May 6, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Laos
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new country update on religious freedom conditions in Laos following a staff delegation to the country in February 2020:
Laos Factsheet - This report provides a country update on religious freedom conditions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In 2016, the Lao government updated its regulation of religious freedom with the Decree on Management and Protection of Religious Activities, known as Decree 315. Despite the clarifications this decree provided, as well as efforts by the central authorities, religious freedom conditions in Laos remain of concern. All official faith communities must keep active communication with local and central religious authorities to function and operate, including in appointing leaders and in organizing faith-based activities. Unofficial faith communities struggle to obtain government recognition, and therefore legally cannot operate. This report examines the ongoing issues and barriers Laos faces to realize its international commitments to freedom of religious and belief.
Since 2009, USCIRF had placed Laos in its Tier 2 category, which was for governments that engaged in or tolerated serious religious violations. Beginning with the 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF replaced Tier 2 with recommendations for the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL), which requires that the government engaged in or tolerated severe religious freedom violations, a higher standard. As a result of this change, Laos does not appear in the 2020 Annual Report, though religious freedom conditions remain a concern.
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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].
May 5, 2020
This op-ed originally appeared by Washington Examiner on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
By USCIRF Commissioners Gary Bauer and Tenzin Dorjee
The International Olympic Committee and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently announced that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games will be postponed to July 2021. This is the first time the games have been postponed during peacetime in the 124-year history of the modern Olympic movement. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, athletes around the world had asked the IOC to postpone the games so that they would not be forced to choose between their health and their sport.
However, in 2022, athletes and the IOC will face another dilemma — this time with the Winter Olympics in Beijing. According to numerous reports, the Chinese government has detained more than 1 million Uighur and other Muslims in concentration camps. Individuals have been sent to the camps for wearing long beards, refusing alcohol, or other behaviors that Chinese authorities decide constitute “religious extremism.” According to a recent report by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Chinese companies have used Uighur detainees as forced labor in factories — including some in the supply chains of major American brands such as Apple, Nike, and Amazon.
In addition, Chinese authorities have raided or closed hundreds of house churches, mosques, and temples across the country. In February, the government enacted a new regulation requiring religious groups to accept and teach the principles of the Communist Party. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has created a sweeping surveillance state, with cameras and facial recognition systems, to track Uighurs and Tibetan Buddhists. According to experts, this is the first known example of a government intentionally using artificial intelligence for racial profiling.
Human rights activists and members of Congress have already called on the IOC to either demand China respect human rights as a condition of hosting the games or to move the 2022 Winter Olympics to another location. As members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, we join these calls. Proceeding with the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing would send the wrong signal and legitimize the Chinese government’s unconscionable religious freedom violations.
The IOC’s recent decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics shows that the committee can respond creatively and swiftly in response to unprecedented public health threats. Unfortunately, the IOC has thus far not demonstrated similar decisiveness with regard to religious freedom threats. IOC officials have even suggested that concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang fall outside the committee’s mandate, despite provisions in recent contracts requiring host governments to respect international human rights standards.
We hope the IOC can find a creative solution to the 2022 Games, such as allowing Japan to host both the 2021 and 2022 Olympic Games. If it does not, and if the Chinese government’s persecution of religious minorities continues, we call upon the U.S. government to announce that it will not send any officials to attend the games in Beijing.
While we cannot and should not deny our athletes a chance to compete, the U.S. government must also stand up for America’s values. Just as we collectively decided that our athletes should not be forced to choose between their sport and their health in 2020, so, too, should they not be forced to choose between their sport and their conscience.
May 5, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2020
USCIRF Commends the Criminalization of FGM in Sudan
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the decision of the Sudanese transitional government to outlaw the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) by making it punishable with up to three years of imprisonment and a fine. According to the United Nations, nine out of 10 Sudanese females aged 15 to 49 have undergone some form of genital mutilation, which can lead to a variety of physical and psychological problems.
“Female genital mutilation is a dehumanizing form of sexual violence that is deeply rooted in religion, tradition, and culture. Outlawing FGM is an important step to protect the health and dignity of Sudanese women and girls,” USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava said. “We commend Sudan’s transitional government on passage of the law. And, we urge the government to take additional steps and engage in a nationwide public education campaign to raise awareness of the law and the negative impacts of FGM, as well as establish a system to hold those who violate the new law accountable."
USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins stated, “Like repealing the public order law, this is another example of the transitional government making important and substantive legal reforms to reduce religious coercion against women in Sudan. We hope to see the government continue to implement social and political reforms that enhance fundamental human rights, including religious freedom.”
In February, Chair Perkins and Commissioner Bhargava traveled to Sudan to assess religious freedom conditions. Due to the significant progress made by the Sudanese transitional government in 2019 to address the worst religious freedom abuses of the former regime, USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report that the Department of State maintain Sudan on its Special Watch List (SWL). This was the first time since 2000 that USCIRF has not recommended Sudan for designation as a “country of particular concern” for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.
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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].