USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel Named to TIME’s Annual TIME100 List of 100 Most Influential People in the World

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) congratulated Commissioner Nury Turkel who was named one of the 2020 TIME100, which is TIME magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Commissioner Turkel was appointed to USCIRF in May 2020 by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

“Nury Turkel, the first Uyghur-American Commissioner to serve at USCIRF, has been an exemplary colleague who fights diligently on behalf of minorities persecuted because of their beliefs,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin. “Commissioner Turkel has himself been subjected to hardships based on his religion as he was born in a re-education camp at the height of the Cultural Revolution in China and spent the first several months of his life in captivity. He has overcome so much and is very deserving of this recognition on TIME’s annual TIME100 List.”

As the first U.S.-educated Uyghur attorney, Commissioner Turkel has worked tirelessly over the years to give back to the community, building up the Uyghur human rights movement, assisting hundreds of people win asylum in the United States, addressing countless policy forums and legislative hearings, and bringing the plight of Uyghur people to the world’s attention, despite China’s best efforts to cover up its atrocities.

“The TIME100 List rightfully included Commissioner Nury Turkel for his insight and knowledge, especially given his experience and demonstrated commitment to advocating for religious freedom,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins. “His advocacy work has shed light on the plight of Uyghur Muslims in China and elsewhere, and has led to policy changes designed to counter the Communist Party’s genocidal actions against the Uyghur people.”

The TIME100 list, now in its 17th year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world¹s most influential individuals. The full list and related tributes appear in the October 5, 2020 issue of TIME, accessible on September 25.

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF called upon the U.S. government to use its authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the International Religious Freedom Act to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners.

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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].

USCIRF Welcomes Release of Pastor A Dao in Vietnam

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed the release of A Dao, a pastor of the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ. Vietnamese authorities had arrested him on August 18, 2016, after he returned to Vietnam from a conference about religious freedom in East Timor.

“I am delighted that Pastor A Dao is free, even as I lament the fact that prison robbed him of four years of his life,” USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr stated. “I hope this release is a sign that the Vietnamese government is serious about improving religious freedom conditions and will release other individuals detained for their religious freedom advocacy, including Nguyen Bac Truyen. In addition, USCIRF urges the government to take steps to ensure that local authorities respect A Dao’s freedom and safety should he choose to return to his home village.”

Commissioner Carr advocated for Pastor A Dao’s release through USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, while Representative Glenn Grothman adopted him through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project.

“This is a hallmark day for both Pastor A Dao and Vietnam,” added Representative Glenn Grothman. “Congratulations to Pastor Dao on being able to return to his family. I would like to meet him some day. I hope that his release is a sign of Vietnam transitioning from an anti-God totalitarian state to a country in which religion in general and Christianity in particular can be openly practiced. This also shows the importance of American elected officials speaking out against oppression and promoting the importance of religious freedom throughout the world. Religion should not be a tool to oppress any person nor a stain on their character. I hope other American Congressmen familiarize themselves with the oppression that religious minorities, which in many parts of the world are Christians, have to deal with on a daily basis.”

Pastor A Dao for years advocated for his fellow church members to enjoy religious freedom in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and elsewhere. In April 2017, a Vietnamese court tried and sentenced him to five years imprisonment for allegedly “helping individuals to escape abroad illegally” under Article 275 of the country’s Penal Code. He later claimed he was tortured in order to extract a confession. Under his prison sentence, A Dao was not expected to be released until August 18, 2021.

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF called upon the U.S. government to increase funding for religious freedom projects in Vietnam. This past June, USCIRF released a country update about religious prisoners of conscience in Vietnam. In addition, USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava adopted Hoa Hao Buddhist lawyer Nguyen Bac Truyen.

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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 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 Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].

USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie Adopts Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu of Nigeria through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project

Washington, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Frederick A. Davie announced today his adoptions of Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, both of whom he will advocate for as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. 

Mubarak Bala is a prominent atheist activist and President of the Nigerian Humanist Association. He was arrested on April 28, 2020 and transferred to Kano state police custody, reportedly for insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. He allegedly posted: “Fact is, you have no life after this one. You have been dead before, long before you were born, billions of years of death.” Bala remains detained without charge, and has not been allowed to communicate with his lawyers or his family. His whereabouts and well-being remain unknown.

“There is absolutely no reason why Mubarak Bala should continue to be held in detention without charge, seemingly for nothing more than exercising his right to freedom of belief and expression,” Commissioner Davie said. “His incommunicado status is particularly alarming. The Nigerian government must take all steps necessary to confirm his whereabouts and safety, and ensure that he is afforded a fair trial in a secular court. If his only alleged crime is blasphemy, he must immediately be released and allowed to return home to his family.”

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is a 22-year-old Islamic gospel singer belonging to the minority Tijaniyya Sufi Islamic sect. On August 10, 2020, he was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death by a Kano state Shari’a court for reportedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a private WhatsApp message. He was accused of praising an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the extent it “elevated him above the Prophet Muhammed.”

“Sharif-Aminu’s blasphemy conviction and death sentence are a violation of international human rights law and Article 38 of the Nigerian Constitution,” Commissioner Davie added. “Authorities must overturn this sentence and ensure that Sharif-Aminu’s right to religious freedom is protected.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF has also expressed concern about blasphemy laws in Africa and state enforcement of Shari’a laws in northern Nigeria. To learn more, read the reports: Blasphemy, Apostasy, and Hate Speech Laws in Africa and Shari’ah Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria.

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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].