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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Read the full report here.This report is an examination of religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua following the outbreak of anti-government protests in April 2018 that continue to occur around the country. Throughout this political crisis, the Catholic…
Mar 11, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 11, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Nicaragua
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…
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 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…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Cuba Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Cuba.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Nicaragua Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Nicaragua.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
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…
Oct 23
WHEN:
Oct 23rd 3:00pm…
Aug 05
WHEN:
Aug 5th 10:30am…
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…
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…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. State Department
Source: 2019 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Religious prisioners
Recommendation:Highlight religious freedom violations in specific prisoner of conscience…
Status: partially_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Travel
Recommendation:Prioritize adequate coverage of religious freedom issues as well as access to…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Restrictions on religious activities
Recommendation:Press the Cuban government to include in the new constitution…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2019 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Travel
Recommendation:Facilitate multi-entry visas for both registered and unregistered Cuban religious leaders to…
Status: partially_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. State Department
Source: 2019 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Multilateral engagement
Recommendation:Encourage key countries, particularly those in Latin America, to ensure…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. State Department
Source: 2020 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Designation
Recommendation:Maintain Cuba on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Sanctions
Recommendation:Impose targeted sanctions on Cuban government agencies and officials responsible for severe…
Status: partially_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2020 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Journalism
Recommendation:Ensure that programs that support independent journalism in Cuba are responsive in…
Status: partially_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Travel
Recommendation:Enable the processing of visas in Havana for religious leaders, along with activists…
Status: implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: U.S. State Department
Source: 2021 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Designation
Recommendation:Maintain Cuba on the U.S. Department of State’s Special Watch List for engaging in or…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Sanctions
Recommendation:Impose targeted sanctions on Cuban government agencies and officials responsible for severe…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Public statements
Recommendation:Publicly denounce violations of religious freedom and related human rights in Cuba and…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: The Administration
Source: 2021 Annual Report
Thematic Area: Travel
Recommendation:Encourage Cuban authorities to extend an official invitation for an unrestricted visits by USCIRF…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Cuba
Recommended To: Congress and the Administration
Source: 2021 Annual Report
Recommendation:Increase opportunities for Cuban religious leaders from both registered and unregistered religious communities…
Jul 13, 2021
USCIRF Condemns the Detention of Religious Leaders Amid Protests in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) denounced the detention of religious leaders during…
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Ethnic Group:
Yoruba
Religion or Belief:
Santería
Sentence:
8 Years…
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Ethnic Group:
Yoruba
Religion or Belief:
Santería
Sentence:
8 Years…
Gender:
Female
Current Location:
Guamajal prison in Villa Clara
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Ethnic Group:
Yoruba
Religion or Belief:
Santería…
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Provincial Prison, Santa Clara
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Ethnic Group:
Yoruba
Religion or Belief:
Santería…
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Ethnic Group:
Yoruba
Religion or Belief:
Santería
Reports of Torture:
No…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment:
July/11/2021…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment:
July/11/2021…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Reports of Torture:
Yes…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Sentence:
1 Year's House Arrest…
Jul 27, 2021
Cuba’s government has long been responsible for violating its citizens right to freedom of religion or belief. In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department again place Cuba on its Special…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Cuba
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Sentence:
9 Months' Imprisonment…
Thousands of Cubans took to the streets nationwide on July 11, 2021 to call for greater freedom and relief from the country’s economic and COVID-19 crises. Cuban authorities responded by detaining, often violently, an estimated 700 demonstrators and…
Sep 20, 2021
USCIRF Releases New Report about Protests in Cuba and Religious Freedom
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on the July 11…
Feb 4, 2022
The government of Nicaragua, under the leadership of President Daniel Ortega, has a history of persecuting Catholic clergy, worshipers, and organizations as well as Protestant institutions especially since religious leaders provided sanctuary…
Apr 25, 2022
USCIRF Releases 2022 Annual Report with Recommendations for U.S. Policy
Recommends Afghanistan as Country of Particular Concern
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious…
View the 2022 Annual Report
Highlights from USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report
Numbers-at-a-Glance
15 countries recommended for “country of particular concern” (CPC) designation
1 new country recommended for CPC designation
12…
Apr 25, 2022
This op-ed was originally published by The Hill on April 25, 2022.
By USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and Vice Chair Nury Turkel
As the world is trying to resume some semblance of normalcy, it is abundantly clear that…
This report analyzes the ways in which Cuba’s newly approved constitution dilutes freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) guarantees compared with the previous constitution. The government of Cuba exercises extraconstitutional control over religious groups…
Jul 5, 2022
USCIRF Releases Report on the New Constitution and Religious Freedom in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “…
Aug 02
WHEN:
Aug 2nd 3:00pm
-
Aug 2nd 4:00pm…
Aug 11, 2022
USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Nicaragua Country Update…
This report details deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua during the first half of 2022. In March, the government expelled the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s chief diplomat in the country, for unexplained reasons. Most recently, a judge…
Additional Name(s):
Rolando José Álvarez, Rolando Jose Alvarez Lagos
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Sep 9, 2022
Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that Nicaragua be included on the State Department’s Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. In 2022, the Nicaraguan government has greatly intensified its…
Additional Name(s):
Enrique Martínez Gamboa, Benito Enrique Martínez
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic…
This report provides an overview of religious freedom conditions in Cuba in 2022. Throughout 2022, the Cuban government continued to tightly control religious activity, using many of the same repressive tactics as in previous years, such as surveillance…
Dec 21, 2022
USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Cuba
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Cuba Country Update – This report provides an overview of…
Additional Name(s):
Óscar Danilo Benavidez Dávila
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic…
Feb 14, 2023
USCIRF Condemns Nicaragua’s 26-year Prison Sentence for Bishop Rolando Álvarez
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the Nicaraguan government’s sentencing of Catholic Bishop Rolando…
Mar 8, 2023
USCIRF Observes International Women’s Day
Brings Attention to Religious Freedom Violations Abroad Against Women
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates International Women’s Day, and…
May 1, 2023
USCIRF Releases 2023 Annual Report Highlighting Worsening Religious Freedom Conditions Around the World
Includes new recommendations of Cuba and Nicaragua as Countries of Particular Concern and Sri Lanka for the Special Watch List
Washington,…
View the 2023 Annual Report
Highlights from USCIRF’s 2023 Annual Report
Numbers-at-a-Glance
17 countries recommended for “country of particular concern” (CPC) designation
2 new countries recommended for CPC designation
11…
May 15, 2023
USCIRF Welcomes the Release of State Department’s 2022 International Religious Freedom Report
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends the State Department…
Jun 28
WHEN:
Jun 28th 10:30am
-
Jun 28th 12:00pm…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
This comprehensive report features three crosscutting research areas that illuminate the religious freedom challenges facing indigenous communities in Latin America. First, the report provides detailed information about recent religious freedom…
Jun 7, 2023
USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom Violations Against Indigenous Communities in Latin America
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Religious…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Managua
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
Víctor Ticay
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Sistema Penitenciario Nacional Jorge Navarro, Tipitapa
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua…
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…
Additional Name(s):
Fernando Israel Zamora Silva
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic…
Additional Name(s):
Adela Elizabeth Espinoza Tercero
Gender:
Female
Current Location:
La Esperanza prison, Tipitapa, Nicaragua
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua…
Gender:
Female
Current Location:
La Esperanza prison, Tipitapa, Nicaragua
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Nicaragua
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Catholic
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of…