FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 22, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) solemnly marks the one-year anniversary of the life sentence handed down to Chinese Uighur Muslim scholar Ilham Tohti for “separatism.”  USCIRF calls on the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release him and seven of his students who also were sentenced after a separate and secret trial.  

“The Chinese court’s sentencing of Ilham Tohti and his students flies in the face of the protections Chinese citizens are entitled to both under the Chinese constitution and its international human rights commitments. And yet there are many other prisoners of conscience in China in addition to Tohti and his students.  We urge President Obama in his meeting with President Xi Jinping during his trip to Washington to urge their release.  The plight of these prisoners undermines China’s claim to be a country based on the rule of law,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.

Before his imprisonment, Professor Tohti was an economics professor in Beijing and a peaceful advocate for both Uighur rights and autonomy in Xinjiang. He also encouraged dialogue between Uighurs Muslims and Han Chinese.  He was falsely accused of separatism and fanning ethnic tensions and sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2014 after a two-day trial. Seven of his students subsequently were arrested and after a secret trial received prison terms of three to eight years. They were accused of contributing to a website Tohti ran that focused on Uighur issues. Though little information about Professor Tohti’s condition is available, his family reportedly has been denied visits to see him in prison. Little also is known about his students: Perhat Halmurat, Shohret Nijat, Mutellip Imin, Abduqeyyum Ablimit, Atikem Rozi and Akbar Imin are Uighur Muslims, and the seventh student, Luo Yuwei, is from the Yi ethnic minority.

Since 2009, the Chinese government has instituted sweeping security measures that, among other goals, have sought to weaken Uighur Muslims’ religious adherence and eradicate so-called “illegal” religious gatherings and activities. The Chinese government’s crackdown on religious expression in Xinjiang has led to the detention or deaths of hundreds and possibly thousands of Uighur Muslims as well as instability and insecurity, fueling resentment and the very extremism the government claims it is trying to quell.

“The Chinese government should not treat the peaceful expression of beliefs as criminal conduct, and must end its repressive policies towards Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.  These policies include restrictions on Ramadan fasting, confiscation of unofficial Islamic publications, raiding of mosques, and detention and dismissal of “illegal” imams and religious personnel.  The Chinese government should support religious freedom and the peaceful practice and expression of one’s faith,” said Chairman George.

USCIRF again recommended in 2015 that China be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The State Department has designated China as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014. For more information, see the China Chapter (in English and Chinese) in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.  

For more information on China’s prisoners of conscience included in the Defending Freedoms Project, please click here.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) warmly welcomes Pope Francis on his historic visit to the United States.  On September 24, the Pope will be the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress.

“USCIRF welcomes Pope Francis as a champion of the dignity of each and every member of the human family, a bold witness and apostle for religious freedom, and a powerful voice for the persecuted and the displaced around the world,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “Especially during this tumultuous time of upheaval in many parts of the world, we welcome the Pope’s presence and prayers, teachings and messages, as well as his affirmation of the imperative of dialogue and cooperation between religions.” 

As Pope Francis has stressed repeatedly, religious freedom is “not just a matter of thought or private devotion,” but a “fundamental right of the person” which national and international laws and organizations must “recognize, guarantee and protect” as well as “an indicator of a healthy democracy and one of the principal sources of a nation’s legitimacy.”

“Millions of refugees and displaced persons, forced to flee their homes in shocking numbers due to war, privation, and persecution, have no greater friend than Pope Francis,” Chairman George said.  “His meeting in May with Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan, his condemnation of violence including the 'repulsive and damnable' atrocities of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram’s brutality in Nigeria, and the 'atrocious, inhuman and incomprehensible persecution' of Christians – which he has deemed genocide, has been heard around the world, and he has rightly urged the international community to take further action in response to these calamities.”

In a recent conference of some 60 nations on the plight of victims of ethnic and religious violence across the Middle East, the Vatican made the following three-fold plea for  action:  the international community must respond to the immediate humanitarian needs of refugees, while working in the longer term to ensure respect for religious rights and freedom of religion – especially the right to change one’s religion; guarantee the rights of refugees, especially religious and ethnic minorities, to return to their countries of origin to live in dignity and security and enjoy the full rights of equal citizens; and tackle terrorism and encourage interfaith dialogue.  

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the violations of religious freedom and human rights taking place in Azerbaijan.   These violations are evident in the arrests, detentions, and harsh sentences given to human rights defenders, members of religious groups, and civil society activists. Such violations are at odds with Azerbaijan’s strong tradition of secularism and religious tolerance. USCIRF Commissioners recently visited Azerbaijan to raise concerns about these detentions and religious freedom conditions.

“The Azerbaijani government continues to hold prominent prisoners of conscience including RFE/RL investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova and Leyla and Arif Yunus. These courageous advocates who support religious freedom and human rights should be honored for their work rather than facing false accusations and detention and, in the case of the Yunuses, being held in pre-trail detention for over a year and denied much-needed medical care.  Sadly, their treatment is only the tip of the iceberg, as more than 100 prisoners of conscience languish in Azerbaijan’s prisons and still others stand accused,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.

Ismayilova, whose trial just ended in Baku with the prosecution seeking a nine-year sentence, is a well-known atheist who publically has supported Muslims’ right to religious expression and won awards for her coverage of official corruption in Azerbaijan.  She is falsely accused of embezzlement, tax evasion, and abuse of power.  Leyla Yunus is the head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif is an expert on Islam. Supporters of religious freedom, they had been falsely accused of tax evasion, illegal business activities and abuse of authority and given prison terms on August 14 of eight and one-half and seven years respectively. Lawyer Rasul Jafarov was sentenced in April 2015 to 6 ½ years in prison on false charges of financial crimes; he had worked with Leyla Yunus to document cases of religious prisoners – both were arrested shortly after publicizing their lists of prisoners.    

In early-July meetings with Azerbaijani officials in Baku, a USCIRF delegation raised concerns about religious freedom in the country, including the detention of the Yunuses.  The delegation also raised the cases of Zakariyya Isakh Mammadov and Shahin Hasanov, two readers of Turkish theologian Said Nurs, whose texts are banned in Azerbaijan, and two female Jehovah’s Witnesses, Valida Jabrayilova and Irina Zakharchenko, who are in pre-trial detention for distributing religious texts which the government had not officially approved. These actions contrast with the government’s support for other religious minorities, including Jews, Catholics, and Russian Orthodox.

“The Azerbaijan government must free these and other prisoners of conscience. The recent release from prison of prominent Shi’a cleric Tale Bagirov – however belatedly – is a step in the right direction, but the government needs to do more to uphold its religious freedom and human rights commitments.  It is vitally important that Azerbaijan’s strong tradition of religious tolerance be reflected in its support for the right of religious freedom and human rights of all its citizens,” said Chairman George.

USCIRF placed Azerbaijan in Tier 2 in the 2015 Annual Report because of its restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.  These restrictions include: almost all Protestant denominations denied legal status; members of unregistered religious groups raided; state permission required to produce, import, export, or distribute religious material; and state-approved religious education required to preach, teach religion, or lead ceremonies.  Muslims, who constitute 96 percent of the population, are subject to further government restrictions.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613