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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…
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2226
November 27, 2001
Commission members (left to right): Richard D. Land, Nina Shea, The Hon. Charles R. Stith, Executive Director Steven T. McFarland,…
Jan 11, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 11, 2013| By USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom strongly condemns a series of terror attacks that took place on January 10 targeting Pakistani Shi'a Muslims.…
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,…
...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 2, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMARCH 1, 2013| By USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) marked the 2nd anniversary of the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti with a renewed call for the Pakistani government…
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…
...that particularly severe religious freedom violations are increasingly perpetrated by non-state actors in failing or failed states?One of the greatest emerging threats to freedom of religion or belief comes not from the actions of governments but from…
Jul 2, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 2, 2013 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A suicide bomber attacked a Shia neighborhood in Quetta, the capital city of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, on Sunday June 30, killing at least 36…
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…
Click here to view the July 2013 Factsheet: Pakistan’s History of Violence: A Chronology of Targeted Violence against Religious CommunitiesClick here to view the July 2013 Briefing on the Future of Religious Freedom in Pakistan…
Aug 12, 2013
For Your Information
August 12, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in Foreign Policy on August 9, 2013:
On Sunday, August 11, Pakistan will celebrate National Minorities Day, giving recently-…
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 11, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONSeptember 11, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in CNN World on September 11, 2013.
Editor's note: Robert P. George is chairman of the U.S. Commission on International…
Sep 25, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
September 20, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in the Christian Science Monitor on September 20, 2013.
As the UN General Assembly begins its new session,…
Sep 25, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 25, 2013| By USCIRF
On Sunday September 22, reportedly the worst attack on Pakistani Christians in that nation's history took place. On that day, two suicide bombers attacked the All…
Oct 18, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 18, 2013| USCIRF
During his October 23 White House meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, USCIRF urges President Obama to raise concerns about the dire religious freedom…
The Christian Science Monitor -- JFK's call for religious freedom can transform places like Pakistan
Nov 8, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONNovember 7, 2013 | By Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in the Christian Science Monitor on November 7, 2013.
As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of…
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…
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…
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…
Click here to view the August 2014 Factsheet: Pakistan: Violence Towards Religious Communities in Pakistan
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. – In the face of escalating violations worldwide of religious freedom, an initiative that the U.S. Commission on International…
Many countries around the world have laws that punish expression deemed blasphemous, defamatory of religion, or contemptuous or insulting to religion or religious symbols, figures, or feelings. The application of these laws has resulted in…
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 17, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 17, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, March 15, the day an official U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) delegation to Pakistan departed the country, Pakistani…
May 14, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 14, 2015 | USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Pakistani Taliban splinter group now reportedly affiliated with ISIL, on May 13 murdered at least 45 Ismaili Muslims in Karachi. The killers…
Jun 3, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJune 3, 2015 | Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
The following op-ed appeared in The National Interest on June 3, 2015
A court in Afghanistan recently sentenced eleven police officers…
Aug 11, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONAugust 11, 2015 | Katrina Lantos Swett and Mary Ann Glendon
The following op-ed appeared in Foreign Policy on August 10, 2015
As their nation celebrates National Minorities Day on Tuesday, August…
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…
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…
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-…
Nov 30, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 30, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns in the strongest possible terms the heinous attack on an Ahmadi Muslim factory and…
Feb 1, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the arrest, detention, and sentencing of Abul Shakoor, an 80-year…
Mar 1, 2016
Pakistan: On Fifth Anniversary of Shahbaz Bhatti Assassination, USCIRF Calls for Reform and Repeal of Blasphemy Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on March…
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,…
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 14, 2016
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
October 14, 2016 | Kristina Arriaga and Sandra Jolley
The following op-ed appeard in Newsweek Pakistan on October 14, 2016
“I raise my voice… not so I can shout, but so that…
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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the raid by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on 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…
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 13, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 13, 2018
USCIRF Mourns Death of Leading Pakistani Human Rights Defender
USCIRF Chairman Mark says Ms. Jahangir “will always be remembered as a fearless advocate for human rights”…
Click here to view the April 2018 Country Update, Burma: Insights from USCIRF’s Visits to Burma and Bangladesh
Jul 24, 2018
This op-ed originally appeared in Religion News Service on July 24, 2018.
By Gayle Manchin and Johnnie Moore
(RNS) - This week, as hundreds of religious leaders, nonprofit heads and government officials…
Aug 7, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 7, 2018
At Gathering of 37,000 Ahmadi Muslims, USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore Vows to Make Religious Freedom in Pakistan a Priority
Commissioner Moore also formally adopts…
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 31, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 31, 2018
USCIRF Welcomes Pakistani Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Death Sentence Against Asia Bibi
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Commission on International…
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…
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…
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…
Feb 26, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2019
USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore Calls on Pakistan to Release Prisoner of Conscience Abdul Shakoor
WASHINGTON, DC – Johnnie Moore, Commissioner of the United…
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…
Mar 19, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2019
USCIRF Welcomes Release of Religious Prisoner of Conscience Abdul Shakoor
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (…
Apr 16, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2019
USCIRF Condemns Terrorist Attack on Shi’a Muslims in Pakistan
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF…
May 8, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 8, 2019
USCIRF Statement on Asia Bibi’s Arrival in Canada and Bombing in Lahore
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today…
Jun 24
WHEN:
Jun 24th 6:59pm…
Host: Anurima Bhargava, Commissioner
Country Expert: Tina Mufford, Deputy Director of Research and Policy