Displaying results 1 - 100 of 483

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…
By Felice D. Gaer, Chair U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus August 1, 2002 Expert witnesses take questions from the audience. Left to right: Rabbi Abraham Cooper, HRC Co-Chair Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 14, 2002 Contact: Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27 WASHINGTON - Religious-freedom conditions in Turkmenistan are extremely poor and respect for freedom of religion there is…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2003 Contact: Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27 The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned over the recent passage of a harshly…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 7, 2004 Contact: Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will hold two public, on-the-record briefings on "…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 2004 Contact: Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27 WASHINGTON - "The Commission believes that Turkmenistan should be designated a ‘country of particular concern' (CPC)…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2005 Contact: Julia Leikin (202) 775-3240 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) invite you to a public briefing on…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 8, 2005 Contact: Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to…
Laos Chapter - 2015 Annual ReportLaos Chapter - 2015 Annual Report (Lao Translation) Laos Chapter - 2014 Annual Report Laos Chapter - 2014 Annual Report (Lao Translation) Laos Chapter - 2013 Annual Report Laos Chapter Summary - 2013 Annual…
May 3, 2006 U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING RELEASE OF 2006 ANNUAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE ON COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 20, 2007 Contact: Judith Ingram, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127 WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is calling for reform of Turkmenistan's repressive…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2008 Contact: Judith Ingram, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127 [email protected] The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is concerned about the status of Baha'i and…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Judith Ingram, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127 [email protected] WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomes the release of four Baha"is from a Yemeni…
...that Turkmenistan is the most closed of the post-Soviet countries?Since 2007, Turkmenistan has been led by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The country’s first president who died in 2006, Saparmurat Niyazov, oversaw one of the world’s most…
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sent the following letter to Secretary of State Kerry on April 12, 2013. The Honorable John F. Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Kerry: I…
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…
Western Europe Chapter - 2014 Annual ReportWestern Europe Chapter - 2013 Annual Report
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Sep 1, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 1, 2016   WASHINGTON, D.C. – As President Obama soon will visit Laos to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, the U.S. Commission on International…
Jan 23, 2017 The following op-ed appeared in Philadelphia Inquirer on January 23, 2017 By former USCIRF Commissioners Thomas J. Reese and Daniel Mark   As our nation commemorated National Religious Freedom Day on Jan…
Jan 27, 2017 The following op-ed appeared in Deseret News on January 27, 2017 By former USCIRF Commissioners Clifford D. May and Tenzin Dorjee   As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day,…
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…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2017 YEMEN: Release Baha’i Prisoners of Conscience in Yemen USCIRF Calls on Houthis to Cease Harassment of Baha’is   WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is…
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,…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 30, 2018 YEMEN: USCIRF Condemns Death Sentence for Baha’i USCIRF Chairman Mark calls sentence “unjust and a dangerous precedent for the treatment of religious minorities” in Yemen   WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States…
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…
Aug 27, 2018 This op-ed originally appeared in The Globe Post on September 18, 2018. By former Commission Chair Daniel Mark Hamed bin Haydara, a leader of the Baha’i faith in Yemen, has been imprisoned…
Oct 29, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 2018     USCIRF Calls on Yemen to Release Persecuted Baha’is The accused include eight women and a teenage girl and the penalty for many is death WASHINGTON, DC — Tenzin…
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…
Jan 3, 2019 WASHINGTON, DC – Andy Khawaja, Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today announced his adoption of Hamid Kamal Mohammad bin Haydara, a Yemeni member of the Baha’i…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
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…
Jul 1, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              July 1, 2019   USCIRF Calls on Houthi Court in Yemen to Overturn Death Sentence for Religious Prisoner of Conscience Hamid bin Haydara…
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…
Jul 24 WHEN: Jul 24th 1:00pm - Jul 24th 1:00pm…
Jan 08 WHEN: Jan 8th 1:30pm…
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…
Oct 9, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2019 USCIRF Responds to Yom Kippur Attack in Germany   Washington, DC (Oct. 9, 2019) –  Based on emerging reports of the killing of at least two people near a…
Oct 13, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2019   WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is alarmed over reports that a Houthi court in Yemen may deport and confiscate the assets…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Click here to view the India Issue Brief.
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 Serious Concerns and Eyes Sanctions Recommendations for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in India, Which Passed Lower House Today WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission…
Dec 24, 2019 USCIRF Welcomes the State Department’s Designations of the World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedom Hopes to See Strong Action in Response WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious…
Jan 24, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2020   USCIRF Honors International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Cautions Against Rising Anti-Semitism   WASHINGTON, DC – On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
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…
Mar 23, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2020 USCIRF Deplores Houthi Order to Execute Hamid bin Haydara and Dissolve Baha’i Institutions in Yemen Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Mar 28, 2020 This op-ed originally appeared in the Arkansas Gazette on Saturday, March 28, 2020.By Gayle Manchin and James W. Carr How far can a government limit religious freedom in the name of fighting the coronavirus…
Apr 6, 2020 This op-ed originally appeared in Opinio Juris on Monday, April 6, 2020. By Gayle Manchin and James W. Carr How far can a government limit religious freedom in the name of fighting the coronavirus (…
Apr 9, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2020 USCIRF Calls on Houthis in Yemen to Abide by Commitment to Release Hamid bin Haydara Washington DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges…
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…
Gender: Male Perpetrator: Turkmenistan Ethnic Group: Turkmen Religion or Belief: Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s): حامد بن حيدرة Gender: Male Perpetrator: Houthis Religion or Belief: Bahá`í Reports of Torture:…
      U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2020 Annual Report Release Tuesday, April 28, 2020 Virtual Release Press Conference Transcript Virtual Launch Transcript On April 28, 2020, USCIRF released its 2020 Annual…
Read the full report here.This report provides a country update on religious freedom conditions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In 2016, the Lao government updated its regulation of religious freedom with the Decree on Management and Protection…
May 6, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   May 6, 2020 USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Laos Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the…
Jun 2, 2020 USCIRF Applauds Executive Order to Advance International Religious Freedom Washington, DC –The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on…
Published Op-ed Jun 15, 2020 This op-ed was originally published by Forward, on June 15, 2020 By USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin, USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer, and Senator James Lankford   While the United States was celebrating…
Jun 16, 2020 Gayle Manchin Elected as Chair of Bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Tony Perkins and Anurima Bhargava as Vice Chairs Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today elected…
Jun 19, 2020 USCIRF Welcomes Senator Charles Schumer’s Appointment of Frederick A. Davie to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Washington, DC – Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced on June 17…
Gender: Female Perpetrator: China Ethnic Group: Han Religion or Belief: Christian – Church of Almighty God Reports of…
Jun 24, 2020 This op-ed originally appeared on Eurasianet, on June 24, 2020.  By USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Commissioner Gary Bauer The government of Turkmenistan is one of the most repressive regimes in the…
Jun 25, 2020 This op-ed was originally published by Newsweek, on June 25, 2020. By USCIRF Commissioners Nury Turkel and Johnnie Moore   Human rights activists don’t often think first of countries like France, Germany,…
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…
Jul 31, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE USCIRF Commends Release of Religious Prisoner of Conscience Hamid Bin Haydara and 5 Other Baha’is in Yemen Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (…
USCIRF ADVOCATE: Johnnie Moore Advocacy: USCIRF Condemns Houthis for Summoning 19 Baha’is to Stand Trial on Spurious…