FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2020

USCIRF Condemns Arrest of Ahmadi Muslim on Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned the arrest of Ramzan Bibi, a 55-year-old Ahmadi Muslim woman in Cheleki, Pakistan, on blasphemy charges.

“While we recognize that the Pakistani government has made positive steps in promoting religious freedom over the past year, the arrest of Ramzan Bibi represents a step in the wrong direction,” said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “We strongly urge Pakistani authorities to release Ms. Bibi from jail and drop all charges against her.”

On April 30, a written complaint submitted to the police alleged that Ms. Bibi made blasphemous remarks during a personal dispute over the return of her charitable donation to a local mosque. She was charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, an offence that carries the death penalty. As highlighted in a recent USCIRF policy update about Pakistan’s blasphemy law, USCIRF is aware of nearly 80 individuals imprisoned on blasphemy charges, half of whom face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins added, “The ongoing abuse of the blasphemy law is a significant barrier to the freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan. Ms. Bibi should be released from jail alongside other prisoners of conscience, especially given the heightened dangers of imprisonment during the current COVID-19 crisis.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the State Department redesignate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, in part because of the “systematic enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws,” which often target religious minority communities.

###

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
May 27, 2020

USCIRF Welcomes Passage of Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in House of Representatives

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends the passage of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (S.3744) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent on May 14.

“USCIRF thanks Representatives Smith, McGovern, and Sherman and Senators Rubio and Menendez for their bipartisan, bicameral leadership on this bill, as well as all the Members of Congress who supported it,” noted USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “We urge President Trump to sign the bill into law as soon as possible.”

Once signed by the president, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act would make U.S. concerns about the persecution of Uyghurs part of official U.S. policy toward China. It would direct the administration to impose financial sanctions and visa bans under the Global Magnitsky Act against Chinese government officials responsible for the persecution of Uyghur and other Muslims. In addition, the bill would require the State Department to report on human rights abuses in Xinjiang—including formal estimates of the number of individuals detained in concentration camps—and the FBI to submit a report to Congress on attempts by Chinese government agents to intimidate and harass Uyghurs and Chinese nationals legally residing in the United States.

“The world has stood by for too long as the Chinese government detained millions of Muslims in concentration camps,” USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel added. “The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act would be the first major legislation focused on promoting the rights of Uyghur and other Muslims. Hopefully, other countries will follow the U.S. government’s lead and take action on this issue.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF 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, especially Chen Quanguo, the current Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang. In February 2020, USCIRF released a factsheet explaining how the Chinese government’s new Administrative Measures for Religious Groups could further restrict religious freedom.

USCIRF also has called for the release of Gulmira Imin, a Uyghur activist and one of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience, and all other Muslims detained by Chinese authorities because of their religious affiliation.

###

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].