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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…
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 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…
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…
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…
Jul 22, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 22, 2013 | By USCIRF WASHINGTON, D.C. -- USCIRF urges President Obama to raise concerns about religious freedom violations in Vietnam when he meets at the White House with Vietnamese…
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…
Jan 28, 2014 FOR YOUR INFORMATION January 27, 2014 | By  Robert P. George    The following op-ed appeared in  The Hill  on January 27, 2014. I testified before the Congressional Tom Lantos Human…
USCIRF Commissioner Eric P. Schwartz testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing entitled "The Persecution of Religious and Indigenous Communities in Vietnam." Click here to view the full written testimony…
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…
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 October 27, 2015 before Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing titled "The Global Crisis of Religious…
Feb 19, 2016 FOR YOUR INFORMATION February 19, 2016 | Thomas J. Reese and Mary Ann Glendon The following op-ed appeared in the America Magazine on February 19, 2016   Religion in Vietnam today looks markedly…
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…
Nov 10, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 10, 2016 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the 10th anniversary of the State Department’s removal of Vietnam’s designation as a “country of particular concern” (or CPC), the U.S. Commission on…
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 Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Assessing the Country of Particular Concern Designation 10 Years After its RemovalClick here to view the Vietnamese translation of Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Assessing the Country of Particular…
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…
Feb 8, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2017   WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released Religious Freedom in Vietnam: Assessing the Country of Particular…
May 15, 2017 Commissioner Jackie Wolcott sent the following letter to Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh and Mrs. Tran Thi Hong on May 15, 2017.Click here to view the Vietnamese translation of the letter. May 15, 2017…
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…
Jul 28, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2017   VIETNAM: Religious Prisoner of Conscience Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh Released USCIRF Urges the United States to Continue Raising Religious Freedom with Vietnam WASHINGTON…
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…
Oral StatementAS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY  Commissioner Thomas Reese, S.J.  U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom Vietnam Caucus/Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Briefing on Religious Freedom in Vietnam October 24, 2017  AS PREPARED FOR…
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 23, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 23, 2018   Vice Chair Arriaga Expresses Concern About Patriarch Thích Quảng Độ “I am especially concerned about Thích Quảng Độ’s wellbeing because he will turn 90 on November 27…
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 –…
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…
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…
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Additional Name(s): Bùi Văn Trung Gender: Male Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao…
Additional Name(s): Bùi Văn Thâm Gender: Male Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao…
Additional Name(s): Nguyễn Hoàng Nam Gender: Male Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao…
Additional Name(s): Lê Thị Hồng Hạnh Gender: Female Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao…
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…
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 (…
Nov 20, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 20, 2019       USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava Adopts Nguyen Bac Truyen Through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project      WASHINGTON, DC –…
Click here to view the country update on Vietnam's law on belief and religion.
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…
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…
Feb 24, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2020 USCIRF Mourns the Passing of Patriarch Thích Quảng Độ Washington, DC — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourned the passing of…
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…
Additional Name(s): Nguyễn Bắc Truyển Gender: Male Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Hoa Hao…
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 3, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2020 USCIRF Calls for the Release of Vietnamese Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Bac Truyen Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today…
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…
Additional Name(s): حامد بن حيدرة Gender: Male Perpetrator: Houthis Religion or Belief: Bahá`í Reports of Torture:…
Apr 24, 2020 This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill on Friday, April 24, 2020. This op-ed was also published in Vietnamese by the Nguoi Viet Daily News on Thursday, April 30, 2020.  By USCIRF Commissioner…
      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…
Additional Name(s): Đỗ Thị Hồng Gender: Female Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other…
Additional Name(s): Đoàn Đình Nam Gender: Male Current Location: Xuyen Moc Prison, Xuyen Moc District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Perpetrator: Vietnam…
Additional Name(s): Đoàn Văn Cư Gender: Male Current Location: Prison No. 5, Yen Dinh, Thanh Hoa Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Lê Đức Động Gender: Male Current Location: An Diem Prison, Dai Loc, Quang Nam Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Lê Duy Lộc Gender: Male Current Location: Prison No. 5, Yen Dinh, Thanh Hoa Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Lê Xuân Phúc Gender: Male Current Location: Xuyen Moc Prison, Xuyen Moc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Lê Trọng Cư Gender: Male Current Location: Prison No. 5, Yen Dinh, Thanh Hoa Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Lương Nhật Quang Gender: Male Current Location: Prison No. 6, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Nguyễn Dinh Gender: Male Current Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Xuan Loc, Dong Nai Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Nguyễn Kỳ Lạc Gender: Male Current Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Xuan Loc, Dong Nai Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Nguyễn Thái Bình Gender: Male Current Location: An Diem Prison, Dai Loc, Quang Nam Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Phan Thanh Tường Gender: Male Current Location: Xuan Loc Prison, Xuan Loc, Dong Nai Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Phan Thanh Ý Gender: Male Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other…
Additional Name(s): Phan Văn Thu, Trần Công Gender: Male Current Location: Gia Trung Prison, Mang Yang, Gia Lai Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group:…
Additional Name(s): Tạ Khu Gender: Male Current Location: Xuyen Moc Prison, Xuyen Moc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…
Additional Name(s): Trần Phi Dũng Gender: Male Current Location: Prison No. 6, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An Perpetrator: Vietnam Ethnic Group: Kinh…