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December 13, 2013
December 12, 2013USCIRF Co-Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing entitled “Iran’s Persecution of American Pastor Abedini Worsens.”
Click here to view the full written testimony.
October 28, 2015
USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George testified on October 27, 2015 before Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing titled "The Global Crisis of Religious Freedom,"Read Testimony before the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee Of the House Foreign Affairs Committee On The Global Crisis of Religious Freedom & Its Challenge to U.S. Foreign Policy
Subcommittee Hearing: The Global Crisis of Religious Freedom (EventID=104112)
July 09, 2019
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
March 18, 2013
March 15, 2013USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified on March 15, 2013 before theTom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing on "The Worsening Plight of Religious Minorities in Iran."
Click here to view the full written testimony.
July 12, 2017
USCIRF Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee testified on July 12, 2017 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing titled: "Tibet: Freedom of Religion." Commissioner Dorjee is the first Tibetan Buddhist appointed to serve on USCIRF and was smuggled out of Tibet as a child after the Chinese Communist forces invaded.In his testimony Commissioner Dorjee discussed his personal story of fleeing Tibet and the Chinese government's repression of Tibetan Buddhists, including the demolition of the Larung Gar Buddhist academy and the detention of religious prisoners of conscience. Commissioner Dorjee also provided recommendations to the U.S. Congress and Administration.
Click here to read Commissioner Dorjee's testimony
Click here to watch the hearing
Click here to see the USCIRF 2017 Annual Report chapter on China (in English)
Click here to see the USCIRF 2017 Annual Report chapter on China (in Chinese)
February 15, 2018
On February 14, 2018, Commissioner Dorjee testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China on religious freedom violations in Tibet.Written Testimony
Oral Statement
Video Recording of the Hearing
September 28, 2018
On September 27, 2018, then Chair Tenzin Dorjee testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations at a hearing entitled, "China's War on Christianity and Other Religious Faiths.".
In his testimony, Chair Dorjee discussed USCIRF's Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.
Written Testimony
Video Recording of the Hearing
October 22, 2013
June 18, 2015
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sent the following letter to Secretary Kerry on June 18, 2015.
The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry:
I write to you on behalf of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to respectfully urge that the United States raise questions about violations of religious freedom and related human rights in China during the seventh session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED). Until the regular schedule of the Human Rights Dialogue resumes, the S&ED is the most significant bilateral mechanism through which the United States can raise issues regarding freedom of religion or belief in China.
USCIRF was pleased to see the recent Department of State press statement issued on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests noting the continuing human rights abuses in China. USCIRF agrees that the Chinese government must do more to uphold its international commitments. Increasingly China sees itself as a leader in the global community of nations, yet continues to bristle when other nations like the United States encourage needed human rights improvements that would bring the country’s policies more in line with internationally agreed standards. Despite these objections, or perhaps because of them, the United States must remain steadfast in pressing the Chinese government to honor human rights.
When it comes to religious freedom, there is no shortage of examples that need urgently to be addressed. In the name of fighting terrorism, Chinese officials at the central and regional levels have increased religious repression of Uighur Muslims, most recently cracking down yet again on this beleaguered community’s right to carry out religious practices and activities during Ramadan. Heavy-handed and indiscriminate measures such as these targeting Uighur Muslims have contributed to a dramatic increase in harassment, arrests, and overall violence. Tibetan Buddhists also have experienced harsher policies in recent years. Last month’s 20-year anniversary of the disappearance of the Panchen Lama was a stark reminder of the Chinese government’s long-standing vilification not just of the Dalai Lama, but of the entire Tibetan Buddhist population and faith. Sadly, the corresponding number of self-immolations among this community continues to rise in response to the repressive hands of the government.
In 2014, Chinese Protestants and Catholics experienced religious freedom violations markedly more severe than at any time in recent memory. The Chinese government’s unprecedented and deliberate interference, harassment, and demolition of religious structures targeted both unregistered and registered churches, as well as clergy and laypeople. In a new and disturbing development, the government began striking out at house church pastors and religious practitioners by labeling individuals as “cult” leaders, and it continues to name groups like Falun Gong as “evil cults.” The general climate of repression of human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, and academics is just as bleak, and the number of prisoners of conscience continues to grow.
The S&ED offers a valuable opportunity for U.S. representatives to press China for reform, as its record on religious freedom and related human rights remains profoundly troubling. We respectfully urge the U.S. delegation to privately and publicly raise these important issues in the S&ED, including, as appropriate, calling for the release of prisoners of conscience. Doing so would reaffirm that the promotion of religious freedom remains a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy with China and lay the groundwork to similarly express these concerns when China’s President Xi Jinping makes an expected visit to the United States in September this year.
Sincerely,
Robert P. George
Chairman
February 26, 2020
Click here to view the February 2020 Factsheet on Regulation for Religious Groups in ChinaOn February 1, 2020, the Chinese government’s Administrative Measures for Religious Groups went into effect. This regulation requires religious groups to obtain government permission for nearly every aspect of their operations. In addition, they must accept and teach the principles of the Chinese Communist Party. This factsheet provides a brief overview of the new regulation and explains why it marks a significant escalation in the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on religious freedom.
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate China as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) due to its systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.