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November 10, 2020
Read the full Issue Update:
The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
This update describes official discrimination against Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world, with a particular focus on countries where members have been imprisoned for their beliefs. These include countries that USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report for designation as countries of particular concern, such as Eritrea, Russia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; countries USCIRF recommended for the Special Watch List, including Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan; as well as South Korea and Singapore. The report also makes recommendations for U.S. policy.
March 04, 2021
Full Article
Mar 4, 2021
August 02, 2019
Aug 2, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2019
USCIRF Commissioners Travel to Iraq to Support Justice for Yazidi Genocide Survivors
WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of tomorrow’s fifth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Vice Chair Nadine Maenza and Commissioner Anurima Bhargava traveled to Baghdad, Iraq to stand with survivors at a Yazda event commemorating the thousands who experienced unspeakable atrocities at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Religious leaders, U.S. and other foreign dignitaries, and Iraqi government officials joined them in remembering the victims and mourning alongside those who continue to deal with the trauma of witnessing the slaughter of family members, widespread sexual assault and the enslavement of women and children—many of whom remain missing today.
In her remarks before the commemoration attendees, Maenza said, “We have not forgotten the cruelties and tragedies that Yazidis have suffered in the past, nor have we forgotten the fear, the continuing displacement and the pain of the genocide that remain with them today. We call on our Iraqi partners – the Federal and Kurdistan Regional Government officials, armed forces, and religious leaders—to do everything possible to alleviate the Yazidi community’s most urgent needs.”
Maenza and Bhargava urged the Iraqi government to provide safe and free movement for displaced Yazidi families to travel between the camps; to achieve for the Yazidis justice that reflects the violence and trauma that their community experienced; and to facilitate distribution of U.S. and other international aid to Yazidis and minority communities hardest hit by religious intolerance in Iraq.
“It is time for families driven out by persecution and violence to return home and resume their rightful and central place in the rich fabric of Iraq’s economic, political and social life,” said Bhargava. “The Yazidi community must be accorded justice and compensation in a manner that upholds their dignity, respects their religious identity and promotes peace.”
USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins added, “The entire Commission continues to stand with the Yazidi community and will continue to advocate on their behalf until they are able to safely return to their communities, freely practicing their faith.”
In its 2019 Annual report, USCIRF listed Iraq as a Tier 2 Country for engaging in or tolerating violations of religious freedom that meet at least one of the elements of “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or Kellie Boyle at kboyle@uscirf.gov or +1-703-898-6554.
March 17, 2021
Mar 17, 2021
USCIRF Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of ISIS Genocide Recognition
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today joins religious communities in Iraq and Syria—including Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims—in remembering the tens of thousands of lives lost to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) atrocities, five years after the U.S. Department of State and Congress declared those crimes genocide.
“We commemorate with heavy hearts the fifth anniversary of this genocide recognition, given the devastating losses that Yazidis, Christians, Shabak, Turkmen, Kaka’is, and others suffered at the hands of ISIS in 2014 and beyond,” USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava said. “USCIRF continues to call on the United States and its international partners to spare no effort in continuing to provide humanitarian aid and other forms of assistance to these communities, even as we recognize the irreplaceability of the lives ISIS destroyed through execution, enslavement, sexual assault, and other atrocities.”
USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza added, “Five long years after the U.S. government recognized this genocide, the world must do better in supporting the vulnerable religious and ethnic minority communities for whom this tragedy remains a present and painful reality.” She explained, “For many Yazidis in Iraq, the internally displaced person—or IDP—camps that have served as a crucial refuge since 2014 have also become a purgatory of despair, as suicide rates climb and their Sinjar homeland remains largely in ruins and caught up in territorial and security disputes. Meanwhile, displaced Yazidis continue to face religious persecution, marginalization, and daily violence in neighboring Syria. The United States and its partners cannot stand by while they and other minorities in Iraq and Syria continue to suffer under such existential threats. It is also vital that perpetrators of the violence are prosecuted and held accountable.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department place Iraq on its Special Watch List (SWL) for ongoing and systematic religious freedom violations. It recommended Syria for designation as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov or Danielle Ashbahian at dashbahian@uscirf.gov.
August 29, 2019
Jan 08
WHEN:
Jan 8th 1:30pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Global Efforts to Counter Anti-Semitism
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
1:30 – 3:00 PM
325 Russell Senate Office Building
Hearing Summary
Hearing Transcript
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a hearing about how U.S. foreign policy and the international community can counter the growing threat of anti-Semitism around the world.
The global Jewish community is facing a rising tide of anti-Semitic hatred characterized by vandalism, Holocaust denial, violent attacks, hate speech, and the perpetuation of vicious stereotypes. Devastating attacks on synagogues, like the one in October in Halle, Germany on Yom Kippur, illustrate the risks Jews take by seeking to worship and live out their religious identity. Jews in some regions are even refraining from wearing kippahs, Star of David necklaces, and other identifying clothing in order to prevent targeted attacks against them.
Nations around the world have sought to respond to the threat by increasing security at synagogues and schools, strengthening education aimed at countering prejudice and Holocaust denial, and by supporting interfaith dialogue and understanding. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief recently released a comprehensive report on anti-Semitic trends globally and offered policy recommendations to governments, and the European Union recently held a summit to develop strategies to address anti-Semitism. In the United States, Congress continues to work on these issues, most recently through bipartisan taskforces aimed at combatting anti-Semitism.
Witnesses will highlight recommendations to counter anti-Semitism and discuss how the international community can more effectively ensure that the global Jewish community can worship freely and without fear.
Opening Remarks
- Senator Jacky Rosen, D-NV, Co-Chair, Senate Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism
- Tony Perkins, Chair, USCIRF
- Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written remarks
- Gary Bauer, Commissioner, USCIRF Written remarks
- Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Written testimony
- Elan Carr, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, U.S. Department of State Written testimony
- Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and the Department of Religion, Emory University Written testimony
- Sharon Nazarian, Senior Vice President of International Affairs, Anti-Defamation League Written testimony
- Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations, American University Written testimony
- Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of the Global Social Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center Written testimony
August 28, 2019
Jul 24
WHEN:
Jul 24th 1:00pm
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Jul 24th 1:00pm
Summer Seminar #2 — Anti-Semitism: The World's Oldest Hatred — New Again?
Wednesday, July 24
2168 Rayburn House Office Building
Speakers:
The Honorable Elan Carr, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
The Honorable Nita Lowey, Chair, Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, and Member, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Lee Zeldin, Member, U.S. House of Representatives
Rabbi David Saperstein, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
Gary Bauer, Commissioner, USCIRF
Tad Stahnke, William and Sheila Konar Director of International Outreach, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Anti-Semitism Factsheet Anti-Semitism Around the World
June 24, 2019
Jun 24
WHEN:
Jun 24th 6:59pm
Summer Seminar #1 — A Foundational Human Right: Why International Religious Freedom Matters
Monday, June 24, 2019
Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 203-02
Speakers:
Brian Grim, President, Religious Freedom and Business Foundation
Presentation
The Honorable Frank Wolf, former member, House of Representatives
Commissioner Kristina Arriaga, USCIRF
February 18, 2021
Feb 18, 2021
In recent years, northern Iraq has become a battleground for Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In June 2020, Turkey escalated their attacks in the region, announcing military operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger that included airstrikes near Sinjar. These attacks have been particularly damaging to the traumatized Yazidi community, who are victims of genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Reports indicate that Turkey is planning military operations in Sinjar, instilling fear in the already vulnerable Yazidi community.
Joining us today to discuss these developments is USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza, who recently traveled to the region to get a deeper understanding of conditions on the ground. She is concerned that what is happening in Sinjar will mirror conditions in Afrin, a city in northern Syria that was occupied by the Turkish military in 2018.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Nadine Maenza, Commissioner, USCIRF
USCIRF's hearing on "Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria" from June 2020 is mentioned in this episode and is available here.
February 04, 2021
Feb 4, 2021
As the Biden administration begins to formulate its broader human rights policy, USCIRF highlights several priority countries when it comes to international religious freedom. Condemning and preventing religious freedom violations around the globe continues to be a top priority for the United States. While some are critical of the role the U.S. government plays in championing religious freedom globally, there are also others who say, “If not the United States., then who?” In recent years, there have been an emergence of new multilateral entities dedicated to promoting and protecting religious freedom worldwide. Do these entities have the potential to foster a more effective approach to addressing religious freedom challenges around the world?
Knox Thames, an expert on global religious freedom issues who worked at the State Department under both the Obama and Trump administrations, joins Dwight Bashir to discuss the top religious freedom issues facing the Biden administration and offers recommendations for U.S. policy.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Knox Thames, Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement & Visiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace
April 21, 2021
Apr 21, 2021
USCIRF Releases 2021 Annual Report with Recommendations for U.S. Policy
No Longer Recommends Three Countries for Special Watch List
Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2021 Annual Report documenting developments during 2020, including significant progress in countries such as Sudan. Meanwhile, other nations implemented laws and policies that further target religious communities, and in some cases amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report provides recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad.
In its report, USCIRF also monitored public health measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and their impact on freedom of religion or belief. In many cases, these measures complied with international human rights standards, but in some countries, already marginalized religious communities faced official and societal stigmatization, harassment, and discrimination for allegedly causing or spreading the virus.
“This past year was challenging for most nations trying to balance public health concerns alongside the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief. Though some governments took advantage of the restrictions to target specific religious communities, we were encouraged by the positive steps various countries took. For example, as a result of COVID-19 outbreaks, many prisoners of conscience were furloughed or released, such as in Eritrea,” USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin said. “USCIRF will continue to monitor how countries respond to and recover from COVID-19, and whether the loosening of restrictions is fair to people of all faiths and nonbelievers.”
USCIRF’s independence and bipartisanship enables it to unflinchingly identify threats to religious freedom around the world. In the 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommends 14 countries to the State Department for designation as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) because their governments engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations.” These include 10 that the State Department designated as CPCs in December 2020—Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as four others—India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam. For the first time ever, the State Department designated Nigeria as a CPC in 2020, which USCIRF had been recommending since 2009.
The 2021 Annual Report also recommends 12 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of severe violations. These include two that the State Department placed on that list in December 2020—Cuba and Nicaragua—as well as 10 others—Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. In 2021, USCIRF is not recommending SWL placement for Bahrain, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan, which were among its SWL recommendations in its 2020 Annual Report. USCIRF has concluded that, although religious freedom concerns remain in all three countries, conditions last year did not meet the high threshold required to recommend SWL status.
The 2021 Annual Report further recommends to the State Department seven non-state actors for redesignation as “entities of particular concern” (EPCs) for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations. The State Department designated all seven of these groups as EPCs in December 2020—al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), and the Taliban.
“In 2020, the Trump administration continued to prioritize international religious freedom. Much progress was made, and our 2021 Annual Report makes recommendations about how Congress and the Executive Branch, now under President Biden, can further advance the U.S. commitment to freedom of religion abroad,” USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins stated. “In order to maintain the crucial momentum of international religious freedom as a U.S. foreign policy priority, USCIRF strongly urges the Biden administration to take a unique action for each country designated as a CPC to provide accountability for religious freedom abuses and to implement the other recommendations contained in our report.”
In addition to chapters with key findings and U.S. policy recommendations for these 26 countries, the annual report describes and assesses U.S. international religious freedom policy overall. The report also highlights important global developments and trends related to religious freedom during 2020, including in countries that do not meet the criteria for CPC or SWL recommendations. These include: COVID-19 and religious freedom; attacks on houses of worship; political unrest leading to religious freedom violations; blasphemy laws; global antisemitism; and China’s international influence on religious freedom and human rights.
“USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report documents both the deepening of religious divides, and intensified religious persecution and violence during the global pandemics; and the swift and significant progress that can and has been made, as in Sudan, to support and strengthen religious communities of all faiths,” USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava added. “We urge the Biden administration and Congress to champion religious freedom and to center the safety and dignity of religious communities as foreign policy priorities. USCIRF recommends that the administration should immediately increase the annual ceiling for refugees; and definitively and publicly conclude that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people by the Burmese military constitute genocide and take action accordingly; as the State Department recently determined regarding China’s genocide against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims.”
The report includes two new sections, one highlighting key USCIRF recommendations that the U.S. government has implemented from USCIRF 2020 annual report, and the other addressing human rights violations perpetrated based on the coercive enforcement of interpretations of religion.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or Danielle Ashbahian at dashbahian@uscirf.gov or +1-202-702-2778.