Jun 16, 2020
Gayle Manchin Elected as Chair of Bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins and Anurima Bhargava as Vice Chairs
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today elected Gayle Manchin as its Chair to lead the Commission for 2020-2021. USCIRF Commissioners also elected its two Vice Chairs: Tony Perkins and Anurima Bhargava. In a show of continued bipartisan collegiality and support for the new Chair, the Commissioners opted to hold the election openly, rather than following the Commission’s usual procedure of voting anonymously by closed ballot.
“I am truly honored to be elected Chair of the Commission by my esteemed colleagues” Chair Manchin stated. “Together with my fellow Commissioners, we share a steadfast commitment to the promotion of freedom of religion or belief, and to bring about positive change for religious freedom conditions for all.”
Chair Manchin was first appointed to the Commission in 2018 by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), and was reappointed by Senator Schumer in May 2020. In her capacity as Vice Chair of USCIRF over the past year, she has participated in many USCIRF-sponsored hearings, meetings, and delegations, including travels to Indonesia, Bahrain, Turkey, Singapore, and Azerbaijan.
Chair Manchin is an esteemed educator who has served the community through a diverse breadth of roles. Currently, she is the Chair of the Board for Reconnecting McDowell, an American Federation of Teachers initiative serving rural West Virginia. Previously, Chair Manchin was on the faculty of Fairmont State University in Developmental Education, and was the Director of the university's first Community Service Learning Program. She was a member of the West Virginia State Board of Education, where she also served as President, in addition to the Cabinet Secretary for the Office of Education and the Arts. Chair Manchin has spoken at the state and national levels on the challenges of rural education, poverty, and student achievement.
Vice Chair Perkins was reappointed to the Commission by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in May 2020. Vice Chair Bhargava was reappointed to the Commission by House Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in May 2020.
Chair Manchin added, “I look forward to working more closely with Vice Chairs Perkins and Bhargava in the coming year as we face many challenges ahead and address the threats to religious freedom around the world. Together, the bipartisan Commission will work collectively to provide policy recommendations to the White House, the Secretary of State, and Congress on addressing the global challenges to freedom of religion or belief.”
Also serving on the Commission are: Gary L. Bauer, James W. Carr, Nadine Maenza, Johnnie Moore, and Nury Turkel. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback serves ex officio on the Commission.
Read the full Commissioner biographies here.
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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].
Jun 15, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Condemns Russian Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned the recent increase in harsh prison sentences handed down to members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.
Commissioner Gary Bauer said, “Russia’s vicious targeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, guilty only of practicing their peaceful religious beliefs, clearly illustrates the government’s contempt for the international human rights treaties to which it is a party.”
On June 4, the Russian government sentenced Artem Gerasimov, a resident of occupied Crimea, to six years in prison because of his faith. A few days later on June 9 the government sentenced 61-year-old Gennady Shpakovsky to six and a half years—the harshest punishment yet given to a Jehovah’s Witness in Russia—for following his religion and sharing his religious views with others. The Jehovah’s Witnesses report that there are currently eight members in prison, 23 in pre-trial detention, 23 under house arrest, and 349 accused of practicing their faith.
“The ongoing campaign against the peaceful Jehovah’s Witnesses is one of the many reasons why USCIRF considers Russia worthy of being designated a ‘country of particular concern’ for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations,” added Vice Chair Gayle Manchin. “We sincerely hope that the State Department will reach the same conclusion later this year.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate Russia as a ‘country of particular concern’ in part because of its repression of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities that it deems “nontraditional.”
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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 Danielle Ashbahian at [email protected].
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Han
Religion or Belief: Christian – Church of Almighty God
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 7 Years, 8 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/28/2018
Date of Sentencing: December/19/2019
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Cult
Liu Min
Extra Bio Info:
Liu Min is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.
On November 28, 2018, officers from the Public Security Bureau in Changsha city arrested Liu reportedly in relation to her religious belief and role sorting church members' testimonies.
On December 19, 2019, the Wangcheng District People’s Court in Changsha sentenced Liu to seven years and eight months in prison and fined her 20,000 yuan for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).