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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2001
Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent government agency advising the…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2002
Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON - The upcoming visit of Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov affords President Bush and the Secretary of State the…
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…
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…
. . . that Uzbekistan pressures neighboring Central Asian countries to return asylum seekers who have fled Uzbek government repression of their religious freedoms?Since Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991, its government has systematically and…
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 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…
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,…
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…
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…
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.…
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 13, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 13, 2015 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Andijon massacre. On May 13, 2005, as…
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-…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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 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 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 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…
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 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…
Jun 24
WHEN:
Jun 24th 6:59pm…
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
Jul 16, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2019
USCIRF Vice Chair Gayle Manchin Calls on Iran to Cease Harassment and Threats Against Prisoner of Conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States…
Jul 25, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2019
USCIRF Vice Chair Nadine Maenza Calls for Release of Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
WASHINGTON, DC – Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair of the United States Commission…
Additional Name(s):
Vahid Roghangir, محمد روغنگیر
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant…
Additional Name(s):
Yousef Nadarkhani, یوسف ندرخانی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant…
Additional Name(s):
سوادا آغاسر
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Armenian
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Orthodox…
Additional Name(s):
Majid Reza Souzanchi Kashan, مجیدرضا سوزنچی کاشانی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Protestant…
Additional Name(s):
پژمان شهریاری
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
محبوب حبیبی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
فرزاد همایونی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
عادل نعیمی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í
Health Concerns:
Diabetes, Hypertension…
Additional Name(s):
آزیتا رفیعزاده
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í
Reports of Torture:…
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í
Health Concerns:
Heart, kidney, eye disease
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
منوچهر رحمانی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
سهراب نقیپور
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Ethnic Group:
Fars
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
نگین قدمیان
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í
Health Concerns:
Dental issues…
Additional Name(s):
شهنام جذبانی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í
Reports of Torture:
Yes…
Additional Name(s):
Vahed Kholousi Derakkshan, واحد خلوصی درخشان
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Bahá`í…
Additional Name(s):
سعید گودرزی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
محسن عزیزی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture:…
Additional Name(s):
حیدر تیموری
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
رسول هویدا
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture:…
Additional Name(s):
جعفر احمدی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture:…
Additional Name(s):
اردشیر عشایری
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
مهدی کیوانلو
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
احسان ملکمحمدی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
مجید رشیدی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture:…
Additional Name(s):
علیاکبر داداشی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…
Additional Name(s):
صالحالدین مرادی سروستانی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of…
Additional Name(s):
البرز اسکندری سبزی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of…
Additional Name(s):
مجید مرادی
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture:…
Additional Name(s):
مجتبی بیرانوند
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Iran
Religion or Belief:
Muslim – Sufi
Reports of Torture…