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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2000
Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240 (202) 523-3240 (202) 523-3240
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom wrote Friday, July 28 to Secretary of State Madeleine…
Longworth House Office Building, Room 1302Photo Gallery:
Commission members (left to right): Richard D. Land, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Bishop
William Francis Murphy, Felice D. Gaer, Executive Director Steven T. McFarland,…
University of California at Los Angeles
January 27, 2004
Transcript
Welcome and Introductory Remarks - Michael K. Young, Commission Chair and Dean, George Washington University Law School
Oral Testimony
Panel One
Roger…
U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
"THANK YOU FATHER KIM IL SUNG"
November 15, 2005
Speakers:
MICHAEL CROMARTIE,
THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
BISHOP RICARDO RAMIREZ,
THE UNITED…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2002
Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration…
Transcript
Introductory Remarks by Chair Michael Cromartie
Introductory Remarks by Commissioner Imam Talal Y. Eid
Remarks by Chair Cromartie
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) sent the following letter on July 19, 2012:
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Clinton:
On behalf…
… that since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, two years ago, nearly 100 Coptic Orthodox Christians have been killed in Egypt due to sectarian violence, surpassing the death toll of the previous 10 years combined?The situation for Copts in Egypt…
February 26, 2013USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantoss Swett testified on February 26, 2013 before the Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on "Demonstrations in Tahrir Square: Two Years Later: What Has…
...that since 1945 North Korea’s once-diverse and vibrant religious community has largely disappeared?North Korea’s reactions to new sanctions, including its latest nuclear threats and declaration invalidating the 1953 Armistice ending the Korean War,…
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…
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…
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…
May 21, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 21, 2013 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed the State Department's release of its 2012 International Religious Freedom…
Jun 10, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
By Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
The following op-ed appeared on Al-Monitor on June 9, 2013.
In June 2012, more than 16 months following the Tahrir Square…
Jun 10, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONMarch 21, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett
The following appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on March 21, 2013.
In December 2012, Egypt approved a new constitution by…
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 8, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJuly 8, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett
The following appeared in Eurasia Review on July 4th, 2013.
Last Saturday, on June 29, I was honored to speak in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to the Ahmadiyya…
...that since the June 30 large-scale protests in Egypt that led to the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, there has been an upsurge of attacks against Coptic Christians and that these attacks have resulted in several deaths and injuries?…
Aug 16, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2013 | By USCIRF
USCIRF is deeply concerned by the violence against protestors and the targeting of churches in Egypt. The government's excessive use of force when breaking up…
Aug 22, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONAugust 21, 2013 | By Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The Washington Post on August 21, 2013.
Although religious freedom is a pivotal human right,…
Sep 16, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2013| By USCIRF
USCIRF Letter to President Obama on
Unprecedented Sectarian Attacks Committed Against Christians in Egypt
The U.S. Commission on International…
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,…
Dec 3, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 2, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in the Providence Journal on November 30, 2013.
Washington - As the nation celebrates Thanksgiving, Jewish Americans are also…
Click here to view the December 2013 Policy Brief, Egyptian Constitutional Review
Oct 27, 2014
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONOctober 27, 2014 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
The following op-ed appeared in The Seattle Times on October 24, 2014
NORTH Korea’s release of Jeffrey Fowle, imprisoned for leaving…
Nov 10, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 10, 2014 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two anniversaries this month highlight the importance of continually confronting and combatting anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it arises.…
Dec 22, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 22, 2014 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed the UN General Assembly’s passage on December 18 of a resolution that…
Feb 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the barbarous murder of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by a Libyan affiliate of the Islamic…
Oct 21, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 21, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the October 14 release by the U.S. State Department of its International Religious…
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…
USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George testified on November 3, 2015 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing entitled “Human Rights in Egypt.”From the testimony:
“The religious freedom landscape in Egypt has become further complicated over…
Dec 9, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 9, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends the United States and eight other countries for requesting a meeting of the UN Security…
Apr 20, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes Secretary of State John Kerry’s re-designation on April 15, 2016 of Burma,…
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…
USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J. testified on July 15, 2016 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing titled "Blasphemy Laws and Censorship by States and Non-State Actors: Examining Global Threats to Freedom of Expression."
From the…
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…
Dec 2, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC – With the passing of Fidel Castro on November 25, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the Cuban government to take a…
Dec 15, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the brutal attack at Cairo’s main Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.…
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…
May 9, 2017
CUBA: USCIRF Condemns the Expulsion of Félix Yuniel Llerena López from the University of CubaUSCIRF Calls on the University to Reinstate Félix as a Student and for the Castro Government to Cease Its Harassment of Him…
Aug 3, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2017
USCIRF Condemns Egypt’s Deportation of Uighur Muslims to China
“These latest moves show a calculated indifference to the Uighur Muslim community”
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S…
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,…
Click here to view the Policy Update: Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights in North Korea
Nov 30, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 30, 2018
USCIRF Statement on Release of New Policy Update on Religious Freedom in North Korea
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (…
Dec 11, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2018
USCIRF Calls on Cuba to Cease Harassment of Religious Leaders, Strengthen Religious Freedom Language in New Constitution
Current Draft Weakens…
Dec 12, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2018
State Department Names the World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedom
USCIRF Praises CPC Designation of Pakistan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on…
Feb 27, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019
USCIRF Urges President Trump to Address Religious Freedom Abuses in North Korea
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom…
Apr 24, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2019
USCIRF Condemns Cuban Authorities’ Crackdown on Homeschooling Pastor and Wife
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)…
Jun 24
WHEN:
Jun 24th 6:59pm…
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
Jul 16, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2019
USCIRF Statement on Cuba Preventing Religious Leaders from Attending International Religious Freedom Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC – In response to the prohibition of…
Jul 24
WHEN:
Jul 24th 1:00pm
-
Jul 24th 1:00pm…
Dec 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2019
USCIRF Raises Alarm about Speech Laws that Restrict Religious Freedom in More than Half of African Countries
Briefing Tomorrow to Feature New Report and Recommendations
…
Dec 13, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2019
USCIRF Condemns Egypt’s Arrest of Coptic Activist Ramy Kamel
WASHINGTON, DC (December 13, 2019) – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly…
Dec 16, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2019
USCIRF Disappointed UN Security Council Did Not Discuss Religious Freedom in North Korea
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on…
Feb 11
WHEN:
Feb 11th 10:30am…
Mar 10, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 10, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today…
Apr 3, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2020
USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Ayda Expósito, Calls for Release of Other Religious Prisoners of Conscience in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International…
May 29, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2020
USCIRF Commissioner James Carr Adopts Deacon Zhang Wen Shi of North Korea and Pastor A Dao of Vietnam through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
Washington, DC – United States Commission on…
USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Pastor Ramón Rigal, Calls for Release of Roberto Jesus Quinones Haces
Jul 1, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Welcomes the Release of Pastor Ramón Rigal, Calls for Release of Roberto Jesus Quinones Haces
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)…
Jul 8, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases New Report about Human Rights Advocacy and the North Korea Nuclear Impasse
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today…
Aug 2, 2020
This op-ed originally appears in The National Interest, on August 2, 2020.
By USCIRF Commissioners James W. Carr and Frederick A. Davie
For years, Deacon Jang Moon Seok ministered to North Koreans…
Advocacy:
Event: FoRB Victims List and Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project Update, February 25, 2021…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Cuba Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Cuba.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Egypt Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Egypt.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
Title
2026 Annual Report - North Korea Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report North Korea.pdf
Language
English
Year…
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…
Conscientious objection to military service is frequently connected to freedom of religion or belief, as many conscientious objectors are motivated by deeply-held religious beliefs. The right to conscientious objection is recognized under international…
Read the full report here.
Religious freedom conditions in North Korea remain among the worst in the world, yet the U.S. government for decades has tended to prioritize security concerns over human rights rather than integrating the two issues as…
Oct 23
WHEN:
Oct 23rd 3:00pm…
Dec 10
WHEN:
Dec 10th 9:30pm…
Aug 05
WHEN:
Aug 5th 10:30am…
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…
Nov 19, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Condemns Egypt’s Detention of Mohamed Basheer, Ramy Kamel
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the Egyptian…
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.…
Dec 9, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
USCIRF Releases Groundbreaking Report on the Enforcement of Blasphemy Laws Globally
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a…
Dec 30, 2020
USCIRF Calls for Release of Ramy Kamel
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) again calls on the Egyptian government to immediately and unconditionally release Coptic…
Additional Name(s):
Jang Moon Seok
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
North Korea
Ethnic Group:
Korean
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment:
August/6/2021…
Factsheet: The Santería Tradition in Cuba
Factsheet on the Santería Tradition in Cuba - This factsheet provides a brief overview of the traditions of the Santeria community in Cuba and highlights the religious freedom violations that…
Feb 22, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report about Santería in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on the Santería tradition in…
Mar 5, 2021
Santería is a syncretic religion that incorporates elements of Catholicism with the religion of the Yoruba people, who were brought as slaves to Cuba from the Congo basin and West Africa in the 16th century.
While…
Mar 19, 2021
Egypt has historically faced many challenges to religious freedom. There has been recurring violence and discrimination against Coptic Christians, who represent 10-15% of the population, as well as other…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
North Korea
Ethnic Group:
Korean
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
North Korea
Ethnic Group:
Korean
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
North Korea
Ethnic Group:
Korean
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Health Concerns:
Stomach issues…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
North Korea
Ethnic Group:
Korean
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture…
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 24, 2021
Read full article
This op-ed was originally published by the Arkansas Gazette, on April 24, 2021.
By Commissioner James W. Carr and Rep. French Hill
Jun 23
WHEN:
Jun 23rd 10:30am…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Egypt
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Thematic Area: Houses of Worship
Recommendation:Urge the Egyptian government to accelerate approvals for churches and church-…