FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2020

USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Ayda Expósito, Calls for Release of Other Religious Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed the release of Adya Expósito Leyva, the wife of Pastor Ramón Rigal.

The couple was imprisoned on April 16, 2019 for homeschooling their children based on a concern regarding Cuban schools’ promotion of socialism and atheism. They were later sentenced for crimes including “other acts against the normal development of a minor.” Pastor Rigal remains in prison serving a two-year sentence, along with independent journalist Roberto Jesus Quinones Haces, who was imprisoned for trying to cover the pair’s trial and then sentenced for the crime of “disobedience.”

“While we welcome the release of Expósito and are particularly relieved that she can be reunited with her children, we believe that she should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” said Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “The charges brought against her and her husband are part of the Cuban government’s harassment, discrimination, and arbitrary detention of individuals simply seeking to practice their religion."

Cuban prisons are overcrowded and frequently lack sanitary conditions, which are dangerous situations amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. In light of COVID-19, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almargo, called on Cuba to release political prisoners and others detained that have not committed crimes. Quinones has been named one of the most urgent cases threatening press freedom during the coronavirus crisis.

“More than ever during this global pandemic, the Cuban government must release Pastor Rigal and Roberto Jesus Quinones Haces, along with others held in Cuba for their beliefs or advocacy of religious freedom. With the coronavirus spreading on the island, the conditions in Cuban prisons are a ticking time bomb. We implore the Cuban government not to further punish individuals for their most deeply held convictions by keeping them behind bars despite the present danger,” said Commissioner Gary Bauer.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF listed Cuba as a Tier 2 country for engaging in or tolerating violations of religious freedom that meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act. USCIRF recently released a policy update detailing religious freedom conditions in Cuba during 2019.

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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].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2020

USCIRF Calls for the Release of Vietnamese Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Bac Truyen

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today reiterated its call for the Vietnamese government to release Nguyen Bac Truyen, one of USCIRF’s religious prisoners of conscience. Nguyen Bac Truyen is a Vietnamese religious freedom advocate and Hoa Hao Buddhist. On April 5, 2018, he was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment on spurious charges of “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration.” 

“Nguyen Bac Truyen’s trial, which occurred two years ago and lasted for just one day, was a travesty of justice,” noted USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava, who advocates for Nguyen Bac Truyen as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. “He should be home with his family, especially now that the coronavirus pandemic has increased the public health risk to prisoners and his health problems have escalated since his imprisonment.”

U.S. Representatives Harley Rouda and Zoe Lofgren also advocate on behalf of Nguyen Bac Truyen through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s Defending Freedoms Project.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF called on the U.S. government to designate Vietnam as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. As documented in a recent Country Update, USCIRF has received regular reports of Vietnamese authorities harassing independent Buddhists, Catholics, Hoa Hao Buddhists, Cao Dai, Hmong and Montagnard Protestants, and other religious groups

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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].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2020

USCIRF Dismayed by Lack of Accountability for the Murder of Daniel Pearl

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expressed its dismay at the Sindh High Court of Pakistan overturning the death penalty against Omar Saeed Sheikh for the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

In 2002, while reporting on extremist groups in Karachi, Daniel Pearl was kidnapped by terrorists and decapitated on camera. After spending 18 years in prison, Omar Saeed Sheikh’s conviction for murder was downgraded to kidnapping, carrying a seven-year sentence, and he is expected to be released on time served. The court also overturned the life sentences imposed on three other men involved in the case. Government prosecutors are expected to appeal this decision in the Supreme Court.

“We are appalled by the court’s decision to overturn the murder conviction of Omar Saeed Sheikh and release him from prison,” stated USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore. “After nearly two decades, there is still insufficient accountability for the horrific murder of Daniel Pearl who was executed, in part, for being Jewish. This terrible situation reminds us that freedom of religion and freedom of press are intertwined – they are two sides of the same coin. This Passover we grieve with Daniel’s loved ones whose pain will be relived through this renewed injustice. May his memory be a blessing.”

USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava added, “This verdict shows not only the lack of accountability for Daniel Pearl’s murder but the misplaced priorities of the Pakistani legal system. There are currently dozens of prisoners facing life sentences and the death penalty under the country’s blasphemy law, so often abused to convict religious minorities using false evidence. We urge the Pakistani government to prioritize the release of prisoners of conscience who are especially vulnerable now with the spread of the coronavirus.”

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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].