in Nigeria and violations committed by militant Islamist groups in northern Nigeria.

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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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

USCIRF Condemns Death of Jesuit Priest Imprisoned in India

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned in the strongest terms the deliberate neglect and targeting by the government of India that led to the death of Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit priest and longtime human rights defender.

“Father Stan Swamy’s death is a stark reminder of the egregious and ongoing persecution of India’s religious minority communities. USCIRF consistently spoke out when Father Swamy was arrested and denied bail, especially considering the rapid deterioration of his health as he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and contracted COVID-19 while in prison, and was not given any support from prison officials,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “We urge the United States to hold the Indian government accountable and to raise religious freedom concerns in the U.S.-India bilateral relationship.”

In October 2020, Father Swamy was arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for suspicion of ties to organizations accused of instigating violence in Maharashtra state in 2018 Government officials used UAPA and other statutes to detain advocates, the media, and academics, including religious minorities.

Father Swamy, who was already suffering from Parkinson’s disease, died of complications in Mumbai on July 5 after contracting COVID-19 in pre-trial detention. Despite international concern and urgent pleas for bail on medical grounds, Indian officials and the courts denied Father Swamy bail and timely medical care.

“USCIRF is deeply saddened and appalled by the death of 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy. For years, he fought for the rights and dignity of low-caste and poor people across India,” said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “Father Swamy died in the custody of Indian authorities who targeted him for giving voice to the human rights concerns of Adivasis and other low-caste, religious and poor communities. The Indian government held him for these past months, without any trial or conviction, despite lack of credible evidence on the charges filed against him, his deteriorating health, and global calls for his release.”

In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended India for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF’s Annual Report raised concern regarding the closing space for civil society in India during 2020, including the use of the UAPA and other statutes to detain religious minorities.

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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].

USCIRF Applauds Ban on Chinese Solar Panels Produced by Uyghur Forced Labor

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauded the Biden administration’s whole-of-government approach evident in the banning of solar panels produced by the forced labor of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China.

“We want to thank the Biden administration for taking these concrete steps to hold all who engage in forced labor of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims accountable. This inter-agency effort sends another unequivocal message that the United States does not tolerate these inhumane and unfair practices,” USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel stated. “No business—whether it is a China-based or U.S.-based company—should turn a blind eye to this abuse. Companies should conduct their due diligence to verify beyond a reasonable doubt that their supply chains in China are free of forced labor, including in the solar panel industry.”

On June 24, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on silica-based products made by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd., a company located in Xinjiang, that use forced labor to manufacture. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security also updated its Entity List to include Hoshine Silicon Industry and four other companies for participating in the practice of, accepting, or utilizing forced labor and contributing to human rights abuses in Xinjiang. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor published a Federal Register Notice updating its “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor” to include polysilicon produced with forced labor. The report currently includes other products from China that have links to forced labor in Xinjiang or by Uyghur workers transferred to other parts of China, including cotton, garments, footwear, electronics, gloves, hair products, textiles, thread/yarn, and tomato products.

Since 2017, the Chinese government has detained millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in internment camps across the Xinjiang region. Chinese authorities have subjected them to forced labor in these camps, as well as in prisons, factories, and industrial parks. U.S. companies with supply chains in China for consumer goods—particularly those in the apparel, footwear, and other related industries—are complicit in Uyghur forced labor and therefore must take steps to urgently address this growing problem. This issue has become especially pressing following the U.S. Department of State’s determination in January 2021 that the atrocities in Xinjiang constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.

“USCIRF will continue to work unflinchingly with the Biden administration to hold the Chinese government accountable for its atrocious religious freedom violations,” USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr added. “We urge the U.S. government to enforce existing laws, such as the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, and to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom. USCIRF also encourages Congress to support and pass legislation that promotes religious freedom in China, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.”

On March 10, USCIRF hosted a hearing addressing the complicity of U.S. companies in Uyghur forced labor in China. USCIRF has also discussed the Uyghur Genocide in several episodes of its USCIRF Spotlight Podcast. In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended China for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. 

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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].