Search
Displaying results 1 - 100 of 789
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…
Hearings on Religious Persecution in Sudan
February 15, 2000
(Note: These are unedited and uncorrected transcripts)
Commission members (left to right) Firuz Kazemzadeh, Nina Shea, Executive Director Steven McFarland, Chair David Saperstein, Vice…
... 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.
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…
...that Sudan repeatedly has used its apostasy law over the past two years against Christians and Muslims?Apostasy is the formal abandonment, or renunciation, of a religious faith. Under Article 126 of Sudan’s 1991 Criminal Act, apostasy from Islam is…
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 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…
...that approximately 500,000 South Sudanese in Sudan are stateless?The status of South Sudanese in Sudan became precarious after South Sudan achieved independence on July 9, 2011. While South Sudan has offered citizenship to Sudanese residents, the…
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…
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,…
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…
Click here to view the November 2013 Policy Brief,Sudan's Enduring Question: The Role of Shari'ah in the Constitution and Law
The Sudanese government’s imposition of Shari’ah countrywide in 1983, including on the predominantly animist and Christian South, significantly contributed to the onset of Sudan’s 20 year North-South civil war. Today, concerns about Shari’ah being central…
Nov 27, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATIONNovember 26, 2013 | By Robert P. George
The following op-ed appeared in the Washington Times on November 25, 2013.
WASHINGTON,November 24, 2013 - Earlier this fall, a Sudanese business owner and…
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.…
May 16, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 16, 2014 | USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the death sentence against Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, a Sudanese Christian woman…
Jun 25, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2014 | USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is gravely concerned about the Sudanese government’s arrest of Meriam Ibrahim Ishag on document…
USCIRF Vice Chair Dr. Zuhdi Jasser testified on July 23 before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing entitled “The Troubling Case of Meriam…
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.…
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.…
Jun 1, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 1, 2015
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the continuing prosecution of Rev. Yat Michael and Rev. Peter Reith who face the death…
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…
Aug 6, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 6, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomes yesterday’s release from detention of Rev. Yat Michael Ruot and Rev. Peter Yein Reith. Rev.…
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…
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 2, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today criticized the Tajik government’s ongoing efforts to control religious activities, especially those of…
Dec 21, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 21, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the Sudanese government for charging 25 Muslims with apostasy and public…
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 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…
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…
Jun 22, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2017
SUDAN: USCIRF Urges Secretary of State to Maintain Sanctions
“Sudan has not shown sufficient progress on allowing greater religious freedom”
WASHINGTON, D.C. –…
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom sent the following letter to Secretary Tillerson on May 30, 2017. Click here to read a PDF version of the letter.
The Honorable Rex Tillerson
Secretary of State
2201 C Street, NW…
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…
Oct 7, 2017
USCIRF Chairman Mark says “Sudan is an egregious violator of religious freedom”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is disappointed by the decision to permanently…
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…
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…
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 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…
Jan 28, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2019
USCIRF Denounces Violence Against Demonstrators in Sudan
WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned…
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…
Additional Name(s):
Dmitriy Mikhailovich Golik, Голик Дмитрий, Голик Дмитрий Михайлович
Gender:
Male
Current Location:
Penal Colony No. 8, Amur Region
Perpetrator:
Russia…
Additional Name(s):
Ilkham Shamilevich Karimov, Каримов Ильхам Шамилевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Kayryak, Кайряк Евгений Николаевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Khoren Nikolayevich Khachikyan, Хачикян Хорен Николевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Maksim Valeryevich Khalturin, Халтурин Максим Валерьевич
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
Additional Name(s):
Artem Stanislavovich Kim, Ким Артём Станиславович
Gender:
Male
Perpetrator:
Russia
Religion or Belief:
Christian – Jehovah's Witness…
May 23, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 23, 2019
USCIRF Condemns Russian Court’s Decision to Uphold Conviction of Religious Prisoner of Conscience Dennis Christensen
Decision reflects growing dangers faced by Russia’s…