Dec 4, 2023
USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Belarus
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious freedom conditions in Belarus:
Belarus Country Update – This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions in Belarus in 2023, including the impact of expanding government repression on religious communities. The religious freedom situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka subjugates every aspect of social life to the state’s security and bureaucratic apparatuses. In 2023, Belarus’ parliament considered adopting a new religion law that would impose stricter requirements on religious communities and unjustifiably prohibit them from certain religious and political activities. Law enforcement agencies harass Protestants who conduct ordinary religious activities without state approval, and local authorities pressure Roman Catholics by targeting their houses of worship, including Minsk’s iconic Church of Saints Simon and Helena (also known as the Red Church). Christian religious leaders of all denominations are often detained, fined, imprisoned, and forced into exile for activities that the state perceives as political in nature.
In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF highlighted the negative trajectory for religious freedom conditions in Belarus. In November 2021, USCIRF released a report that detailed the decline of religious freedom in Belarus following the government’s brutal crackdown on popular anti-government protests in 2020.
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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].
Dec 13
Dec 13th 11:00am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF Conversation: Religious Freedom for Indigenous Communities in Latin America
Wednesday, December 13
11:00am-12:00pm ET
Virtual Event
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hosted a virtual discussion of USCIRF’s report on religious freedom conditions for Indigenous communities in Latin America.
Despite increased international attention to the religious freedom concerns of Indigenous communities and individuals, discrimination, violent attacks, threats, and land seizures persist. In Mexico, drug traffickers have murdered religious leaders working to protect Indigenous communities. In the Colombian and Venezuelan Amazon, drug and human traffickers, paramilitary groups, and guerrillas illegally build roads, landing strips, and clandestine ports on religiously significant ancestral lands. Throughout the region, extractive companies cause serious damage to sacred natural sites. And, within Indigenous communities, those who convert to a religion or belief different from that practiced by the majority may be subject to fines, imprisonment, or violence.
Panelists discussed national, regional, and international legal instruments protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief for Indigenous communities and individuals in Latin America. They also assessed state efforts to protect that right and highlight the threats impacting the religious freedom of Indigenous communities and individuals.
USCIRF Commissioners Frank Wolf and Mohamed Magid were joined by the authors of the report, Dennis D. Petri, International Director of the International Institute for Religious Freedom, and Teresa Flores, Director of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America, for this discussion. The event was moderated by USCIRF Researcher Luke Wilson and included Q&A for attendees.
- Frank Wolf, Commissioner, USCIRF
- Mohamed Magid, Commissioner, USCIRF
- Dennis D. Petri, International Director, International Institute for Religious Freedom
- Teresa Flores, Director, Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America
- Luke Wilson, Researcher, USCIRF
This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].
Nov 28, 2023
USCIRF Releases Report on National Level Anti-Conversion Laws around the World
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Compendium of National Anti-Conversion Laws – This report documents the text of the 73 national anti-conversion laws on the books around the world. In total, 46 countries have at least one national anti-conversion law in force. Four types of national anti-conversion laws are documented: anti-proselytism laws, interfaith marriage laws, apostasy laws, and identity documentation laws. The report explains how each type violates international human rights law by restricting an individual’s freedom to leave or change their religion. The report also provides a global and regional analysis of national anti-conversion laws that highlights similarities among them.
This report builds upon USCIRF’s recent publications on India’s State-Level Anti-Conversion Laws and Blasphemy and Related Laws in ASEAN Member Countries. USCIRF also recently released a Blasphemy Law Compendium and a Legislation Factsheet on Blasphemy.
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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]