FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2006

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned about the recent detention, in violation of international statutes, of family members of Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur Muslim dissident and human rights activist who was exiled to the United States after her release from prison in March 2005.

"The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom abhors such intimidation and impermissible violence on the part of authorities in Urumqi, which appears to be designed to harass Rebiya Kadeer's family, and to prevent them from offering credible information about human rights and religious freedom to a visiting Congressional delegation," said Michael Cromartie, Chair of USCIRF. "The U.S. Government should continue to call for the release of Ms. Kadeer's children and press for independent verification of their whereabouts and conditions of detention."

On May 30, police in Urumqi reportedly summoned three adult children of Rebiya Kadeer, including two of her sons and one daughter to interrogate them and warn them that they should not attempt to contact a U.S. Congressional delegation set to arrive in Urumqi. Subsequently, police reportedly took Rebiya's two sons into custody and beat them, resulting in hospitalization of her eldest son. Rebiya Kadeer's daughter and four of her grandchildren, ranging in age from four to fifteen, remain under detention at an undisclosed location. Chinese officials claim that the sons were arrested on charges of tax evasion.

Rebiya Kadeer was imprisoned in 1999 because she had expressed criticism of the Chinese government's oppressive policies towards the Uighur people. The U.S. government and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom had long advocated for her release, which came on the eve of a high level visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Beijing. Upon her release, Chinese authorities warned Ms. Kadeer against becoming involved in efforts for international activism on her peoples' behalf. "Rebiya Kadeer is a courageous woman who has spent years in prison for the sake of promoting greater religious freedom and other human rights for the Uighur people," said Michael Cromartie. "The Chinese government must be held accountable to uphold the principles of rule of law and to respect the human rights of all its citizens, including the rights of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang," said Cromartie. "Only through implementation of universal human rights norms will the Beijing government gain the international stature that it desires."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

Michael Cromartie,Chair

• Felice D. Gaer,Vice ChairNina Shea,Vice ChairPreeta D. BansalArchbishop Charles J. ChaputKhaled Abou El FadlRichard D. LandElizabeth H. ProdromouBishop Ricardo RamirezAmbassador John V. Hanford III,Ex-OfficioJoseph R. Crapa,Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2006

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Michael Cromartie will speak on a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) titled Consolidating Peace in Sudanon Monday, June 5, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. He will join Ibrahim Gambari, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Jendayi Frazer, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as Francis Deng of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group. The session will discuss implementation of the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement, implications of the recently signed Darfur Agreement, and the way forward in ensuring security, humanitarian access, and consolidation of the peace.

The Commission visited Sudan in January 2006 to assess the state of religious freedom and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a two-decades-long civil war between the North and South. The Commission found that there have been significant delays and shortcomings in the CPA's implementation, raising questions regarding the sincerity of the commitment of the National Congress Party in the Government of National Unity. Moreover, the religious freedom and other human rights protections agreed to in the CPA and enshrined in Sudan's Interim National Constitution have yet to result in significant changes in practice in government-controlled areas of the North.

In March, the Commission was joined by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Congressman Donald M. Payne (D-NJ) at a press conference on Capitol Hill for the release of the Commission's Policy Focus on Sudan, which includes recommendations for U.S. policy as a result of the findings from the Commission's visit. At that press conference, Congressman Frank Wolf and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for a special envoy to be appointed to coordinate U.S. efforts on achieving implementation of the CPA and ending atrocities in Darfur. The Commission supports this proposal, as do 119 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans. The Commission believes that the difficult task of keeping Sudan on track toward a comprehensive and permanent peace requires the full attention of an envoy-one with national prominence and wholehearted Administration support.

Sudan is a strategic nation where U.S. influence has already made a difference and should continue to do so. Toward that end, in his presentation at CSIS on June 5, USCIRF Chair Cromartie will call attention to the Commission's recommendations for U.S. policy

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2006

Contact:
Angela Stephens, Assistant Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 14

WASHINGTON - Congressional leaders of the House and Senate have reappointed Commissioners Preeta D. Bansal and Elizabeth H. Prodromou to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

The Commission consists of nine voting Commissioners and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who is a non-voting,ex officiomember. Three Commissioners are selected by the President, two by leaders of the President's party in Congress, and four by congressional leaders of the party that is not in the White House. Commissioners serve two-year terms and are eligible for reappointment. Commissioners Bansal and Prodromou will serve through May 14, 2008.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid reappointed Preeta D. Bansal, who previously served as Chair of the Commission. She is a constitutional lawyer whose career has spanned government service, private law practice, and academia. She is currently a partner at the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. She served as the Solicitor General of the State of New York from 1999 through 2001. As Solicitor General, Ms. Bansal helped supervise a staff of 600 lawyers in the New York Department of Law and directly oversaw 45 lawyers in the Solicitor General's Office who handle appeals for the State of New York and its agencies in state and federal courts, write Attorney General opinions to state and municipal agencies on issues of state law, and provide advice and counsel to State agencies on constitutional and statutory matters. Ms. Bansal argued cases in the United States Supreme Court, the en banc Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the New York Court of Appeals on behalf of New York State.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reappointed Elizabeth H. Prodromou, who is the Associate Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs and Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston University. Prior to joining the faculty at Boston University, she taught at Princeton University in the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. A regional expert on Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, Prodromou's scholarship and policy work concentrate on religion and international relations, nationalism and conflict resolution, and non-traditional security threats. Prodromou has published articles and chapters in books in several languages in numerous academic and policy journals in the United States and Europe. She has been a policy consultant to the State Department, the Defense Intelligence Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.