USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Violations in Turkey

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Turkey Country Update – In 2021, religious freedom conditions in Turkey have remained poor. The Turkish government has continued to carry out actions, deliberate inactions, and rhetoric to fuel a political environment that is hostile to religious minorities. Little effort has been made to address key religious freedom issues, including granting minority religious communities legal personality and permission to hold board member elections, recognizing Alevi houses of worship, and re-opening the Theological School of Halki—a seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Government tolerance of hate speech and acts of violence persisted in Turkey throughout 2021, which are noted in this report.

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State include Turkey on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. USCIRF has also highlighted several religious freedom concerns in Turkey on the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, such as the continued closure of the Halki Seminary and Turkey’s persecution of the Alevi community.

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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].

USCIRF Releases New Report about Protecting Religious Freedom Online

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on safeguarding the freedom of religion or belief on social media platforms:

Protecting Religious Freedom Online Factsheet – This report outlines the international human rights standards relevant to the regulation of speech on social media platforms—focusing specifically on the impact to the freedom of religion or belief. Governments’ and social media companies’ insufficient responses to online hate can result in grave human rights violations. At the same time, removing or censoring protected speech online can also impede human rights. States have a direct duty to protect human rights online, which requires balancing the removal of unlawful content with allowing protected speech. This factsheet considers the impact of social media companies’ current content moderation policies on religious freedom, and explores the opportunities for those companies to incorporate international human rights standards. To further promote human rights online, this factsheet reiterates USCIRF’s recommendations for how the U.S. government can play an important role in ensuring the protection of religious freedom digitally.

In October 2020, USCIRF held a hearing on Combatting Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Targeting Religious Communities. USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report highlights the prevalence and impact of hate speech targeting religious communities, including in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and Turkey.

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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].

From 1992-1995, Bosnia endured a brutal ethno-religious war, as Bosnian Serbs ethnically cleansed their Muslim neighbors in the east of the country. The 1995 Dayton Accords, brokered by the United States, ended the conflict, and created a unique power-sharing arrangement between predominantly Orthodox Christian Serbs, Muslim Bosniaks, and Catholic Croats. This fragile arrangement now appears to be in crisis and USCIRF remains very concerned about the prospect of renewed violence and religious freedom violations.

USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton joins us today to provide some background on Bosnia and discuss the religious freedom situation in more detail.

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