FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2019

USCIRF Releases New Reports on Religious Freedom in Indonesia and Vietnam

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new reports:  

Blasphemy Allegations in a Polarized Indonesia – This report provides an overview of blasphemy laws and prominent trends in blasphemy allegations within Indonesia. The cases demonstrate that blasphemy accusations can arise out of a myriad of motivations and that the government of Indonesia is doing little to address the proliferation of cases. In fact, the government of Indonesia may expand the scope of blasphemy in its new Criminal Code. The report concludes with recommendations for the U.S. government and Congress. 

Vietnam Country Update – This is a report about the implementation of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion based on information obtained during a September 2019 USCIRF Commissioner Delegation visit. It explains how the mandatory registration process and the complicated approval processes under the law have impeded the ability of some religious groups to practice their faith.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Vietnam as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act due to its systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF placed Indonesia on its Tier 2 list for violations that meet one or two of these classifications. 

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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 threats to 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] or call (202) 523-3240.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2019

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava Adopts Nguyen Bac Truyen Through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project

WASHINGTON, DC –  Anurima Bhargava, a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today announced her adoption of Vietnamese religious freedom advocate and Hoa Hao Buddhist Nguyen Bac Truyen as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. Before his imprisonment, Truyen led the Vietnamese Political & Religious Prisoners Friendship Association, which assists prisoners of conscience and their families. He was detained in July 2017 and in April 2018, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment on spurious charges of “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration.” Truyen has reportedly been suffering from a stomach ailment, but has been unable to obtain proper medical care while in prison.

“The imprisonment of Nguyen Bac Truyen belies the Vietnamese government’s claims that it protects religious freedom,” said Bhargava. “Religious freedom includes protecting those who advocate on behalf of persecuted or disadvantaged religious groups. People like Nguyen Bac Truyen should be celebrated for their tireless efforts to improve the lives of their fellow citizens, but instead, he received an excessive and unjust prison sentence. He must be released immediately if Vietnam is to meet its obligations under international law.”

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate Vietnam a “country of particular concern” (CPC) because of its persecution of religious minorities and religious freedom advocates like Nguyen Bac Truyen. The Vietnamese government targeted Truyen due to his advocacy, particularly on behalf of Hoa Hao Buddhists. Vietnamese authorities regularly harass Hoa Hao Buddhists who refuse to participate in government-approved religious associations. Authorities also restrict their ability to celebrate important holy days. There are widespread reports that Vietnamese prison authorities abuse prisoners of conscience and deny them access to religious services.

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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 threats to 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] or call 202-523-3240.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2019

Fate of Nearly 2 million in Assam, India Examined in New USCIRF Report

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a report on the religious freedom implications of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. With 1.9 million names of residents of Assam left off the updated NRC list, the report raises concerns about how the NRC process is being used to target and disenfranchise the Muslim population in Assam.

“Close to two million long-time residents of Assam may soon be deemed stateless. They are being stripped of their citizenship without a fair, transparent, and well-regulated NRC process,” said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava, who testified about Assam last week. “Worse yet is that Indian political officials have repeatedly conveyed their intent to direct and use the NRC process to isolate and push out Muslims in Assam. And now, across India, political leaders are seeking to expand the NRC and implement different citizenship standards for Muslims altogether.”

“The updated NRC list and subsequent actions of the Indian government are essentially creating a religious test for citizenship to target Assam’s vulnerable Muslim community. We urge the Indian government to protect the rights of all of its religious minorities as enshrined in the Indian constitution,” added Chair Tony Perkins.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF classified India as a “Tier 2” country for engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act. The India chapter expressed concern that the NRC is “an intentional effort to discriminate and/or has the effect of discriminating against Muslims.”

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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 threats to 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] or call 202-523-3240.