| USCIRF

Nov 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 7, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom deplores the fact that, as part of its recently declared state of emergency and suspension of the Constitution and among the many ensuing detentions, the government of General Pervez Musharraf has placed Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief, under house arrest. The Commission calls on the U.S. government, at the highest levels, to protest Ms. Jahangir's detention and to urge the government of Pakistan to release her immediately so that she may continue her important work as Special Rapporteur.

The Special Rapporteur is the independent expert who investigates and reports to the UN on violations of the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief around the world. Since its creation in 1986, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur has been an important tool in the international protection of this fundamental freedom. Ms. Jahangir, a Pakistani lawyer and human rights defender, has held this mandate since 2004. Ms. Jahangir's sister and fellow lawyer and human rights advocate, Hina Jilani, is also an independent UN human rights expert and reportedly is also the target of an arrest warrant.

The detention order asserts, without providing specifics, that Ms. Jahangir's exercise of her rights of association and expression have been found "prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order," and orders that she be arrested and confined to her residence in Lahore for 90 days.

"By placing Asma Jahangir under house arrest, the government of Pakistan not only appears to be violating her individual human rights, but also is interfering with her ability, as a UN Special Rapporteur, to protect and promote the human rights of others," said Commission Chair Michael Cromartie. Over the next three months, the Special Rapporteur had been scheduled to visit Angola and Israel to examine the situation with respect to the freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief in those countries. Later in 2008, she is scheduled to go to India and Turkmenistan; Bangladesh, China, and Iran have agreed in principle to allow her to visit. She has already visited and reported on such countries as Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Azerbaijan.

As one of the members of the UN Human Rights Council, the UN body to which the independent human rights experts report, Pakistan is supposed to "uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights," according to the UN General Assembly resolution that created the Council. "Suspending the Constitution, restricting the media, and arresting judges, lawyers, political party officials, civil society representatives and UN human rights experts hardly seems appropriate for a Human Rights Council member," Cromartie said.

The Commission, an independent, bipartisan federal body, has long raised concerns about the ways in which the Pakistani government severely violates the internationally guaranteed right to religious freedom inside Pakistan. Abuses include the country's blasphemy laws, which commonly involve false accusations and result in the lengthy detention of and violence against Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims on account of their religious beliefs; the laws violating the fundamental rights of the Ahmadi community; the persistent sectarian violence targeting Shi'as, Ahmadis, Hindus, and Christians; and the Hudood ordinances, which violate the rights of women in Pakistan.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

Michael Cromartie,Chair•Preeta D. Bansal,Vice Chair•Richard D. Land, Vice Chair•Don Argue•Imam Talal Y. Eid•Felice D. Gaer•Leonard A. Leo•Elizabeth H. Prodromou•Nina Shea•Ambassador John V. Hanford III,Ex-Officio

Oct 29, 2007

Joe Crapa's Funeral, Monday, Oct. 29

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

A funeral service for Joseph R. Crapa, the late Executive Director of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, at St. Peter's Church, 313 2nd Street, S.E., Washington D.C.

The Commission office will close at 11 a.m. Monday to honor Joe's memory.

Oct 27, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the Congressional China Caucus co-hosted a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill on Oct. 19 focusing on current problems facing refugees and asylum seekers in China - particularly North Koreans, Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Religion is a salient factor affecting the decision to seek asylum for all these groups. The Commission and the Caucus held the forum to encourage candid discussion between U.S. government officials and other policymakers, international organizations, Congressional staff and non-governmental representatives on how to engage the Chinese government to encourage treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in accordance with international standards.

"Through discussions such as these, the Commission hopes to encourage greater cooperation within the international community to offer more effective protection for North Korean refugees in China and for Uighur and Tibetan refugees who flee China to seek political asylum abroad," said Commissioner Leonard Leo, who presided at the roundtable." Forum participants offered their assessment of the challenges facing refugees and asylum seekers as well as their evaluations of U.S. policy and suggestions for promoting protection of these refugee populations."

Congresswoman Madeline Bordallo of Guam, co-Chair of the China Caucus, offered an opening statement at the roundtable. "The plight of religious refugees throughout Asia today-and, indeed, throughout the world-should be an important part of U.S.-Sino relations and U.S. foreign policy," Bordallo said. The Commission also thanks the Chairman of the China Caucus, Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia." The refugee issue is an important piece of the puzzle with respect to how China wants to elevate itself to world leader status," Forbes said. "China doesn't look at international relations or human rights issues the same way the United States does. This is an important thing to keep in mind as we negotiate with China-we need to understand their philosophy is different than ours."

In the past, the Commission has hosted other off-the-record roundtables on China to discuss human rights in Xinjiang, religion and the rule of law, and bilateral dialogues on human rights in China. Through these discussions, the Commission seeks to ensure that religious freedom goals are will integrated into the programs of government agencies and regional and international institutions to which both United States and China belong.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1999 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and related international Instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

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