Displaying results 1 - 33 of 33

In Russia, 'Liquidating' Churches - The Washington Post
Nov 14, 2000 The Washington Post November 14, 2000 By Elliott Abrams An amendment signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens the "liquidation" of thousands of religious groups at the end of…
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs -- Is Russia Becoming a Police State?
Feb 14, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONFebruary 14, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and Catherine Cosman The following op-ed appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. "Russia is now a…
The Guardian -- The Disturbing Persistence of Antisemitism in Europe
Apr 1, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATION By  USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett  Even as we prepare to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, European society's dark past of bigotry haunts our present The following op-ed appeared…
Washington Post On Faith -- Honor U.S. values and interests: Back religious freedom abroad
May 14, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONMay 14, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett The following was published in the Washington Post, On Faith on May 14, 2013. Fifteen years ago, on May 14, 1998, U.S. House of Representatives voted in…
Moscow Times -- CIS has a Poor Record on Religious Freedom
Aug 15, 2013  FOR YOUR INFORMATION    August 15, 2013 | By  Katrina Lantos Swett  and  M. Zuhdi Jasser   The following op-ed appeared in  The Moscow Times  on August 15, 2013 | Issue…
The Christian Science Monitor -- As UN meets, apply pressure against blasphemy laws
Sep 25, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATION September 20, 2013 | By Robert P. George The following op-ed appeared in the Christian Science Monitor on September 20, 2013. As the UN General Assembly begins its new session,…
The Hill -- Congress can defend freedoms abroad
Jan 28, 2014 FOR YOUR INFORMATION January 27, 2014 | By  Robert P. George    The following op-ed appeared in  The Hill  on January 27, 2014. I testified before the Congressional Tom Lantos Human…
The Moscow Times -- Russia's Extremism Law Violates Human Rights
Dec 1, 2014 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 1, 2014 | By Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Dr. Robert P. George  The following op-ed appeared in The Moscow Times on November 26, 2014. The op-ed also appeared in the Kyiv Post.…
Foreign Affairs -- Losing Their Religion in Crimea
Apr 15, 2015
The Moscow Times -- Russia Should Embrace Its Religious Diversity
Jul 27, 2015 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJuly 27, 2015 | By: M. Zuhdi Jasser and Katrina Lantos Swett The following op-ed appeared in The Moscow Times on July 26, 2015 How will Europe's human rights court respond to a…
Atlantic Council -- Made in Moscow: Religious Freedom Abuses Continue in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine
Oct 14, 2015 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONOctober 14, 2015 | Mary Ann Glendon and Katrina Lantos Swett The following op-ed appeared in the Atlantic Council on October 14, 2015. This op-ed also appeared in Newsweek.  "We cannot stand…
USA Today - Remember the Holocaust by fighting anti-Semitism: Column
Jan 27, 2016 FOR YOUR INFORMATION January 27, 2016 | M. Zuhdi Jasser and Thomas J. Reese The following op-ed appeared in USA Today on January 27, 2016   As the United States and the world today mark International…
USA Today -- Rampant religious persecution against atheists
May 4, 2016 FOR YOUR INFORMATION May 4, 2016 | Robert P. George and Hannah Rosenthal The following op/ed appeared in USA Today on May 3, 2016   Should it be a crime to deny the existence of God? In the Russian city…
Religion News Service -- Today — of all days — remember the disappeared
Aug 30, 2016 FOR YOUR INFORMATION August 30, 2016 | Daniel I. Mark and Sandra Jolley The following op/ed appeared in Religion News Service on August 30, 2016   (RNS) Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was a 6-year-old boy when he…
Georgetown University Berkley Forum: Rising Tide of Religious Freedom Abuses Abroad
Apr 27, 2017 The following op-ed appeared in the Georgetown University Berkley Forum on April 26, 2017. The op-ed also appeared in Religious Freedom Institute: Cornerstone.   By former USCIRF Commissioner Thomas J. Reese…
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Russia escalates violations of religious freedom
Apr 28, 2017 The following op-ed appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on April 27, 2017 By former USCIRF Commissioners Thomas J. Reese and Daniel Mark   On April 26, the U.S. Commission on International…
The Hill: The List No One Wants to Be On
Nov 16, 2017 The following originally op-ed appeared in The Hill on November 16, 2017   By former USCIRF Commissioners Daniel Mark and Sandra Jolley   People love lists. And when those lists are in the news,…
Atlantic Council: Another Missed Opportunity: Russia Evades Designation for Religious Repression
Jan 31, 2018 This Op-Ed appeared originally in the Atlantic Council's blog, UkraineAlert, on January 31, 2018. By Clifford D. May and Thomas J. Reese, S.J. (Atlantic Council) - In 2017, for the first time ever, the US…
The Hill: Protecting Religious Freedom Provides Common Ground for All
Jul 30, 2018 This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill on July 27, 2018. By former USCIRF Commissioners Tenzin Dorjee and Kristina Arriaga To the surprise of many, there is a foreign policy issue on which…
Washington Examiner: Washington Must Expand the List of Sanctioned Religious Freedom Violators
Jul 20, 2020 This op-ed was originally published by The Washington Examiner, on July 20, 2020. By USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins In Iraq, the 50th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces has…
Newsweek: It’s Time to Get Concerned About Russia
Sep 16, 2020 This op-ed originally appeared in Newsweek, on September 16, 2020. By USCIRF Commissioners Gary Bauer and Nury Turkel On April 16, Russian security services drove Raim Aivazov to a forest, forced him to his…
How Current Unrest Impacts Religious Freedom in Belarus
Oct 9, 2020     Welcome to USCIRF's new series! In USCIRF Spotlight, we discuss major topics in the news and explore how they impact religious freedom around the globe. For this week's episode, listen to what our…
Global Blasphemy Laws
Dec 7, 2020       There are 84 countries across the globe with criminal blasphemy laws on the books as of 2020. While only a handful of countries enforce these laws, there are still 84 countries in which a…
2021 Update on Religious Freedom Conditions
Jan 22, 2021       Targeting of religious minorities in Russia, mass atrocities in China, Nigeria as a country of particular concern, and Antisemitism on the rise worldwide. The events of 2020 cast a long…
Unrest in Russia
Feb 12, 2021     Russia is currently experiencing ongoing, widespread anti-corruption protests. These protests demonstrate the largest challenge to government control in almost a decade. Meanwhile, the State Duma…
Enforcing Blasphemy Laws Have Dire Consequences
May 27, 2021 Blasphemy laws criminalize expression that insults or offends religious doctrines. Such laws are often used to restrict freedom of religion or belief. As of 2020, 84 countries still had blasphemy laws. The severity…
Abuses of Traditional Religion in Russia
Oct 29, 2021 USCIRF is deeply concerned about religious freedom conditions in the Russian Federation, which have rapidly deteriorated in recent years as the government increasingly mistreats “traditional” religious communities…
State Department Designations and USCIRF Recommendations: Where do they line up?
Dec 17, 2021 Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), the State Department is required to issue annual designations for the most egregious violators of religious freedom. In advance of these…
Implications of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Part 1: The “Denazification” Narrative
Mar 4, 2022 *Special note: This podcast was recorded on March 3, 2022 and only reflects the events that have occurred up to this date* The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and created a humanitarian…
Implications of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Part 2: The Religious Regulation Framework
Mar 10, 2022 *Special note: This podcast was recorded on March 8, 2022 and only reflects the events that have occurred up to this date* The Russian government has long used religious freedom violations in its efforts to…
Russia’s Religious Freedom Violations in Ukraine
Aug 4, 2022 In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine, falsely claiming that it aimed to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country. While many people are broadly aware of the…
Russia’s Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Oct 14, 2022 In April 2017, the Russian Federation banned Jehovah’s Witnesses as an “extremist” organization. In the five years since that designation, law enforcement authorities across Russia have made it a regular practice to raid, detain, and arrest…
Religion News Service: Repression of women points to worsening religious freedom trends abroad
May 3, 2023 This op-ed was originally published by Religion News Service on May 3, 2023. By USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel & Vice Chair Abraham Cooper Denying religious freedom and women’s rights go hand-in-hand. Over the…