Dec 8, 2023

USCIRF Marks 75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commemorates the 75th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Among the many rights and freedoms protected in the landmark declaration is Article 18’s guarantee that all individuals, everywhere, have the right to freedom of religion or belief. Under Article 18, individuals have the freedom to adhere to any religion or belief, or to none, and the freedom to change their religion or belief. Individuals also have the freedom to manifest their religion or belief according to their conscience.

Seventy-five years after its adoption, Article 18 of the UDHR remains the international community’s authoritative legal standard on the right to freedom of religion or belief,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper. “While we recognize Article 18’s legacy and robust protections for religious freedom, we also stress that severe religious persecution persists in several countries around the world. We call on all member states to live up to the letter and spirit of this declaration. The U.S. government must continue to increase pressure on countries to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief.

Despite Article 18’s clear guarantees, many governments across the globe continue to egregiously violate freedom of religion or belief. In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF identified 28 nations whose governments perpetrated or tolerated particularly severe or severe violations of religious freedom throughout 2022. USCIRF also offered the U.S. government comprehensive recommendations on how U.S. policy can more effectively promote freedom of religion or belief in these countries.

As we move beyond the 75th anniversary of the UDHR and Article 18, USCIRF strongly reiterates its recommendations that the U.S. government increase its use of Global Magnitsky Act sanctions for severe religious freedom violations," said USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie. "Additionally, USCIRF calls upon the U.S. government and the international community to strengthen advocacy on behalf of victims of religious persecution through the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance and the International Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief.”

USCIRF maintains the Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List, an online public database that documents individuals who have been detained, imprisoned, placed under house arrest, forcibly disappeared, tortured, or forced to renounce their faith because of their religious belief, religious activity, or religious freedom advocacy. Since its inception in 2016, USCIRF has recorded more than 2,150 victims imprisoned by nearly 30 countries and entities around the world. In December 2022, USCIRF released a factsheet that provided an overview of the FoRB Victims List, including its congressional mandate and criteria for including persons on the list. Individuals and organizations with credible information on victims can submit that information through the FoRB Victims List Intake Form.

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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 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].

Dec 7, 2023

USCIRF Commemorates 75th Anniversary of UN Genocide Convention, Seeks Justice for Genocide Victims

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) observes the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. These important milestones draw attention to the heinous crime of genocide. USCIRF notes with deep sadness that since the convention’s ratification, millions of people, including those targeted on the basis of religion, have been killed in genocidal campaigns by states and nonstate actors alike.

The heinous crime of genocide is far more than a violation of international law – it is a scourge on humanity that must be prevented completely. ‘Never again’ must be a policy, not merely a slogan,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper. “On this somber anniversary we call upon the U.S. government to support the survivors of the Yazidi genocide, including working to return approximately 2,700 missing Yazidi women and children. The United States must also ensure the perpetrators of genocide against Rohingya Muslims are held fully accountable. Finally, it should take all possible measures to hold accountable officials perpetrating the ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in China.

The 1948 Genocide Convention originated in the tireless efforts of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew whose family was murdered in the Holocaust for being Jewish. The Convention makes genocide a crime under international law. Since 1989, the United States government has recognized the Armenian genocide as well as those that occurred in Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, Darfur, Burma, China, and territories in 2016 and 2017 that were under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In many of these cases, the affected population was targeted on the basis of their religious identity. Since 2015, the international community has observed the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

The Genocide Convention punishes not only perpetration but also complicity. As such it is a stark reminder of the duty all states have to actively prevent this horrific crime,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie. “The U.S. government must continue its efforts to prevent genocide against religious minorities and all peoples. It should also call out publicly statements by governments and non-state entities that incite genocide, deploy genocidal rhetoric, or serve to deny the perpetration of genocide after the fact.”

Today, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in Iraq which noted the ongoing challenges facing the Yazidi community. USCIRF also recently released a report documenting ongoing challenges facing survivors of the Yazidi genocide. Last month, USCIRF condemned United States businesses for operating in China while an ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims is taking place. In August, USCIRF called for the U.S. government to fulfill its obligations under the Burma Act of 2022 to support survivors of the Rohingya genocide in Burma.

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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 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].

Additional Name(s): نورة القحطاني

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia

Ethnic Group: Arab

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Increased to 45 Years' Imprisonment

Sentence: Originally 13 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: July/4/2021

Date of Sentencing: August/9/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Online Activity Possession of Religious Materials

Nature of Charges: Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials Subversion Terrorism

Nourah al-Qahtani

Extra Bio Info:

Nourah al-Qahtani is imprisoned in relation to possessing religious materials.

On July 4, 2021, officers of the Presidency of State Security arrested al-Qahtani for her online activities, in which she condemned Saudi human rights violations and called for the release of political figures.

On February 16, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Qahtani to 13 years in prison under articles 43, 46 and 53 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Law. It ordered half of her sentence be suspended and imposed a 13-year travel ban upon her release.

On March 22, 2022, prosecutors filed an appeal of al-Qahtani's sentence, in which they levied additional charges, including article 6 of the Anti-Cybercrime Law, which prohibits “storing materials impinging on public order & religious values,” and articles 30, 34, 35, 38, 43, 44 and 57 of the Anti-Terrorism Law. Authorities argued that al-Qahtani's had “insult[ed] the symbols of the State and call[ed] for the release of those detained in State security cases, in addition to possessing a banned book.” The banned booked in question was written by religious scholar and prisoner of conscience Salman al-Ouda.

On August 9, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal sentenced al-Qahtani to 45 years in prison after finding her guilty of “preparing, sending and storing information, through the Internet, seeking to harm public order” and “seeking to disturb the social fabric, national unity, social cohesion and basic laws." The court also imposed a 45-year travel ban upon her release.

In June 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared al-Qahtani's detention arbitrary and called for her immediate release.