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…
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 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…
...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…
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 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 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…
...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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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 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…
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,…
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…
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 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…
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 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…
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 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…
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,…
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…
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…
Jun 18, 2019
For Immediate Release June 18, 2019
USCIRF Encouraged by Appointment of Special Envoy to Sudan, Urges Close Scrutiny of Religious Freedom During Transition
Washington, DC -- In response to an…
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
Aug 17, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2019
USCIRF Applauds Sanctions on Salah Gosh for Gross Human Rights Violations
WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, August 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of State publicly…
Nov 20, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 20, 2019
USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava Adopts Nguyen Bac Truyen Through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
WASHINGTON, DC –…
Dec 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2019
USCIRF Raises Alarm about Speech Laws that Restrict Religious Freedom in More than Half of African Countries
Briefing Tomorrow to Feature New Report and Recommendations
…
Feb 24, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2020
USCIRF Mourns the Passing of Patriarch Thích Quảng Độ
Washington, DC — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourned the passing of…
Mar 2, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2020
USCIRF Delegation Travels to Sudan to Assess Post-Revolution Progress toward Greater Religious Freedom
Washington, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (…
Mar 16, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2020
USCIRF Commends Sudan’s Disbanding of Former Regime-Appointed Church Councils
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends…
Apr 3, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2020
USCIRF Calls for the Release of Vietnamese Prisoner of Conscience Nguyen Bac Truyen
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today…
Apr 24, 2020
This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill on Friday, April 24, 2020. This op-ed was also published in Vietnamese by the Nguoi Viet Daily News on Thursday, April 30, 2020.
By USCIRF Commissioner…
May 5, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 5, 2020
USCIRF Commends the Criminalization of FGM in Sudan
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the decision of the Sudanese transitional…