Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the State Department’s decision proclaiming that groups including Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims in Iraq and Syria are victims of genocide by ISIL, the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also referred to as Daesh.  In his statement, Secretary of State John Kerry rightly observed that: “Daesh is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control,” is “genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology, and by actions,” and that it “kills Christians because they are Christians; Yezidis because they are Yezidis; Shia because they are Shia.”

“Secretary of State Kerry’s statement today shines an essential light on ISIL’s horrific actions and its extremist ideology, and correctly calls ISIL what it is:  genocidal,”  said USCIRF’s Chairman, Robert P. George.  “We must all stand against ISIL, which seeks to destroy minority religious communities and members of the majority community who do not subscribe to its barbaric interpretation of Islam.  But we must do more.  The U.S. government should seek a referral by the U.N. Security Council to the International Criminal Court to investigate ISIL’s atrocities in Iraq and Syria; work with our international partners to develop measures to protect and assist the region’s most vulnerable, including by increasing immediate humanitarian aid; and increase the number of Syrian refugees resettled to the United States, allocating sufficient resources to the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to conduct the necessary vetting so that U.S. national security is not compromised.”

USCIRF called for the U.S. government to designate the Christian, Yazidi, Shi’a, Turkmen, and Shabak communities of Iraq and Syria as victims of genocide by ISIL on December 7, 2015.  USCIRF also has urged that the U.S. government and international community condemn the al-Assad regime for its indiscriminate targeting of primarily Sunni Muslims and for using rape, extrajudicial killings, starvation, sniper attacks, and torture in its attempt to maintain power, and make additional designations of international crimes as warranted.    

“USCIRF continues to urge the Administration to condemn the al-Assad regime in Syria for its brutal persecution and crimes against humanity committed against Sunni Muslims and others,” said Chairman George. “USCIRF also urges the U.S. government to seek a UN referral for an International Criminal Court investigation into crimes the al-Assad regime has committed, following the models used in Sudan and Libya.”

For more information, please see USCIRF chapters in the 2015 Annual report on Iraq and Syria and its press releases on:  USCIRF Statement on the Designation of Victims of Genocide, persecution, and Crimes Against Humanity in Syria and Iraq; and  Syria:  Five Years of Suffering Must End.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioners, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two years ago today, Russia unlawfully annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, cynically using the Orthodox “culture, civilization, and human values” that Russia and Ukraine supposedly share to justify this invasion. On this anniversary, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reiterates its concern about Russian authorities’ violations of religious freedom in Crimea, and urges the international community to take a stand against these abuses.

“The human rights and religious freedom situation in Crimea has deteriorated dramatically since the illegal March 2014 Russian occupation,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “Religious minority communities, particularly Muslim Crimean Tatars, suffer because of Russia’s application of its more restrictive criminal and administrative codes, notably its onerous registration requirements and notorious anti-extremism law.”

No religious community remains unscathed, particularly given the Kremlin’s application of its extremism law in Crimea.  Russian authorities have raided Tatar homes, mosques, media outlets, and schools, and the Kingdom Halls of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They also have detained imams and fined individuals simply for possessing Islamic and Jehovah’s Witness text which are banned under the extremism law. Twelve Crimean Tatars, accused by Russian authorities of being members of a banned terrorist organization, were arrested in February 2016 after speaking with international human rights monitors about the repression of Tatars in Crimea.

In order to gain legal operating status, Russia requires all Crimean religious communities registered with the Ukrainian state to re-register under Russia’s more stringent requirements. Of the over 1,500 religious communities with Ukrainian legal status, only 400 were re-registered under Russian authority. Unregistered religious groups, including the Ukrainian Catholic Church – banned by the Kremlin 70 years ago  – and  Armenian Apostolic parishes, cannot open bank accounts, own property, issue invitations to foreign guests, and publish literature.  In view of the Kremlin’s hostility, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate did not even apply for registration.

“Russia has spread its net of intolerance to Crimea and freedom of religion or belief has been its victim.  The international community must not be silent in the face of these abuses,” said Chairman George. “Moscow must reform its anti-extremism law, cease its application to Crimea, grant legal status to the 1,500 religious groups that operated before the Russian annexation, and stop harassing religious minorities and those the Moscow Patriarchate views as rivals. USCIRF also urges the U.S. government to apply provisions of the Magnitsky Act and continue to identify Russian government officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and human rights, freeze their assets, and bar their entry into the United States.”

USCIRF placed Russia on its Tier 2 list in its 2015 Annual Report. Tier 2 countries are those in which the violations the government engages in or tolerates are serious and characterized by at least one of the elements of IRFA’s “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” standard. For more information, see the Russia chapter in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 15 marks the 5^th anniversary of the peaceful protests that set the stage for the Syrian conflict.  This conflict has spawned a devastating humanitarian crisis with a death toll ranging between 250,000 and 470,000, 4.7 million Syrians registered as refugees in neighboring countries, more than 6.5 million internally displaced, and over 140,000 children born stateless.  This brutal conflict has become sectarian in nature, with Syria now an overwhelmingly hostile place for all ethno-religious groups, including Alawites, Christians, Druze, Shi’a and Sunni Muslims, and Turkmen.  

“The actions of the Bashar al-Assad regime, elements of the armed opposition, and terrorist groups, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat al-Nusra, are responsible for the bloody conflagration in Syria. Along with the millions of Syrians who have been killed and displaced, the country’s religious diversity has been irrevocably damaged, with dire consequences that go far beyond the region,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.

The civil war in Syria began in March 2011 when opponents of the oppressive al-Assad regime, mostly Sunni Muslims, peacefully protested and called for the repeal of the country's abusive emergency law, space for political parties, and President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation.  The al-Assad regime responded with a brutal crackdown and played on sectarian fears. U.S. designated terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, have supported the regime. The regime’s opponents included dozens of domestic and foreign groups, among them some that espouse democracy and are recognized by the United States, and others that are motivated by ideologies, religious or secular, that espouse violence, including ISIL.

“Over 13.5 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance, as do the millions forced to flee to neighboring nations, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.  Such large numbers of refugees are straining resources and exacerbating sectarian tensions in these countries.  The United States has done much, having contributed over $4.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Syrians and neighboring countries, but more needs to be done given the scale of this crisis, not only for the sake of these millions of people, but for regional stability and U.S. national security,” said Chairman George.

USCIRF calls on the U.S. government to work with our international partners to prioritize the protection of and assistance to all non-combatant Syrians, especially vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities, and help ensure that issues related to religious freedom and human rights are included in any political negotiations that seek to end this devastating crisis.  USCIRF also urges the U.S. government to increase the number of Syrians accepted for resettlement to 100,000, subject to proper security vetting and a prioritization based on vulnerability, in order to aid those in the greatest peril, demonstrate U.S. leadership, and show support for governments in the Middle East and Europe that are hosting millions of refugees. USCIRF also calls on the U.S. government to allocate sufficient resources to the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies that conduct the rigorous individualized vetting of refugees being considered for resettlement in the United States, to allow them to expeditiously process applications and thoroughly conduct background checks in order to facilitate resettlements without compromising U.S. national security. 

USCIRF has recommended since 2014 that Syria be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.   For more information, see USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report chapter on Syria.  

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.