May 12, 2021
USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel Adopts
Uyghur Religious Prisoner of Conscience
Washington, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Nury Turkel announced today his adoption of Adil Tuniyaz through USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience (RPOC) Project. Tuniyaz is a well-known Uyghur poet, reporter, and author based in China.
“The Chinese Communist Party has determined that an independent Uyghur identity is an existential threat. This is why they have arbitrarily detained millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in concentration camps. Uyghurs, such as Adil Tuniyaz and his family, are specifically targeted by this ruthless regime as part of its campaign to sinicize and eradicate a distinct Uyghur ethno-religious identity,” said USCIRF Commissioner Turkel.
In December 2017, Chinese authorities detained Tuniyaz, and his wife, Nezire Muhammad Salih in an ongoing crackdown of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. According to some reports, the couple were targeted by Chinese authorities in part for translating religious material including hadiths. Chinese authorities also detained their son, Imran, who was studying Arabic at a school in Beijing. Their three other children—Iqbal, Ehsan, and Ilyas—are reportedly in state-run orphanages for Uyghur youth and their guardians have been detained.
“USCIRF calls on Chinese authorities to release Mr. Tuniyaz and his family and end the cruel detention of millions of Uyghurs immediately,” USCIRF Commissioner Turkel added.
In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) due to its systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF also called upon the administration to use its authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the International Religious Freedom Act to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners.
In addition to his adoption into the RPOC Project, Adil joins 174 other Uyghur Muslims on USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List, a database providing information on a subset of individuals globally targeted and imprisoned due to their freedom of religion or belief.
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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].
May 11, 2021
USCIRF Welcomes Amnesty of Jehovah’s Witness Prisoners in Turkmenistan
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the presidential pardon of all 16 Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors previously imprisoned in Turkmenistan.
“USCIRF applauds this long overdue decision by the government of Turkmenistan,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins. “The release of these conscientious objectors is something we have specifically advocated for through both public and private channels. We are hopeful that this move represents a change in policy and eager to assist the government of Turkmenistan to promote further religious freedom reform.”
The amnestied prisoners were all young men facing terms of between one to four years for their conscientious objection to military service as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Ten of the 16 had previously served sentences for the same offense and were imprisoned after being re-conscripted. Although the presidential amnesty was intended to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, no Muslim prisoners of conscience were known to be among those pardoned.
“We encourage the government of Turkmenistan to provide a civilian alternative to military service, so that no more Jehovah’s Witnesses will have to endure prison for their peaceful religious practice,” said USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel. “These young men are not enemies of the state. They simply want to serve their country in a peaceful manner—and they deserve the opportunity to do so.”
In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. government designate Turkmenistan as a County of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, and urge the government of Turkmenistan to provide a civilian alternative to military service and to release all those convicted for conscientious objection. USCIRF also released in the past year reports on The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Religious Prisoners in Turkmenistan’s Gulag which described the difficult conditions faced by young Witnesses in Turkmenistan.
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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].
May 10, 2021
USCIRF Condemns Iran’s Crackdown on Baha’i Community
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the Iranian government’s alarming escalation of persecution targeting Baha’is in Iran. In the past month, Iran’s government has raided Baha’i homes across the country and jailed more than 20 community members, including a woman recovering from chemotherapy. Iranian authorities also prevented Baha’is from burying deceased community members in a designated section of Khaveran cemetery until receiving international pressure, and eventually relented.
“Iran’s latest persecution of the Baha’i community demonstrates the government’s unwillingness to uphold international laws pertaining to freedom of religion or belief,” said USCIRF Chair Anurima Bhargava. “We urge the Biden administration to raise this spate of raids and arrests in ongoing bilateral discussions.”
Iran’s government has systematically persecuted the Baha’i community for decades. Baha’is are restricted from pursuing education in Iran and security forces regularly close down Baha’i businesses, raid Baha’i homes, and conduct mass arrests of Baha’is. In December 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Res. 823, a bipartisan bill that cited USCIRF’s reporting and condemned religious freedom violations against Baha’is in Iran.
“The United States must continue to hold Iran accountable for these incessant and outrageous attacks,” said USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “Targeted sanctions on high level officials responsible for egregious religious freedom violations send a strong message that those acting against Baha’is in Iran will not escape accountability.”
In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended Iran for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In August 2020, USCIRF released a factsheet on Iranian officials sanctioned for religious freedom violations. In December 2020, the State Department redesignated Iran as a CPC.
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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]