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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
May 27, 2021
Blasphemy laws criminalize expression that insults or offends religious doctrines. Such laws are often used to restrict freedom of religion or belief. As of 2020, 84 countries still had blasphemy laws. The severity…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Press the Indian government to allow a USCIRF delegation to visit the country and meet with stakeholders to…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Work with the Indian government to create a multiyear strategy to ebb the flow of hate crimes targeting…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Strengthening the training and capacity of state and central police to prevent and punish cases of religious…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Encouraging passage of the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to establish national and state…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Assisting the Ministry of Law and Justice to work with state prosecutors to increase the rate of prosecutions…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Increase the U.S. Embassy’s focus on religious freedom and related human rights through continued visits to…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2019 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Advocate for the Indian central government to ensure that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act is not used…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Designate India as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic,…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Strengthen the U.S. Embassy’s and consulates’ engagement with religious communities, local officials, and…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: Congress
Source: 2020 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:The U.S. Congress should continue to hold hearings highlighting religious freedom conditions in India and U.S. policy toward…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Designate India as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic,…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: Administration
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Advance human rights of all religious communities in India and promote religious freedom and dignity and…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: U.S. Department of State
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:Condemn ongoing religious freedom violations and support religious organizations and human rights groups being…
Status: not_implemented
Year:
Country: India
Recommended To: Congress
Source: 2021 USCIRF Annual Report
Recommendation:The U.S. Congress should continue to raise religious freedom concerns in the U.S.-India bilateral relationship and highlight…
Jul 7, 2021
USCIRF Condemns Death of Jesuit Priest Imprisoned in India
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemned in the strongest terms the deliberate neglect and…
Aug 19, 2021
We have seen a significant deterioration in religious freedom conditions in South Asia in recent years. Blasphemy cases, forced conversions, attacks on houses of worship, hate speech, and violence targeting…
Sep 2, 2021
For the past two years, USCIRF has recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular of Concern (CPC) by the State Department due the government’s promotion of Hindu nationalist policies resulting in…
Apr 16, 2022
This op-ed was originally published by USA Today on April 16, 2022.
By USCIRF Commissioners Jim Carr and Fred Davie
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has long advocated for the…
Apr 25, 2022
USCIRF Releases 2022 Annual Report with Recommendations for U.S. Policy
Recommends Afghanistan as Country of Particular Concern
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious…
View the 2022 Annual Report
Highlights from USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report
Numbers-at-a-Glance
15 countries recommended for “country of particular concern” (CPC) designation
1 new country recommended for CPC designation
12…
Apr 25, 2022
This op-ed was originally published by The Hill on April 25, 2022.
By USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and Vice Chair Nury Turkel
As the world is trying to resume some semblance of normalcy, it is abundantly clear that…
May 6, 2022
Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular of Concern, or CPC, due to the Indian government’s promotion of Hindu nationalism, and engagement and facilitation of systematic,…