FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2018

USCIRF Welcomes President Trump Signing the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed President Donald Trump signing H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act. This bill promotes accountability for crimes committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and provides for the urgent needs of persecuted religious and ethnic communities such as Christians and Yazidis. USCIRF has recommended that the Congress pass this bill since June 2017.

“I commend President Trump for signing this important bill providing relief and assistance to communities who desperately need our help,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga, who attended the White House luncheon Vice President Pence hosted in honor of victims of religious persecution. “Through this bill we send the message that those responsible for these crimes, including genocide, will not escape justice. I also commend Representatives Chris Smith and Anna Eshoo for their commitment and hard work to craft this legislation and help ensure its passage.”

Present at the White House Oval Office signing ceremony were USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins and former Commissioners Elizabeth Prodromou and Nina Shea, who worked jointly and in a bipartisan way on the passage of the legislation.

###

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2018
 

New USCIRF Report: Anti-Conversion Laws on the Rise in South Asia

USCIRF Calls on U.S. to Press South Asian Governments to Rescind These Laws
 

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a special report on anti-conversion laws in South Asia. This report examines laws in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, that limit the ability of religious groups to proselytize and the freedom of individuals to convert to a different religion.

“Anti-conversion laws are frequently abused by extremists who seek to prevent anyone from leaving the majority religion,” said USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza. “These laws abrogate the religious freedom rights of minority communities, such as Hindus in Pakistan or Christians in Nepal, and as such they should be rescinded.”

The report finds numerous problems with these laws. For example, in India and Pakistan, vague and discriminatorily enforced anti-conversion and blasphemy laws have contributed to rising numbers of hate crimes and false accusations against members of minority religion groups. Also, despite persistent allegations of coerced conversions by international and domestic religious groups, supporters of these restrictive laws have not presented credible data supporting these claims.

“These laws are a major obstacle to efforts pursuing peace and tolerance among those of different faith as extremist and majority religious groups use these laws as tools to intimidate and prevent religious minorities from exercising their right to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience,” added USCIRF Commissioner Tony Perkins. “These laws also disproportionately affect vulnerable and disfavored groups, such as Dalit Hindus and foreign humanitarian and aid workers.”

###

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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2018

USCIRF Presses for Targeted Sanctions for Atrocities Committed Against Burma’s Rohingya Muslims and Other Religious and Ethnic Communities

Call comes days before anniversary of the signing of the UN Genocide Convention

WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today called on the U.S. government and the international community to pursue strong policy responses, including the continued use of targeted sanctions, to hold accountable members of Burma’s military, security forces, and some nonstate actors for severe human rights and religious freedom violations against Burma’s Rohingya Muslims and other religious and ethnic communities. These abuses against Rohingya and others, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians, as well as ethnic Kachin, Shan, Karen, have been committed, and in some cases continue to be committed, for decades, largely with impunity.

“Rohingya Muslims and other religious and ethnic groups have suffered terribly at the hands of Burma’s military and security forces, with some calling the abuses ‘ethnic cleansing,’ ‘crimes against humanity,’ or even ‘genocide’,” said Chair Tenzin Dorjee. “And yet those responsible for these abuses have largely escaped accountability for their actions. The U.S. government and other international actors have various tools at their disposal, among them targeted sanctions, that they can and should continue to use to bring justice to the perpetrators. We must send the message that horrific abuses like these will not be tolerated and will not go unanswered.”

In September, a United Nations-commissioned fact-finding mission tasked with investigating the situation in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan States, issued a report concluding that Burma’s top military leaders should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, noting circumstances suggesting their “genocidal intent.”

Based on its travel to Burma and Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and regular reporting—such as the 2018 Annual Report—USCIRF has called on the State Department to redesignate Burma as a “country of particular concern” and to continue to impose targeted sanctions, such as visa bans and asset freezes, on specific abusers in the Burmese military and among nonstate actors. Also, USCIRF recently warned that conditions are not yet safe for Rohingya Muslim refugees currently residing in Bangladesh to return to Burma and urges the parties involved to facilitate a process for refugees and internally displaced persons from all religious and ethnic communities that is voluntary and dignified.

###

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 or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.