Aug 27
Aug 27th 1:00pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF Conversation: An Update on Rohingya Refugees
Thursday, August 27, 2020
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Virtual Event
August 25th marks the third anniversary of the Burmese military campaign in Rakhine State that resulted in mass atrocities and displaced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims. Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event to discuss the current situation of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and in refugee camps in Bangladesh, as well as the pending international lawsuits against the Burmese government (see USCIRF’s factsheet).
USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava and Commissioner Nadine Maenza will be joined by U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide Director Naomi Kikoler, USHMM Fellow Wai Wai Nu, and Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK President Tun Khin to discuss recommendations for U.S. policymakers to alleviate the plight of Rohingya refugees and hold Burmese military leaders accountable. This event will be moderated by USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Dominic J. Nardi.
Panelists
- Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair, USCIRF
- Nadine Maenza, Commissioner, USCIRF
- Naomi Kikoler, Director, USHMM Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide
- Wai Wai Nu, Executive Director, Women's Peace Network; Fellow, USHMM Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide
- Tun Khin, President, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
Moderator
- Dominic J. Nardi, Supervisory Policy Analyst, 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].
Gayle Manchin, Chair · Tony Perkins, Vice Chair · Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · James W. Carr · Frederick A. Davie · Nadine Maenza · Johnnie Moore · Nury Turkel
Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director
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.
Aug 05
Aug 5th 10:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF Update with USAID: The President’s Executive Order on International Religious Freedom
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET
Virtual Event
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event about President Trump’s recent Executive Order to advance international religious freedom across the federal government and its implementation at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
This discussion will highlight key aspects of this Executive Order, USAID’s current plans underway to implement it, and the impact it will have on USAID’s programming in the future. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins will discuss these issues with USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa. USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by questions and answers from attendees.
Panelists
- Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - John Barsa, Acting Administrator, USAID
Written Remarks
Moderator
- Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, 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].
Gayle Manchin, Chair · Tony Perkins, Vice Chair · Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · James Carr · Frederick Davie · Nadine Maenza · Johnnie Moore · Nury Turkel
Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director
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.
Jul 22
Jul 22nd 10:00am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Technological Surveillance of Religion in China
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Virtual Hearing
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing about the Chinese government’s use of surveillance and data analytic technology to oppress religious groups and how the United States government should respond.
During the past two decades, the Chinese government has created an Orwellian surveillance state with an unprecedented ability to gather private information about its citizens. The government has installed hundreds of millions of surveillance cameras across the country, using facial and voice recognition systems to distinguish and track Uyghurs and Tibetans. In addition, authorities have systematically installed cameras in churches to identify and target anyone who attends services. Meanwhile, Chinese censors monitor WeChat and other social media apps for “unauthorized” religious content, while hackers target the phones of religious freedom advocates. China’s exportation of its surveillance technology and repressive model holds dire implications for religious freedom around the world.
As a consequence, in October 2019 and again in May 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce restricted certain Chinese companies from obtaining advanced U.S. technology and recently warned American businesses about the legal and ethical risks of developing surveillance tools in Xinjiang. While some U.S. companies have begun to reassess the compromises required to conduct business in China, the U.S. government and American businesses can and must do more to protect religious freedom for all.
Witnesses will provide analysis on U.S. export regulations, international human rights standards for tech companies, how China continues to use data analysis to target people of faith, and policy recommendations about how the U.S. government can help the tech sector protect religious freedom.
Opening Remarks
- Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks - Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair, USCIRF
Written Remarks
Panel I
- Cordell Hull, Acting Under Secretary of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce
Written Testimony
Panel II
- Amy Lehr, Director, Human Rights Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Written Testimony - Chris Meserole, Deputy Director, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, Brookings Institution
Written Testimony - Sheena Greitens, Associate Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
Written Testimony - Lobsang Gyatso Sither, Digital Security Programs Director, Tibet Action Institute
Written Testimony
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should email [email protected] for any questions or to schedule an interview. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Jamie Staley at [email protected] or 202-279-0274.
Gayle Manchin, Chair · Tony Perkins, Vice Chair · Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · James W. Carr · Frederick A. Davie
Nadine Maenza · Johnnie Moore · Nury Turkel
Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director
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.