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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…
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…
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…
Jan 15, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJanuary 14, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett
The following appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on January 14, 2013.
Former Soviet prisoner and refusenik Natan Sharansky,…
Jan 16, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 16, 2013| By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- USCIRF today called for the immediate release of Saeed Abedeni, an Iranian-American pastor reportedly awaiting a January 21 trial on trumped-up…
Jan 28, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 28, 2013 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The trial and conviction of Pastor Abedini represent an outrageous miscarriage of justice and yet one more damning piece of evidence pointing to…
...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…
Mar 13, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 13, 2013 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) yesterday met with family members of Baha'is unjustly imprisoned in Iran. These family…
March 15, 2013USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified on March 15, 2013 before theTom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a hearing on "The Worsening Plight of Religious Minorities in Iran."
Click here to view the full written testimony…
…that Nowruz, the Persian or Iranian New Year, will be celebrated on March 21?Nowruz marks the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar during which families and friends in Iran and other countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and other parts of…
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…
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 20, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
May 20, 2013| By William Shaw and M. Zuhdi Jasser , and Azizah al-Hibri
When President Obama meets with President Thein Sein of Myanmar (Burma) today, he should emphasize…
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…
May 30, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONMay 30, 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 reflect those of USCIRF and…
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs--Iran v. Its People: Abuses Against Religious Minorities
Jun 25, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION6/20/2013|By Katrina Lantos Swett
The following appaeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on June 20, 2013
In an increasingly volatile world, few threats to peace compare…
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…
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,…
Click here to view the August 2013 Policy Brief, Burma: Implications of Religious and Ethnic Violence
Sep 23, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 23, 2013 | By USCIRF
Religious Freedom: Iran's Litmus Test
Washington, D.C. - On the eve of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's first ever address to the United Nations General Assembly…
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…
Dec 11, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
December 11, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
The following op-ed appeared in Reuters & the Chicago Tribune on December 10, 2013.
December 10 marks Human Rights Day,…
December 12, 2013USCIRF Co-Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa of the House Foreign…
Dec 31, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 30, 2013 | By Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in Real Clear World on December 28, 2013.
December 28, 2013 - With the approach of a new year comes the hope of peace…
Jun 11, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2014 | USCIRF
Washington, D.C. – The draft of the ill-advised “Religious Conversion Law” which Burma’s parliament released for public comment would further restrict religious…
Aug 23, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 23, 2014 | USCIRF
Statement of Commissioners M. Zuhdi Jasser and Eric P. Schwartz upon completing a five-day visit to Burma.
This is our first Commissioner-level visit to the…
Click here to view the September 2014 Factsheet: Burma: USCIRF Examines Religious Freedom Violations During Fact-finding Trip to Burma
USCIRF’s report, “Burma: Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights Violations are Hindering Broader Reforms,” reflects findings from a Commissioner-level visit in August 2014. In the report released in November, USCIRF urges the U.S.…
Oct 6, 2014
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONOctober 6, 2014 | By M. Zuhdi Jasser and Hannah Rosenthal
The following op-ed appeared in The Detroit News on October 4, 2014.
On Saturday we will witness a confluence of two holy days of…
Click here to view USCIRF's report, Burma: USCIRF Issues Report on Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights Violations.
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.…
Nov 10, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 10, 2014 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the face of escalating violations worldwide of religious freedom, an initiative that the U.S. Commission on International…
Jan 22, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2015 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the package of race and religion bills that Burma’s parliament is…
Mar 18, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 18, 2015 | USCIRF
Washington, D.C. – As the Iranian government prepares to respond on March 19 to recommendations made during the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review…
May 28, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONMay 28, 2015 | Katrina Lantos Swett & Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in Deseret News on May 28, 2015
“We do not jail people for their opinions.”
So insisted Iranian Foreign…
Aug 3, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 3, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) this week marks the two-year anniversary of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s assumption of…
Sep 22, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 22, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) marks the three-year anniversary of the imprisonment in Iran of Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-…
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…
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…
Nov 13, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 13, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls on the government of Burma to protect religious and ethnic minorities during the post-…
Dec 10, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 10, 2015 | Mary Ann Glendon and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The National Interest on December 10, 2015
December 10 marks Human Rights Day, the sixty-seventh…
Apr 14, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) sends warm New Year’s greetings to the people of Burma and urges the new government…
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,…
May 13, 2016
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
May 13, 2016 | Robert P. George and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op/ed appeared in Religion News Service on May 13, 2016
(RNS) The eighth anniversary this Saturday (May 14) of…
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…
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…
Dec 9, 2016
The following op-ed appeared in Religion New Service on December 9, 2016
By former USCIRF Commissioners Kristina Arriaga and John Ruskay
Pwint Phyu Latt is a Muslim peace activist in Burma who sought to…
Click here to view the English versionClick here to view the Burmese version
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has monitored religious freedom conditions in Burma (also known as Myanmar) since the Commission first began…
English version Burmese version
Each year since 1999, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Burma as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for its systematic,…
Dec 13, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released…
December 13, 2016
USCIRF at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. publicly released two reports highlighting Burma’s serious religious freedom challenges: Hidden Plight: Christian Minorities in Burma and Suspended in Time: The…
Dec 23, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The UN General Assembly on December 19 passed its 14th consecutive resolution which included a condemnation of the Iranian government’s actions against the…
May 12, 2017
The following op-ed appeared in The Wall Street Journal on May 11, 2017
By former USCIRF Commissioner Kristina Arriaga
What will Iran’s May 19 presidential election mean for the Baha’i, the country’s…
May 26, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2017
IRAN: Release Maryam Naghash Zargaran
Commissioner Cliff May Says Religious Prisoners of Conscience “Should be honored for their contributions to society rather…
Aug 10, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2017
IRAN: Religious Prisoner of Conscience Maryam Naghash Zargaran Released
Case Exemplifies Iran’s “Flagrant Disregard for Religious Freedom”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The…
Sep 20, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 20, 2017
IRAN: Mahvash Sabet, Religious Prisoner of Conscience, Released
USCIRF Vice Chairwoman Arriaga cites Sabet’s “courage in the face of persecution and dedication to her faith”…
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 11, 2017
USCIRF Vice Chairwoman Kristina Arriaga Testifies Before the House Oversight Committee
Arriaga tells Members that religious freedom violations “have security implications for the United States"
…
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,…
Feb 23, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 23, 2018
USCIRF Concerned by Denial of Lautenberg Refugees from Iran
“These refugees face the imminent danger of return to Iran, where the already dire situation for religious…
Click here to view the April 2018 Country Update, Burma: Insights from USCIRF’s Visits to Burma and Bangladesh
Aug 1, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2018
USCIRF Condemns Detentions of Iranian House Church Pastor and Congregants
Chair Dorjee said, “Pastor Nadarkhani and his fellow church members should be immediately…
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 9, 2018
This op-ed originally appeared in The Christian Post on September 18, 2018.
By Tenzin Dorjee and Nadine Maenza
It has been more than a year since Burmese authorities began a brutal campaign…
Oct 10, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2018
Open Letter from USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
Click here to read the Farsi translation of the letter
October 2018
Washington, D.C…
Oct 24, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 24, 2018
Vice Chair Manchin Adopts Two Religious Prisoners of Conscience
“…concrete examples of the Iranian regime’s abysmal treatment of those who seek to exercise their…
Oct 31, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2018
Burma Not Safe for Returning Rohingyas, Warns USCIRF
WASHINGTON, DC — Responding to the recent announcement by the governments of Burma and Bangladesh that…
Nov 28, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 28, 2018
USCIRF Calls for Release of Iranian Prisoner of Conscience Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee
USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin calls for Iraee’s release on the International Day for…
Dec 3, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2018
USCIRF Presses for Targeted Sanctions for Atrocities Committed Against Burma’s Rohingya Muslims and Other Religious and Ethnic Communities
Call comes days before…
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…
Dec 21, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 21, 2018
Open Letter from USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin to Mohammad Ali Taheri
Washington, D.C. –
Mohammad Ali Taheri,
I am writing to you in my capacity as the Vice…
Jan 25, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 25, 2019
USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin Calls for Immediate Release of Iranian Prisoner of Conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri
WASHINGTON, DC – Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair of the…
Mar 11, 2019
USCIRF Commissioner Andy Khawaja Adopts Religious Prisoner of Conscience Robert Levinson
12th Anniversary Passes for Missing American Who Disappeared in Iran
WASHINGTON, DC – Andy Khawaja, Commissioner…
Additional Name(s):
جمالالدین خانجانی
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Evin Prison
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
Golrokh Ebrahimi-Irayi, گلرخ ابراهیمی ایرایی
Gender:
Female
Current Location:
Evin Prison, Tehran
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group…
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 24
WHEN:
Jun 24th 6:59pm…
Host: Anurima Bhargava, Commissioner
Country Expert: Tina Mufford, Deputy Director of Research and Policy
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