Feb 13, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

February 13, 2020

USCIRF Releases New Reports on Religious Freedom Conditions in Bahrain and Iraq

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new reports: 

Bahrain Policy Brief – This report highlights improvements and notes areas of concern regarding religious freedom in Bahrain in 2019. While Bahrain continues to allow freedom of worship to most religious groups, Shi’a Bahrainis face systematic and ongoing discrimination on the basis of their religious identity. In April, the government stripped citizenship from 138 Bahrainis following a mass trial, though it restored 551 citizenships following international pressure. It also summoned Shi’a religious leaders ahead of the Ashura holiday and questioned them over the content of their sermons. Throughout the summer and fall of 2019, Bahrain denied Shi’a prisoners access to religious texts and limited the time available to conduct Ashura rituals, though it granted more time following an intervention from the National Institute of Human Rights.

Iraq Policy Brief – This report examines the ways in which religious minorities in northern Iraq — especially the Nineveh Plains, Sinjar, and Mosul — continue to face serious barriers to their safe return to their homes in the short term and to their secure, ongoing presence in the long term. Although substantial humanitarian assistance from the United States and other international donors has aided reconstruction and stabilization efforts in those areas, tens of thousands of civilians from religious and ethnic minority communities remain internally displaced. More than any other single factor, it is the multi-faceted lack of security, mainly due to the corrosive presence of largely Iranian-backed militias, which continues to impede progress toward improved religious freedom conditions for Iraq’s religiously and ethnically diverse population.

In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF placed both Bahrain and Iraq on its Tier 2 list.

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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 call (202) 523-3240.

 

Feb 11

WHEN:

Feb 11th 10:30am

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Briefing

Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security:
New Policy Guidance from the OSCE

Tuesday, February 11, 2020
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Senate Visitors Center (SVC) 203-02

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a briefing on the nexus of freedom of religion or belief and security, including findings from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (ODIHR) recent publication, Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security: Policy Guidance.

In the OSCE region, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is violated by some governments who use the pretext of national security to justify repression. For example, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, cameras are installed in mosques to transmit videos of worshippers during their prayers to state security services. In Uzbekistan, thousands of religious prisoners remain incarcerated for “extremism” or the possession of “extremist” religious literature. In Azerbaijan, authorities continue to deny legal registration to Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses residing outside the capital. Although these actions aim to improve security, failure to balance security with freedom of religion or belief can actually undermine it.

Freedom of Religion or Belief: Policy Guidance clarifies the interrelationship between FoRB and security as mutually reinforcing objectives, in line with the OSCE’s comprehensive framework for peace and security. The document includes guiding principles, practical guidance, and recommendations to address pertinent issues at the intersection of the freedom of religion and security, including the registration of religious communities, religious literature deemed “extremist”, the monitoring of places of worship, and restrictions on conversion.

Panelists will present the policy guidance document, discuss its findings and recommendations, further explore the intersection of security and FoRB, and consider tools and strategies for governments and other relevant stakeholders to advance both objectives simultaneously. There will be an interactive question and answer period with audience members after the panelist presentations.

Remarks

Panelists

  • Kishan Manocha, Senior Advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief, OSCE/ODIHR
  • Douglas Padgett, U.S. Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom
  • Elizabeth Clark, Professor of Law, Brigham Young University School of Law

 

         

 

This briefing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. RSVP is required. Please RSVP to [email protected] by Friday, February 7. For any questions please contact Jamie Staley at [email protected] or 202-786-0606.

732 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE A714 | WASHINGTON, DC 20401 | (202) 523-3240

 

Tony Perkins, Chair · Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair · Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair 
Gary Bauer · Anurima Bhargava · James W. Carr · Tenzin Dorjee
Sharon Kleinbaum · Johnnie Moore

Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director

www.uscirf.gov

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.

 

 

Gender: Female

Current Location: No. 1 Women’s Prison, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Perpetrator: China

Ethnic Group: Han

Religion or Belief: Christian – Church of Almighty God

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 8 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: November/8/2017

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Attending a Religious Gathering or Meeting Distributing Religious Materials Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Cult

Wu Meixia

Extra Bio Info:

Wu Meixia is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

On November 8, 2017, officers from the Wuhai Public Security Bureau detained Wu reportedly in relation to her religious belief, organizing of worship gatherings, and distributing religious materials.

On an unspecified date, the Wuda District People’s Court in Wuhai city sentenced Wu to eight years in prison and fined her 2,000 yuan for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

On an unspecified date, the Wuhai Intermediate People’s Court rejected Wu's appeal.

Wu was sent to No. 1 Women’s Prison of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to serve her sentence. 

Publicly Available Information:
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