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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…
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…
Click here to view USCIRF's report, Promoting and Protecting Religuous Freedom in Syria .
Apr 19, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal agency created to monitor religious freedom abuses abroad and make policy recommendations to the…
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 16, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 16, 2013 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The two-year armed conflict in Syria has left at least 80,000 people dead and more than 5 million displaced. In his May 13, 2013 press conference with…
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…
Click here to view the July 2013 Factsheet: Syria’s Refugee Crisis and its Implications
...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
Jan 15, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 14, 2014| USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today urged the U.S. government to emphasize the plight of religious minorities and the protection of…
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.…
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…
Feb 27, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 27, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the abduction of more than 200 Assyrian Christians by militants of the…
Mar 16, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 16, 2015 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 15 marked the 4th anniversary of the protests in Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa which set the stage for the Syrian conflict. On this sad…
Sep 28, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
September 28, 2015 | Daniel I. Mark and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 27, 2015
Washington hosted two dramatically…
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…
Dec 1, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 1, 2015
USCIRF Calls for Continued Syrian Refugee Resettlement
Rigorous individualized vetting allows the United States to both welcome Syrian refugees and protect security.…
Dec 7, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 7, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today issued the following statement:
USCIRF calls on the U.S. government to…
Mar 14, 2016
For Immediate Release
March 14, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 15 marks the 5th anniversary of the peaceful protests that set the stage for the Syrian conflict. This conflict has spawned a…
Mar 18, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MArch 18, 2016
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the State Department’s decision proclaiming that groups including Yazidis,…
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,…
USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George testified on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing entitled "Confronting the Genocide of Religious Minorities: A Way Forward."From the testimony:
"USCIRF in 2015 called on the U…
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…
Nov 10, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As coalition forces begin the liberation of Mosul, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) notes that November 13 is the one-year…
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.…
Mar 15, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 15 marks the 6th anniversary of the start of the Syrian conflict. Since the conflict began, an estimated 400,000 people have been killed;…
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…
Jun 9, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Commends House Passage of Genocide Accountability Act
Urges Senate Action
USCIRF declares that “the perpetrators of genocide must be held to account”
WASHINGTON, D.C. –…
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…
The report documents ASEAN’s and the Member States’ approaches to the freedom of religion or belief, underscores the religious freedom-related challenges in the region that transcend country borders, and emphasizes the strategic importance of robust U.S…
Oct 5, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 5, 2017
H.R. 390: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes Genocide Bill
USCIRF Chairman Mark calls committee action “a key step toward helping victims of ISIS genocide”
…
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,…
Jul 30, 2018
This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill on July 27, 2018.
By former USCIRF Commissioners Tenzin Dorjee and Kristina Arriaga
To the surprise of many, there is a foreign policy issue on which…
Nov 29, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 29, 2018
USCIRF Applauds Passage of H.R. 390 by Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today applauded…
Dec 11, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2018
USCIRF Welcomes President Trump Signing the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on…
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 24
WHEN:
Jul 24th 1:00pm
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Jul 24th 1:00pm…
Click here to view the October 2019 Factsheet on Enforced Disappearances in Malaysia.
Oct 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2019
USCIRF Statement on Turkish Offensive in Northeast Syria
WASHINGTON, DC – In response to news reports that Turkey has launched airstrikes on the border region of…
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)…
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…
Feb 11
WHEN:
Feb 11th 10:30am…
Jun 23, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Urges Thailand and Malaysia to Protect Rohingya Muslim Refugees Stranded at Sea
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the…
Jul 25, 2020
This op-ed originally appeared in Newsweek, on July 25, 2020.
By USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava and Commissioner Nadine Maenza
As the world passively watches, Turkey is currently amassing troops on its…
Jul 28, 2020
This op-ed originally appeared in The Diplomat, on July 28, 2020.
By USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Commissioner James W. Carr
Several airlines offer direct flights from Burma to Malaysia, but many Rohingya…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Egypt Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Egypt.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Malaysia Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Malaysia.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
Title
2026 Annual Report - Syria Chapter
File Upload
USCIRF 2026 Annual Report Syria.pdf
Language
English
Year
2026…
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…
Oct 23
WHEN:
Oct 23rd 3:00pm…
Dec 10
WHEN:
Dec 10th 9:30pm…
Jun 10
WHEN:
Jun 10th 10:30am…
Aug 05
WHEN:
Aug 5th 10:30am…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Malaysia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment:
February/13/2017…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Malaysia
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Shi'a
Reports of Torture:
No
Reports of Medical…
Click here to view the Rohingya Refugees Factsheet.
This factsheet highlights the conditions of Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia. While the majority of Rohingya refugees have fled from Burma to Bangladesh, a significant number have escaped to…
Oct 8, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases Factsheet on Rohingya Refugees in Southeast Asia
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report on…
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…
Advocacy:
Press Release: USCIRF Calls Attention to Pastor Raymond Koh on 5th Anniversary of Disappearance, February 11, 2022…
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…
Nov 23, 2020
USCIRF Commissioner Jim Carr Adopts Pastor Raymond Koh through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
WASHINGTON, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Jim…
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…
Feb 4, 2021
As the Biden administration begins to formulate its broader human rights policy, USCIRF highlights several priority countries when it comes to international religious freedom. Condemning and preventing…
Feb 25
WHEN:
Feb 25th 11:00am
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Feb 25th 12:30pm…
Feb 18, 2021
In recent years, northern Iraq has become a battleground for Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In June 2020, Turkey escalated their attacks in the region, announcing military…
Mar 17, 2021
USCIRF Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of ISIS Genocide Recognition
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today joins religious communities in Iraq and Syria—…
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…
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: Syria
Recommended To: Administration
Source: USCIRF Hearing: Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria
Recommendation:Demand the inclusion of the AANES in all activities pursuant to U.N. Res. 2254,…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: Syria
Recommended To: Administration
Source: USCIRF Hearing: Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria
Recommendation:Recognize the AANES as a legitimate, local government, expand U.S. engagement…
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-…