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Nov 14, 2000
The Washington Post
November 14, 2000
By Elliott Abrams
An amendment signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens the "liquidation" of thousands of religious groups at the end of…
Presented by Commissioner Richard D. Land
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Religion, Politics, and Human Rights
Russian Academy of Public Service
Moscow, Russia
March 18, 2002
Introduction
Russia has been traveling…
"Religious Freedom and U.S. Foreign Policy"
Presented by Commissioner Richard D. Land
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Religion, Politics, and Human Rights
Russian Academy of Public Service
Moscow, Russia…
As prepared
Presented by Commissioner Elizabeth Prodromou
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Russian Presidential Administration's Academy of State Service, Moscow, Russia
February 9, 2006
"Human Rights and…
... that in 2012 Vladimir Putin signed into force five new Russian laws that restrict the civil and political rights of Russian civil society, including those of religious communities?Protests erupted across the Russian Federation, but particularly in…
Click here to view January 2013 Policy Brief, Russia: Unruly State of Law.
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,…
Feb 14, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONFebruary 14, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and Catherine Cosman
The following op-ed appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
"Russia is now a…
Apr 1, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
By USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett
Even as we prepare to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, European society's dark past of bigotry haunts our present
The following op-ed appeared…
…that April 8 is Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, but acts of anti-Semitism still occur in Europe?In Russia, xenophobia and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, fuel hate crimes by skinhead groups. In Belarus, the anti-Jewish utterances 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…
...that Europe’s largest internal armed conflict is in Russia’s North Caucasus, particularly Dagestan and Chechnya? The conflict in Russia’s North Caucasus region is the largest internal armed conflict in Europe, pitting Russian government forces against…
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…
Jun 28, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 28, 2012 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Russian State Duma on June 26 passed a controversial bill on "causing offense to the sentiments of religious believers." The bill now awaits only…
Aug 15, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
August 15, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett and M. Zuhdi Jasser
The following op-ed appeared in The Moscow Times on August 15, 2013 | Issue…
Click here to view the August 2013 Policy Brief, Burma: Implications of Religious and Ethnic Violence
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,…
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…
Feb 5, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 5, 2014 | USCIRF
The upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics has thrust Russia into the world spotlight. The Kremlin’s increasing intolerance, however, deserves equal, if not greater, attention.…
Title
2025 Annual Report - Sri Lanka Chapter
File Upload
Sri Lanka 2025 USCIRF Annual Report.pdf
Language
English
Year
2025…
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…
Dec 1, 2014
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 1, 2014 | By Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Dr. Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in The Moscow Times on November 26, 2014. The op-ed also appeared in the Kyiv Post.…
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…
Jul 27, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJuly 27, 2015 | By: M. Zuhdi Jasser and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in The Moscow Times on July 26, 2015
How will Europe's human rights court respond to a…
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 14, 2015
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONOctober 14, 2015 | Mary Ann Glendon and Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed appeared in the Atlantic Council on October 14, 2015. This op-ed also appeared in Newsweek.
"We cannot stand…
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-…
Jan 27, 2016
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
January 27, 2016 | M. Zuhdi Jasser and Thomas J. Reese
The following op-ed appeared in USA Today on January 27, 2016
As the United States and the world today mark International…
Mar 18, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two years ago today, Russia unlawfully annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, cynically using the Orthodox “culture, civilization, and…
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 4, 2016
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
May 4, 2016 | Robert P. George and Hannah Rosenthal
The following op/ed appeared in USA Today on May 3, 2016
Should it be a crime to deny the existence of God?
In the Russian city…
Jul 8, 2016
Click here to view this press release in Russian.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 7 signed into law a package of anti-terrorism…
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…
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…
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…
Apr 3, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2017
RUSSIA: Russia Suspends Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Actions That Would Eliminate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Legal Existence in Russia
Washington, D.C. – Russia…
Apr 20, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2017
RUSSIA: Supreme Court Outlaws the Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Russian Supreme Court Decision Banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S.…
Apr 27, 2017
The following op-ed appeared in the Georgetown University Berkley Forum on April 26, 2017.
The op-ed also appeared in Religious Freedom Institute: Cornerstone.
By former USCIRF Commissioner Thomas J. Reese…
Apr 28, 2017
The following op-ed appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on April 27, 2017
By former USCIRF Commissioners Thomas J. Reese and Daniel Mark
On April 26, the U.S. Commission on International…
May 19, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2017
RUSSIA: Release Bagir Kazikhanov
USCIRF Commissioner John Ruskay tells the Russian Government to
“Stop Equating Peaceful Religious Behavior with Terrorism…
Jul 17, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2017
RUSSIA: Jehovah’s Witnesses Banned After Supreme Court Rejects Appeals
USCIRF Condemns the Banning of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on…
Jul 26, 2017
Commissioner John Ruskay sent the following letter to Russian religious prisoner of conscience Bagir Kazikhanov.Click here to read the Russian translation of the letter.
July 26, 2017…
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,…
Jan 31, 2018
This Op-Ed appeared originally in the Atlantic Council's blog, UkraineAlert, on January 31, 2018.
By Clifford D. May and Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
(Atlantic Council) - In 2017, for the first time ever, the US…
Inventing Extremists: The Impact of Russian Anti-Extremism Policies on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Click here to view the report Inventing Extremists: The Impact of Russian Anti-Extremism Policies on Freedom of Religion or BeliefExecutive Summary
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commissioned this report to examine…
Click here to view the April 2018 Country Update, Burma: Insights from USCIRF’s Visits to Burma and Bangladesh
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…
Sep 26, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2018
Vice Chair Arriaga Adopts Two Religious Prisoners of Conscience
Vice Chair Arriaga said, “These two cases are examples of the Russian government ‘securitizing’ religion…
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
Burma Not Safe for Returning Rohingyas, Warns USCIRF
WASHINGTON, DC — Responding to the recent announcement by the governments of Burma and Bangladesh that…
Nov 27, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 27, 2018
USCIRF Statement on Tomorrow’s Hearing of Russian Prisoner of Conscience Ivan Matsitsky
WASHINGTON, DC – United States Commission on International Religious…
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…
Feb 7, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2019
USCIRF Condemns Russian Conviction of Danish Prisoner of Conscience Dennis Christensen
Proof of Putin Escalating Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, says Vice Chair…
Additional Name(s):
Mariya Vladimirovna Troshina, Трошина Мария Владимировна
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Nataliya Igorevna Sorokina, Сорокина Наталия Игоревна
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Valeriy Vasilyevich Moskalenko, Москаленко Валерий Васильевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's…
Additional Name(s):
Feliks Khasanovich Makhammadiyev, Махаммадиев Феликс, Махаммадиев Феликс Хасанович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian…
Additional Name(s):
Sergey Alekseyevich Britvin, Бритвин Сергей Алексеевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Vadim Anatolevich Levchuk, Левчук Вадим Анатольевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Shamil Shapiyevich Sultanov, Султанов Шамиль Шапиевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Valentin Pavlovich Osadchuk, Осадчук Валентин Павлович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Aleksey Vladimirovich Budenchuk, Буденчук Алексей, Буденчук Алексей Владимирович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian –…
Additional Name(s):
Andrey Garafetanovich Stupnikov, Ступников Андрей Гарафетанович
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Detention Center No. 1, Kirov
Perpetrator:
Russia…
Additional Name(s):
Dennis Ole Christensen, Кристенсен Деннис Оле
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Ethnic Group:
Danish
Religion or Belief:…
Additional Name(s):
Sergey Gennadyevich Klimov, Климов Сергей Геннадьевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Dmitriy Viktorovich Barmakin, Бармакин Дмитрий Викторович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Мацицкий Иван Владимирович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Scientologist
Reports…
Additional Name(s):
Aleksander Akopov, Aleksandr Andreevich Akopov, Акопов Александр Андреевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah…
Additional Name(s):
Alam Abdulaziz ogly Aliyev, Alam Abdulaziz Aliyev, Алиев Алам
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's…
Additional Name(s):
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Alushkin, Алушкин Владимир Александрович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's…
Additional Name(s):
Vladimir Andreyevich Atrуakhin, Атряхин Владимир Андреевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Konstantin Viktorovich Bazhenov, Баженов Константин, Баженов Константин Викторович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian…
Additional Name(s):
Snezhana Yevgenyevna Bazhenova, Баженова Снежана Евгеньевна
Gender:
Female
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's…
Additional Name(s):
Aleksei Berchuk, Aleksey Aleksandrovich Berchuk, Берчук Алексей, Берчук Алексей Александрович
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
IK No. 3, Mari El Republic…
Additional Name(s):
Vyacheslav Pavlovich Boronos, Боронос Вячеслав Павлович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Yevgeniy Anatoliyevich Fedin, Федин Евгений Анатольевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Saveliy Georgiyevich Gargalyk, Гаргалык Савелий Георгиевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…