...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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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
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…
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…
Nov 19, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 19, 2019
Fate of Nearly 2 million in Assam, India Examined in New USCIRF Report
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (…
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 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2019
USCIRF Raises Serious Concerns and Eyes Sanctions Recommendations for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in India, Which Passed Lower House Today
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission…
Feb 19, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Factsheet on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF…
Click here to view the February 2020 Factsheet on The Citizenship (Amendment) Act in IndiaIn December 2019, the Indian Parliament passed into law the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). This law provides a fast track to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim…
Apr 14, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2020
USCIRF Welcomes Indian Supreme Court Decision on Assam Detention Centers as a First Step
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed…
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…
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…