Apr 30, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 30, 2013| By USCIRF
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal advisory body created by the International Religious Freedom…
USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett gave the following remarks at a conference, cosponsored by USCIRF and the National Endowment for Democracy on May 7, 2013Introduction
Thank you for that kind introduction.
It truly is a pleasure to join you today at the…
Jun 26, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJune 26, 2013 |By Katrina Lantos Swett
Editor"s note: Katrina Lantos Swett is the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The views expressed are the writer"s own.
The…
Jul 26, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON D.C. -- The Kazakh government reportedly soon will try two activists for their religious freedom-related activities. Atheist blogger Aleksandr Kharlamov, 63, had been held for four…
Sep 11, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONSeptember 11, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in CNN World on September 11, 2013.
Editor's note: Robert P. George is chairman of the U.S. Commission on International…
Nov 8, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONNovember 7, 2013 | By Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in the Christian Science Monitor on November 7, 2013.
As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of…
Jul 3, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 3, 2018
USCIRF Condemns Terrorist Attack Against Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan
Chair Dorjee said, “This attack is yet another reminder of the crucial link between security and religious…
On June 27, 2019, Vice Chair Nadine Maenza testified at a Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on violations of the right to freedom of religion of Christian communities around the world.Written Testimony
Hearing Webpage
Oct 17, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2019
USCIRF Releases New Reports on Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Iran
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)…
Mar 25, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2020
USCIRF Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attack against Sikh House of Worship in Kabul
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly…
May 7, 2013
USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett gave the following remarks at a conference, cosponsored by USCIRF and the National Endowment for Democracy on May 7, 2013
Introduction
Thank you for that kind introduction.
It…
Read the full Issue Update:
The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
This update describes official discrimination against Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, with a particular focus on countries where members have been imprisoned for…
Click here to view the report Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws
USCIRF’s groundbreaking report examines the enforcement of blasphemy laws worldwide. Blasphemy laws criminalize expressions that insults or offends religious doctrines.…
Factsheet on Shari’a and LGBTI Persons – In some countries around the world, criminal laws provide for the death penalty based on religious interpretations. This factsheet highlights countries with death penalty laws that target the LGBTI community…
Mar 16, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report about Shari’a and LGBTI Persons
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on governments’ use of…
Mar 26, 2021
In some countries around the world, religion-based laws are used by governments to impose capital punishment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons. All of the 10 countries…
Apr 21, 2021
USCIRF Releases 2021 Annual Report with Recommendations for U.S. Policy
No Longer Recommends Three Countries for Special Watch List
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom…
Apr 30, 2021
The program to resettle refugees to the United States has existed since 1980, with strong bipartisan support. Earlier this month, President Biden signed an emergency declaration to speed up refugee admissions into…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Press the Afghan government to acknowledge the significant threat to freedom of religion or belief posed…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Press the Afghan government to acknowledge the significant threat to freedom of religion or belief posed…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Ensure the integration of religious freedom concerns with related issues such as countering religious extremism and…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Congress
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Ensure the integration of religious freedom concerns with related issues such as countering religious extremism and…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Urge the Afghan government to revoke the 2004 media law prohibiting “un-Islamic” writings and overturn…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Afghanistan Government
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Urge the Afghan government to revoke the 2004 media law prohibiting “un-Islamic” writings and overturn…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Afghan Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Culture to ensure—and, if possible, in…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Afghanistan Government
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Afghan Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Culture to ensure—and, if…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Afghan Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Culture to create a civic…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Afghan Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Culture to advocate for the…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Include Afghanistan on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Ensure that protections for freedom of religion or belief are integrated into any future negotiations…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Thematic Area: Houses of Worship
Recommendation:Integrate religious freedom concerns, including the protection of houses of…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Afghan Ministries of Education, Information and Culture, and Hajj and Religious Affairs to…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Congress
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:The U.S. Congress should appropriate funding specifically for the protection of freedom of religion or belief in…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Include Afghanistan on the U.S. Department of State’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Incorporate protections for freedom of religion or belief into U.S.-supported peace negotiations between…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Thematic Area: Houses of Worship
Recommendation:Integrate religious freedom concerns, including the protection of houses of…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Facilitate cooperation between faith leaders and scholars of all religions in Afghanistan to foster…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Afghanistan
Recommended To: Congress
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:The U.S. Congress should appropriate funding specifically for the protection of freedom of religion or belief in…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Prioritize religious freedom and related human rights into the U.S.-Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership Dialogue and…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Repeal or amend its religious registration laws, which are frequently used to harass and prosecute religious…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: Other Governments
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Strategy:USCIRF advocates this recommendation with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.--Kazakhstan Religious Freedom…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: Other Governments
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Provide an alternative to military service for conscientious objectors;
Strategy:USCIRF advocates this…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encourage the Kazakhstani government to open the Congress of the Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Ensure continued U.S. funding for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), so…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Include Kazakhstan on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Open the Congress of the Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions to representatives of all faiths in…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Ensure continued U.S. funding for Radio Azattyq, the Kazakh service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, to allow for…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Include Kazakhstan on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating violations…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Kazakhstan
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Continue engaging with the Kazakhstani government through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group to…
Aug 6, 2021
The Kazakhstani government is implementing promising reforms that could make Kazakhstan Central Asia’s leading example of religious freedom. USCIRF has recommended the U.S. State Department place…
Aug 19, 2021
We have seen a significant deterioration in religious freedom conditions in South Asia in recent years. Blasphemy cases, forced conversions, attacks on houses of worship, hate speech, and violence targeting…
Aug 20, 2021
USCIRF Calls on U.S. Government to Include Religious Minority Communities in Afghanistan in Evacuations
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called on the United States government to include…
Aug 23, 2021
USCIRF Calls on the State Department to Prioritize Refugee Resettlement of Afghan Religious Minorities
Encourages Expansion of U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Priority 2 Designation
Washington, DC – The U.S…
Sep 17, 2021
When Afghanistan was under Taliban control in 1996-2001, the Taliban discriminated against and violently persecuted the Hazara Shi’a community—which they labeled as “heretical.” Subsequently, the Hazara community…
Oct 15, 2021
USCIRF Strongly Condemns Terrorist Attacks on Shi’a Mosques in Afghanistan
Reiterates Call for State Department to Include Afghan Religious Minorities in U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Priority 2 Designation…
This report catalogues deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country on August 15, 2021. Afghans who do not adhere to the Taliban’s harsh and strict interpretation of Islam, as well as those who…
Oct 28, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Minorities in Afghanistan
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Afghanistan…
Nov 5, 2021
USCIRF Releases Factsheet Reiterating its Recommendations for State Department CPC and SWL Designations
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the…