Oct 26, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Violations in Russia’s Republic of Chechnya
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following report on religious freedom violations in the Russian Federation’s Republic of Chechnya:
Russia Issue Update – The government of Chechnya—a tiny ethnic enclave in the North Caucasus region of Russia—is a highly authoritarian regime that perpetrates a wide array of human rights abuses, including severe violations of religious freedom. This report focuses on Chechnya as an example of the egregious religious repression in Russia. The dictatorship of Ramzan Kadyrov maintains hegemony through the imposition of a purported “traditional” version of Islam, which falsely claims to defend local belief and culture, and combat violent extremism. In reality, Kadyrov has coopted Chechen religion and culture to support his brutal regime, which violates the secular constitution of the Russian Federation and international standards of freedom of religion or belief.
In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF again recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Russia as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. USCIRF’s new Chechnya report presents analysis in support of this recommendation by focusing on one particular region of Russia’s troubled religious freedom landscape. Religious freedom conditions in Chechnya are among the worst in the world, and the Russian government is ultimately responsible for them.
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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].
Gender: Male
Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison
Perpetrator: Eritrea
Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Date of Detainment: July/11/2008
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief
Nature of Charges: Not Applicable
Ermias Asgedom
Extra Bio Info:
Ermias Asgedom is detained for his religious belief and activity.
In July 2008, authorities arrested Asgedom for refusing to sign a document renouncing his faith.
Publicly Available Information:
- USCIRF Annual Report 2023: Eritrea
- "Imprisoned for Their Faith" Jehovah’s Witnesses
Oct 22, 2021
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community was founded in 1889 in Punjab, India and today has an estimated tens of millions of members globally. Because of the differences between Ahmadiyya beliefs and beliefs in Sunni and Shi’a Islam, many Muslims consider Ahmadiyya Muslims to be heretics. Some governments that regulate the practice of Islam deem Ahmadiyya Muslims as “non-Muslims” and place legal restrictions on Ahmadiyya Muslim practice. Ahmadiyya Muslims have also faced repression and societal discrimination in both Muslim and non-Muslim majority countries.
Amjad Khan, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, joins us today to shed light on some of the challenges faced by the Ahmadiyya community globally.
Click here to read USCIRF’s Ahmadiyya Persecution Factsheet for further information
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