| USCIRF

Feb 7, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2019

USCIRF Condemns Russian Conviction of Danish Prisoner of Conscience Dennis Christensen

Proof of Putin Escalating Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, says Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga

WASHINGTON, DC – Kristina Arriaga, Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today condemned the decision by a Russian court to convict and sentence Dennis Christensen, a Jehovah’s Witness, to six years imprisonment on charges of “organizing the activity of an extremist organization.

“Dennis Christensen’s conviction represents the continued deterioration of religious freedom in Putin’s Russia,” said Arriaga, who advocates on behalf of Mr. Christensen as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. “Evidently, it’s not enough for the state to brand peaceful groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘extremist’; it must also imprison their members. Russia must enter the 21st century and respect religious freedom as a fundamental human right.”

In June 2016, following a trend of repression of religious minority communities throughout Russia, a regional court in Oryol, where Mr. Christensen resides, branded the local Jehovah’s Witnesses branch an “extremist” group. On May 25, 2017, state security forces disrupted a Jehovah’s Witness prayer service, detaining some 70-80 people for several hours and arresting Mr. Christensen, alongside 15 Russian citizens. Mr. Christensen had appeared in court more than 50 times before being convicted on February 6. He has already spent more than 622 days in Detention Facility No. 1 in the Oryol Region.

In 2018, USCIRF again recommended that Russia be designated a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. In November 2018, the U.S. State Department placed Russia on a Special Watch list for “engaging in or tolerating severe 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 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 Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

Jan 28, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2019

USCIRF Denounces Violence Against Demonstrators in Sudan

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned about the extreme violence against civilians in Sudan during more than four weeks of anti-government protests, and its potential negative implications for religious freedom. This crackdown on protests is consistent with the Sudanese government’s pattern of suppressing freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion or belief. The latest infringements on human rights include throwing tear gas canisters on protesters in and around mosques, thereby damaging religious structures and limiting the right of individuals to assemble at places of worship.

“USCIRF is deeply troubled by the events taking place in Sudan and condemns the unnecessary and extreme violence perpetrated by security services, including the use of live fire that has so far resulted in the death of at least 40 innocent civilians,” said USCIRF Chair Tenzin Dorjee. “We strongly call for increased efforts to protect religious freedom, the lives of innocent civilians, and their places of worship.”

USCIRF commends the U.S. government for urging the Sudanese government to respect and prioritize religious freedom and other basic human rights. In its 2018 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Sudan as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom, including arrests and detention of religious leaders, harassment of members of various Christian denominations, enforcement of public order laws, particularly on women, and destruction and confiscation church properties. The State Department has designated Sudan a CPC since 1999.

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Jan 25, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2019

USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin Calls for Immediate Release of Iranian Prisoner of Conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri

WASHINGTON, DC – Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), expressed renewed concern today about the status of prisoner of conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri. In his latest open letter, sent on January 13 from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, Mr. Taheri describes injustice and mistreatment at the hands of Iran’s judicial system and announces that he intends to renounce his Iranian citizenship. Mr. Taheri has also reportedly received death threats from individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“Mohammad Ali Taheri is a peaceful spiritual leader who has been denied freedom because of his religious beliefs,” said Vice Chair Manchin, who adopted Mr. Taheri as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project in 2018. “Iran must take all necessary steps to free Mr. Taheri and ensure his safety and that of all religious prisoners in Iran.”

Mohammad Ali Taheri is the founder of the Erfan Halgheh spiritual movement. In 2011 he was arrested and tried for “touching the wrists of female patients” and “blasphemy,” among other charges. On October 30, 2011, he was sentenced to 74 lashes, a fine, and imprisonment. In 2015, Mr. Taheri was sentenced to death for “corruption on earth.” In 2015 and 2017, Mr. Taheri was handed a death sentence, both times for “corruption on earth.” Iran’s Supreme Court overturned both decisions and referred the case back to the 15^th branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Court. In March 2018, the court sentenced Mr. Taheri to a five-year sentence on the same charge.

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