Displaying results 1 - 100 of 398

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 the Eritrean government, one of the most repressive governments in the world where a recent coup attempt just failed, has placed Eritrean Orthodox Church Patriarch Abune Antonios under house arrest since January 2006?Eritrea has been called the…
… 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…
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,…
Nov 13, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONNovember 12, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon The following op-ed appeared in CNN World on November 12, 2013. Editor's note: Katrina Lantos Swett is Vice Chairwoman of…
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
USCIRF Vice Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified on Friday, April 4 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission during a hearing entitled, "The Plight of Religious Minorities in India." Click here to view the full written testimony…
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.…
Jan 20, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 20, 2015 | USCIRF WASHINGTON, D.C. – This January marks the eighth anniversary of the illegal removal of Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Abune Antonios from his position as head of the…
Feb 6, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 6, 2015 | USCIRF WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends President Obama for deepening relations with India while also recognizing…
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…
Aug 18, 2015 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONAugust 18, 2015 | Robert P. George and Thomas J. Reese The following op-ed appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on August 18, 2015 Is Eritrea guilty of crimes against humanity? The question…
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 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…
Jan 19, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 19, 2016   The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) solemnly marks the 10 year anniversary tomorrow of the illegal removal and detention of Eritrean…
Mar 3, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2016   WASHINGTON, D.C.  – The Indian government today failed to issue visas to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in time for a long planned…
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…
Oct 27, 2016 FOR YOUR INFORMATION October 27, 2016 | By Thomas J. Reese, S.J. and Daniel Mark The following op-ed appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on October 27, 2016    Abdul Shakoor is a member of the…
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.…
Jan 18, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 18, 2017   WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 20, 2017 marks the 11-year anniversary of the Eritrean government’s illegal removal of Abune Antonios as the rightful Patriarch of the…
Click here to view Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced by Religious Minorities in India
Feb 8, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2017   WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report, Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced by Religious Minorities in India, examines India’s constitution and national and state laws…
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…
Jul 19, 2017 The following op-ed originally appeared in Religion News Service on July 19, 2017 By former USCIRF Commissioner Thomas J. Reese, S.J.   (RNS) — Stories speak to the best and worst in all of us,…
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…
Oct 19, 2017 The following op-ed appeared in The Washington Examiner on September 26, 2017   By former USCIRF Commissioner Thomas J. Reese   Torture. Arbitrary arrests and detention without charges. A ban…
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,…
On April 18, 2018, Commissioner Father Thomas Reese testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing on the refugee crisis in Eritrea.In his testimony, Chair Reese discussed USCIRF's Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.…
The full report may be found here.Summary of Findings The right to freely choose and change one’s religion is protected under international law, as is the right to manifest one’s beliefs through teaching those beliefs. While there is a right to propagate…
Dec 11, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2018   New USCIRF Report: Anti-Conversion Laws on the Rise in South Asia USCIRF Calls on U.S. to Press South Asian Governments to Rescind These Laws   WASHINGTON, DC –…
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…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: Yes…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: Yes…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: Yes…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Orthodox Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes…
Jun 26, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2019 USCIRF Statement on Mob Lynching of Muslim Man in India WASHINGTON, DC – In response to the reported murder of Tabrez Ansari by a mob in the eastern state of Jharkhand in India…
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
Click here to view the August 2019 Country Update: Eritrea.
Aug 27, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [AUGUST 27, 2019]   USCIRF Statement on Indian Government’s “Religious Test” for Muslims in Assam   WASHINGTON, DC – Residents of the northeastern Indian state of Assam face an August…
Jul 24 WHEN: Jul 24th 1:00pm - Jul 24th 1:00pm…
Jan 08 WHEN: Jan 8th 1:30pm…
Gender: Male Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant…
Gender: Male Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant…
Gender: Male Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant…
Gender: Male Current Location: Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation Interrogation Center Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant…
Oct 1, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 2, 2019 On October 2, the world will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. In honor of Gandhi’s life and principles, United States Commission on International…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Adi Abeto Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness Reports of Torture: No…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Mai Serwa Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Female Current Location: Adi Abeto Prison Perpetrator: Eritrea Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…