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February 04, 2002
By Felice D. Gaer, Chair U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus
August 1, 2002
Expert witnesses take questions from the audience. Left to right: Rabbi Abraham Cooper, HRC Co-Chair Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Rabbi Andrew Baker, Abraham H. Foxman, and Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer.
On behalf of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I commend the Congressional Human Rights Caucus for holding this briefing to examine the recent resurgence of antisemitic incidents in Europe.
The Commission was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to provide independent advice and recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress with respect to matters involving violations of the right to freedom of religion and belief. In an April press release, the Commission deplored attacks on synagogues, other Jewish sites, and individuals in France and Belgium and called upon the U.S. government to follow the issue carefully and urge the French government to treat those incidents with the seriousness they deserve. In that spirit, therefore, I would like to concentrate my remarks today on the implications of antisemitism for U.S. foreign policy.
In San Jose, California, at the end of April, President Bush condemned antisemitism in Europe and elsewhere and made similar remarks in a press conference last month. In a March 2002 speech in Washington, Secretary Powell condemned antisemitic acts in European countries and applauded their governments' enforcement and security actions. But the U.S. government can go further in its efforts to take or stimulate action to help remove the scourge of antisemitism from European society - - and so can the Europeans.
To the extent that the ongoing violence is seen merely as a police matter, individual incidents may be prosecuted, but they are likely to continue unabated. Earlier this year, Jewish leaders and others in France and Belgium reported to Commission delegations that government officials were hesitant to treat the upsurge in antisemitic violence as anything but "hooliganism" by disaffected Arab youths. This view continued until April of this year, when - in the midst of a spike in violence - government officials finally acknowledged that these incidents were, in fact, antisemitic.
The Jewish leaders told the Commission that their communities were living in fear of the next attack. They also indicated that many antisemitic incidents go unreported out of fear of retaliation. When burnings, beatings, and other acts of violence are directed at a particular group, because of who they are and what they believe, it should be clear that they reflect degradations of human dignity and raise human rights matters; they are not merely police problems. The U.S. government should be unequivocal that antisemitism should be addressed as a matter of human rights. And in the European context, antisemitism also involves unique historical considerations that must be acknowledged and addressed. It was sobering to hear that in Europe in 2002 Jews were afraid to live publicly as Jews - something unparalleled since the Holocaust.
Fortunately, if somewhat late in coming, European leaders, with the encouragement of the United States, have started to speak out against antisemitic violence as a problem in and of itself. The Commission also notes, for example, recent statements by Russian President Putin and French Prime Minister Raffarin condemning antisemitism and distinguishing it from generalized acts of violence. Such general statements, however, must be backed by timely and thorough investigations and prosecutions of those who have committed violent crimes against one of Europe's most vulnerable minorities. Half-hearted promises to investigate and the failure to accord these cases importance as a national priority only heighten the anxiety of East and West European Jews. In June, the Commission met with the French Ministry of Justice, the police, Jewish leaders and others, who indicated that there had been progress in following up on this issue in that country.
Many, but not all, of the recent antisemitic incidents in Western Europe reportedly have been committed by disaffected, marginalized young members of North African Muslim immigrant communities. Like the United States, France and other Western European Countries are becoming more and more nations of immigrants. However, another source of the violence and antisemitic rhetoric in Europe is the so-called "skinhead" gangs that target Jews with bombings and other violence and seek to inflame public opinion against them. In some countries, they have targeted Arabs and other Muslim immigrants as well. Additionally, antisemitism by extremist nationalist groups in Eastern Europe and Russia is well documented. To compound the problem, antisemitic rhetoric emanating from some intellectual circles that goes uncontested by political and societal leaders has promoted an environment of intolerance toward Jews. The problem is widespread. As numerous studies attest, anti-Jewish sentiment, if it ever was politically incorrect in Europe, is surfacing again with apparent impunity.
Some Europeans have attempted to rationalize antisemitic violence as motivated by frustration over the conflict in the Middle East. This cannot go unchallenged. One of the first statements made by President Bush after the 9/11 atrocities was a warning to Americans not to retaliate against Muslims or Arabs regardless of the ethnicity of the terrorists. As French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine stated in a recent radio address, "Nothing that happens in the Middle East can justify racist and antisemitic acts or attacks on Jewish school buses or schools or burning synagogues."
Along those lines, it is a tragic irony and a despicable fraud that hatemongers in Europe - - now copied by their fellow-travelers elsewhere - - are attempting to paint Jews as Nazis, using words attributable only to their own greatest oppressors to demonize Jews individually and as a people. It is an offense, not just to Jews, but to every American and to freedom-loving people everywhere who themselves or their parents fought and sacrificed to free Europe from Nazi oppression and prevent its world domination.
Mr. Chairman, in a 1958 speech before the UN, Eleanor Roosevelt pondered "Where after all, do human rights begin? In small places, close to home - - - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world. Yet, they 'are' the world of individual persons . . . . Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere."
Taking Mrs. Roosevelt's observations to heart, antisemitism must be attacked at the grass-roots level too. People must be educated; attitudes must change, intolerance and discrimination of all kinds must be rooted out, and antisemitism must be made so unacceptable that people are appalled at any sign of it. Only then can the human rights of the Jews of Europe be fully protected.
In early April, French President Chirac said of the antisemitic violence, "These were scandalous acts that go against the foundations of French identity... They should be opposed with utmost vigour." He urged "parents, elected officials, school principals and religious leaders to remind everybody that our society needs the tolerance and freedom that are the foundations of our national community."
In an encouraging yet tragic manifestation of individual responsibility, we need only recall 28-year-old Tatyana Sapunova, the Russian woman who was maimed while removing a booby-trapped sign calling for "Death to the Jews." She didn't have to get involved, but she did, because she knew that such hate is wrong.
The problem of antisemitism in Europe can be addressed by the U.S. government not only on a bilateral, but also a multilateral basis, especially in the European institutions. In that regard, it is gratifying that last month in Berlin, at the initiative of Members of the U.S. Congress, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution that condemned antisemitic violence throughout the region, recognized the danger that it poses to European security, and urged a follow-up event to explore effective measures to prevent antisemitism. This followed a side event on antisemitism convened by Congressman Chris Smith and a German counterpart. I also commend the Helsinki Commission for its leadership on this issue.
At last year's OSCE Human Dimension meeting, the U.S. delegation failed to specify human rights violations that had been committed in particular countries. This failure to "name names" was an unfortunate departure from long-standing practice. The Commission hopes that, in their public statements at this year's meeting, the U.S. delegation will identify countries that violate religious freedom and other human rights.
In addition to the OSCE, the U.S. should also work closely with the Council of Europe to eradicate antisemitism, recognizing it as a Europe-wide issue. The Council's racism body, the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance has a mandate to report on antisemitism, along with other forms of intolerance. To date, however, its published reports are limited by the quality and consistency of data made available by national governments. The Council of Europe also is working jointly on education projects with the multinational Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research. When the Commission visited the Council in March, we found their officials to be receptive to our concerns regarding religious freedom. In addition, they indicated that they would particularly welcome engagement by Members of Congress in their activities.
The challenge for the United States is to exercise its leadership in the fight against antisemitism, using every means available, both traditional and public diplomacy, in unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral settings, working with European governments and institutions, to address swiftly and forcefully antisemitic violence and combat the pernicious societal attitudes from which it springs.
I would like to commend the House and Senate for adopting H.Res. 393, and S.Res. 253, respectively, which reject antisemitism and call upon European governments to prevent a continuation of the violence and punish its perpetrators. Further resolutions have been introduced, and we urge consideration of the Commission's recommendations. S.Res. 253 calls on the Commission to continue to document and report on antisemitism in Europe and worldwide, and this I promise you that we will do.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
July 09, 2019
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
May 06, 2020
Read the full report here.This report provides a country update on religious freedom conditions in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In 2016, the Lao government updated its regulation of religious freedom with the Decree on Management and Protection of Religious Activities, known as Decree 315. Despite the clarifications this decree provided, as well as efforts by the central authorities, religious freedom conditions in Laos remain of concern. All official faith communities must keep active communication with local and central religious authorities to function and operate, including in appointing leaders and in organizing faith-based activities. Unofficial faith communities struggle to obtain government recognition, and therefore legally cannot operate. This report examines the ongoing issues and barriers Laos faces to realize its international commitments to freedom of religious and belief.
September 21, 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. engagement on these issues with ASEAN as a collective and the 10 individual Member States.
The full report may be found here.
The ASEAN Report chapter translations may be found here.
Executive Summary
Overview
The countries of Southeast Asia—bound together in the regional bloc known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—are vastly diverse in their geographic size, governing systems, economies, and cultural and societal heterogeneity. Also, each country is different in its degree of adherence to international human rights standards and its protection (or denial) of the freedoms therein, including the universal freedom of religion or belief. In ASEAN’s 50th year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) presents A Right for All: Freedom of Religion or Belief in ASEAN. The report documents ASEAN’s and the Member States’ approaches to this fundamental right, underscores the religious freedom-related challenges in the region that transcend country borders, and emphasizes the strategic importance of robust U.S. engagement on these issues with ASEAN as a collective and the 10 individual Member States: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
ASEAN’s approach to human rights often has been diminished by two competing interests: the Member States’ desire to integrate as a bloc and their deeply embedded reliance on independence and non-interference in one another’s affairs. In an increasingly interdependent, interconnected community such as ASEAN, it is vital that governments and societies recognize—both within and across their borders—when the right to freedom of religion or belief is being abused and take steps to protect individuals and groups whose rights are violated.
The United States—now in its 40th year engaging with ASEAN—wields significant weight and influence in the region and with individual Member States. The United States must encourage ASEAN Member States to achieve prosperity for their own people and live up to the core principles all countries agree to when joining the United Nations and upon becoming party to international human rights instruments.
ASEAN, Human Rights, and Freedom of Religion or Belief
ASEAN and the individual Member States have an inconsistent record protecting and promoting human rights, and even more so with respect to freedom of religion or belief. Often, ASEAN countries have lacked cohesion and a strong will to act in response to serious violations within their own borders and among the other members of the bloc. In 2009, ASEAN established the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), and in 2012 it adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD). Critics have challenged the efficacy of the AICHR as a human rights body and the AHRD as a human rights instrument. The international community should call upon Member States to uphold the higher standards embodied in international human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Key findings about freedom of religion or belief in the 10 Member States include:
Brunei: The identification of the state and the public sphere with Islam in the person of the sultan sometimes challenges the religious freedom of non-Muslims or heterodox Muslim residents, whose communities may be banned or ruled by Shari’ah despite their affiliation.
Burma: While the year 2016 marked a historic and peaceful transition of government in Burma, outright impunity for abuses committed by the military and some non-state actors and the depth of the humanitarian crisis for displaced persons continue to drive the ill treatment of religious and ethnic groups.
Cambodia: Cambodia has few internal challenges with freedom of religion or belief, but could do more to uphold its human rights commitments, particularly under the Refugee Convention.
Indonesia: The Indonesian government often intervenes when religious freedom abuses arise, particularly if they involve violence. Non-Muslims and non-Sunni Muslims, however, endure ongoing difficulties obtaining official permission to build houses of worship, experience vandalism at houses of worship, and are subject to discrimination as well as sometimes violent protests that interfere with their ability to practice their faith.
Laos: In some areas of Laos, local authorities harass and discriminate against religious and ethnic minorities, and pervasive government control and onerous regulations impede freedom of religion or belief.
Malaysia: Malaysia’s entrenched system of government advantages the ruling party and the Sunni Muslim Malay majority at the expense of religious and ethnic minorities, often through government-directed crackdowns on religious activity, expression, or dissent.
Philippines: With the strong influence of the Catholic Church, as well as the needs of other religious groups, the Philippines grapples with the separation of church and state, and also with the violence that continues to dominate relations with Muslims on the island of Mindanao.
Singapore: Singapore’s history of intercommunal violence informs its current policies, which prioritize harmony between the country’s major religions, sometimes at a cost to freedom of expression and the rights of smaller religious communities.
Thailand: The primacy of Buddhism is most problematic to freedom of religion or belief in the largely Malay Muslim southern provinces, where ongoing Buddhist-Muslim tensions contribute to a growing sense of nationwide religious-based nationalism.
Vietnam: Vietnam has made progress to improve religious freedom conditions, but severe violations continue, especially against ethnic minority communities in rural areas of some provinces.
Challenges
The 10 Member States experience a number of common and crosscutting challenges that underscore how violations of freedom of religion or belief occur across borders and within the context of broader and related regional trends. ASEAN should acknowledge and work to address the following problems: protection gaps for refugees, asylum seekers, trafficked persons, and those internally displaced; the use of anti-extremism and antiterrorism laws as a means to limit religious communities’ legitimate activities, stifle peaceful dissent, and imprison people; the use of nationalistic sentiment by individuals and groups who manipulate religion to the detriment of other religious and ethnic groups; arrests, detentions, and imprisonments based on religious belief, practice, or activities; and the existence and implementation of blasphemy laws that are used to incite or inspire violence, generally by members of a majority religious group against those from a religious minority community.
ASEAN’s Principle of Non-Interference
ASEAN Member States regularly invoke the principle of non-interference (the enshrined tenet of national sovereignty, integrity, and independence), but on occasion have set it aside when it was to their advantage. While the ASEAN countries understandably first and foremost protect their own interests, each has a broader responsibility to act in harmony with the community of nations, particularly when human rights issues, including freedom of religion or belief, transcend country borders.
U.S.-ASEAN Relations
During ASEAN’s 50th year and after 40 years of U.S.-ASEAN engagement, the United States should leverage its interest and influence in the region to press Member States to uphold international human rights standards. Although some of the ASEAN Member States are more open to U.S. engagement about human rights issues, strong and consistent prodding from the United States—including positive reinforcement when warranted—would send a clear signal about U.S. priorities in the region.
Conclusion
ASEAN and the individual Member States must understand that the global community of nations is grounded in the premise that everyone observe a rules-based international order, which includes the responsibility to uphold freedom of religion or belief and related human rights. This means ASEAN and the Member States should take steps to:
adhere to international human rights instruments; welcome visits by international human rights monitors; ensure unfettered access by aid workers, independent media, and other international stakeholders to vulnerable populations and conflict areas; repeal blasphemy and related laws; release prisoners of conscience; and strengthen interfaith relationships.
ASEAN Report Executive Summary and Chapter Translations
Brunei (Malay)
Burma (Burmese)
Cambodia (Khmer)
Indonesia (Indonesian)
Laos (Lao)
Malaysia (Malay)
Philippines (Tagalog)
Singapore (Malay)
Singapore (Chinese)
Thailand (Thai)
Vietnam (Vietnamese)
July 31, 2000
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 Albright, recommending that Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan be listed as "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The Commission further concluded that Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan should be kept on the list, which the State Department will release in September. The Commission also recommended that the Department closely monitor religious freedom in India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. It also noted deep concerns about religious violence in Indonesia and Nigeria. The text of the letter follows below:
Dear Madam Secretary:
In its first year of operations, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has investigated violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by governments of a number of countries, using information from victims, religious groups and other private organizations, the United States government, and others. Although it continues to be denied access to embassy cable traffic, the Commission has carefully reviewed the Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom -- 1999 and its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices -- 1999.
Based on this information, the Commission concludes that the governments of Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and therefore recommends that the President designate these four countries as "countries of particular concern" ("CPCs"), for purposes of Section 402(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 ("IRFA") [22 U.S.C. § 6442(b)]. (See footnote.)
In Laos, during the last 12 months, increasing numbers of Protestants, Baha'is and Catholics have been subjected to detention, arrest and harassment, and over 50 persons have been reportedly imprisoned for the peaceful practice of their faith.
In North Korea, notwithstanding the difficulty of obtaining reliable information on conditions in the country, it is apparent that religious freedom is non-existent. The government has imprisoned religious believers and suppresses all organized religious activity except that which serves the interests of the state. Not to identify this repressive government as a CPC would effectively reward it for suffocating free speech, press and travel so thoroughly that information on religious persecution is limited.
In Saudi Arabia, the government brazenly denies religious freedom and vigorously enforces its prohibition against all forms of public religious expression other than that of Wahabi Muslims. Numerous Christians and Shi'a Muslims continue to be detained, imprisoned and deported. As the Department's 1999 Annual Report bluntly summarized: "Freedom of religion does not exist."
In Turkmenistan, where the ruling regime is reminiscent of Stalin's, only the official Soviet-era Sunni Muslim Board and the Russian Orthodox Church are recognized by the state as legal religious communities. Members of unregistered communities -- including Baha'is, Christians, Hare Krishnas, and Muslims operating independently of the Sunni Muslim Board -- have been reportedly detained, imprisoned, deported, harassed, fined, and have had their services disrupted, congregations dispersed, religious literature confiscated, and places of worship destroyed.
The Commission further concludes that all of the seven governments or entities named by the President last October as CPCs -- Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, and the Taliban in Afghanistan -- continue to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and therefore should continue to be designated as CPCs.
The Commission also notes grave violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments of India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The actions of the governments of these countries may not meet the statutory threshold necessary for designation as CPCs. Nevertheless, the Commission notes that under IRFA, the President must take action (or issue a waiver of the requirement to take such action) with regard to all countries the government of which engages in or tolerates violations of religious freedom (and not only CPCs) [Sec. 401(b)(1), 22 U.S.C. 6441(b)(1)]. Because of the seriousness of the violations in these four countries, the Commission urges the Department to closely monitor religious freedom in these countries during the upcoming year, and to respond vigorously to further violations there (including CPC designation later in the year, if appropriate).
In India, the central government appears unable (and possibly unwilling) to control growing violence by self-proclaimed Hindu nationalists targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians. Priests and missionaries have been murdered, nuns assaulted, churches bombed, and converts intimidated in scores of violent incidents over the past year.
In Pakistan, large numbers of Sunni Muslims, Ahmadis and Christians have been harassed, detained, and imprisoned on account of their religion under laws that prohibit blasphemy and essentially criminalize adherence to the Ahmadi faith. In April of this year, the military government abandoned its expressed intent to soften the blasphemy laws.
In Uzbekistan, scores of Muslims worshipping independently of the state-controlled Muslim organization have been detained on account of their religious piety. Several religious leaders -- including Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses and Evangelical Christians -- have apparently disappeared under mysterious circumstances, died from mistreatment in custody, or have received long prison terms.
In Vietnam, the law provides for the extensive regulation of religious organizations by the state, and leaders and members of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Hoa Hao sect of Buddhism, the Cao Dai religion, as well as Protestants and Catholics have been detained without charge, imprisoned, heavily fined, harassed, or subject to government surveillance.
The Commission is also deeply concerned about the violence between members of different religious communities in Indonesia and Nigeria.
In Indonesia, current communal violence in the Malukus region has reportedly claimed the lives of 4,000 Christians and Muslims since January 1999, and there is evidence that the Indonesian government is not controlling its armed forces, resulting in murder, forced mass resettlement, and torture.
In Nigeria, disputes surrounding the actual and proposed enactment of elements of Islamic law into the criminal codes of many states in the northern part of the country have sparked a cycle of violence between Muslims and Christians in many parts of the country.
The Commission recommends that the United States urge the Indonesian and Nigerian governments to do all they can to prevent further violence and bring the perpetrators of such violence to justice.
Thank you, Madam Secretary, for considering the Commission's recommendations.
Respectfully yours,
Elliott Abrams
Chairman
Footnote: Commissioner John Bolton voted "no" on the vote to include Saudi Arabia, and Commissioner Laila Al-Marayati abstained.
Commissioner Michael Young, joined by Commissioner Nina Shea, states: "Because I am convinced that the government of India tolerates particularly severe violations of religious freedom, I dissent from the Commission majority's decision not to recommend that the President designate India a ‘country of particular concern' under section 402 of the International Religious Freedom Act (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)).
"Reliable reports from the media as well as religious and secular human rights groups in India portray a marked and lethal increase in violence against religious minorities in the past year. Christian converts, missionaries and clerics have suffered over forty violent assaults in the past year, including murder, rape, and church bombings. Officials are slow to investigate and even slower to prosecute when the alleged perpetrators are Hindu and the victim is not. This violence is fomented, if not commissioned, by strident Hindu nationalist organizations from which the Vajpayee Government refuses to distance itself; indeed, its complacence has implicitly sent a message that federal authorities will do little to stop attacks on non-Hindus or interfere with state laws that intimidate Christian evangelism (e.g., among Dalits).
"IRFA dictates that the President ‘shall designate each country the government of which has engaged in or tolerated [severe violations] as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.' Unfortunately, this certainly describes India during the past year, and thus it should be so designated. Accordingly, I dissent from the Commission."
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />
Hon. Elliott Abrams,Chair
- Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh,Vice ChairRabbi David SapersteinLaila Al-Marayati, M.D.Hon. John R. BoltonDean Michael K. YoungArchbishop Theodore E. McCarrickNina SheaJustice Charles Z. SmithAmbassador Robert Seiple,Ex-OfficioSteven T. McFarland,Executive Director
October 24, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Judith Ingram,
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
communications@uscirf.gov
WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomes the release of four Baha"is from a Yemeni prison earlier this week but calls on the U.S. government to urge Yemen to rescind the deportation order against them. The three Iranian nationals and one Iraqi national, all long-time residents of Yemen who had been imprisoned for months without charges, were released on condition that they leave the country within two months.
"The Commission welcomes the Yemeni government"s decision to uphold its obligation under international law to free the four Baha"is,” said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "But the conditionality of the release is deeply troubling and is not in accord with international human rights standards. They should be able to live freely in the society where they and their families have been living and working for 25 years.”
The Commission continues to be concerned over the arrest and jailing of at leastthree Yemeni Christians who are converts from Islam.* According to the State Department, some of the Christians were arrested for "promoting Christianity and distributing the Bible,” although no formal charges have been filed by Yemeni authorities. Since apostasy is a capital crime in Yemen, there is credible fear for the well-being of these imprisoned Christians.
"The arrests over the past five months appear to indicate a new, disturbing trend of government-sanctioned intolerance of religious minorities in Yemen, a trend that must be reversed,” Gaer said.
The Commission reiterates its recommendation that the U.S. government urge the Yemeni government to immediately release all religious prisoners and to reassure Yemeni religious minorities of its obligations to protect freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief as guaranteed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Yemen is a State party. This includes an individual's freedom to "adopt a religion or belief of his choice,” and "manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching.”
*Number based onupdated information as of Oct. 29, 2008.
January 30, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 30, 2018
YEMEN: USCIRF Condemns Death Sentence for Baha’i
USCIRF Chairman Mark calls sentence “unjust and a dangerous precedent for the treatment of religious minorities” in Yemen
WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the death sentence issued by a Houthi court in Yemen earlier this month to Baha’i prisoner of conscience Hamed bin Haydara, who was targeted solely because of his religious beliefs and practice. USCIRF calls for this sentence to be lifted and for Mr. bin Haydara to be released and all charges dropped.
“For years, the case against Mr. bin Haydara has been a miscarriage of justice and a clear assault on religious freedom,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark. “In addition, this sentence represents a dangerous precedent for the treatment of religious minorities within Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.”
Mr. bin Haydara originally was arrested in 2013 on unfounded allegations that he was a spy for Israel and that he attempted to proselytize Muslims, an activity prohibited within the Baha’i community. In 2015, Houthi courts indicted Mr. bin Haydara on baseless charges of encouraging Yemenis to convert from Islam; disseminating Baha’i literature; attempting to create a Baha’i homeland in Yemen; and collaboration with Israel, based on his work with international Baha’i bodies. While enduring years of imprisonment and inconclusive hearings, he was subjected to physical abuse and inadequate medical care. On January 2, 2018, the judge sentenced Mr. bin Haydara to public execution. The verdict also ordered the confiscation of Mr. bin Haydara’s assets and the dissolution of local Baha’i institutions.
Meanwhile, over the past year, the broader Baha’i community has faced mass arrests, raids on homes and offices, forced closure of community organizations, and hostility from officials. At least six Baha’is other than Mr. bin Haydara remain unjustly imprisoned in the capital of Sana’a.
“Criminalizing peaceful religious activity is unlawful under international human rights standards—and just plain wrong. Mr. bin Haydara and all other Yemeni prisoners of conscience should be released immediately and unconditionally, and the broader, systematic oppression of the Baha’i community should cease,” said USCIRF Chairman Mark.
###
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or Isaac Six, Associate Director of Congressional Affairs (ISix@USCIRF.gov +1-202-786-0606).
July 25, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2017
YEMEN: Release Baha’i Prisoners of Conscience in Yemen
USCIRF Calls on Houthis to Cease Harassment of Baha’is
WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is increasingly concerned with the escalation of arrests of members of the Baha’i community in Yemen. USCIRF calls for the immediate release of all Baha’i prisoners of conscience and decries the targeting of individuals based solely on their religion or belief.
“The peaceful Baha’i citizens who have been arrested are engineers, educators, community volunteers, mothers, and children—singled out because of their faith. In prison, they have been pressured to recant their faith, and some have been released only after signing pledges to cease public religious activities,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark. “Such repression is a clear violation of the fundamental right of religious freedom and of international human rights norms, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Yemen is a party.”
The Houthi forces controlling northern Yemen most notably conducted raids and arrests coinciding with a Baha’i-organized youth conference in August 2016 and the Baha’i holy festival of Ridvan in April 2017. The following month, security forces fired at a peaceful assembly of tribal leaders who gathered in support of imprisoned Baha’i community members.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, noted in a May 2017 statement that both the Houthis in Yemen and their allies in the Iranian government have intensified oppression of Baha’is in recent months. This escalation has occurred within the broader context of disintegrating rule of law in Yemen and widespread reports of deteriorating conditions for freedom of religion or belief.
“The Baha’is of Yemen are facing a sustained, systematic campaign to diminish their presence in the country. The longest-serving Baha’i prisoner in Yemen, Hamed bin Haydara, who has been imprisoned since 2013, suffered physical abuse and mistreatment before being indicted under Yemen’s penal code on charges of apostasy and insulting Islam. The charges are unsubstantiated, and any laws that criminalize such activity are illegitimate in any case, as they violate the basic human rights of freedom of religion and expression,” said USCIRF Chairman Mark.
Haydara’s trial date has been postponed repeatedly, most recently until August 1, 2017. USCIRF calls upon the courts to drop all charges against Mr. Haydara and release all Baha’is detained unjustifiably in Yemen.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
October 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2008
Contact: Judith Ingram,
Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127
communications@uscirf.gov
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is concerned about the status of Baha'i and Christian prisoners in Yemen, who have been imprisoned for months without charge and could face severe punishments. Some of the Baha'i prisoners could be deported to Iran, where the Iranian government has imprisoned and tortured Baha'is in recent years. The Christians, who are converts from Islam, could face the death penalty if charged with apostasy. According to sources familiar with the cases, the Baha'is and Christians were detained for sharing their faith.
"It is very troubling that conditions for religious minorities in Yemen appear to have recently deteriorated," noted Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "If the recent raids of Baha'i residences and the arrests of both Christians and Baha'is were carried out because of the religious identity of the targeted individuals, that constitutes a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Yemen is a party."
In June, six Yemeni Baha'is were arrested in the capital city of Sana'a after raids by security officials on several private homes. Two Baha'is, who are Yemeni nationals, have since been released. Of the four individuals remaining in prison, three are Iranian nationals and one is of Iraqi origin. Three of the four in prison have lived in Yemen for at least 25 years. Yemen is a party to the United Nations Convention against Torture, which in Article 3 bans the deportation of a person to a country where he or she is likely to be tortured. However, there still exists the serious concern that the three Iranian Baha'is face imminent deportation to Iran, a country where Baha'is have been executed and today face severe repression.
Since May, at least three Yemeni Christians, who are converts from Islam, have been arrested in Sana'a and Hodeida and remain in prison.* According to the State Department, some of the Christians were arrested for "promoting Christianity and distributing the Bible," although no formal charges have been filed by Yemeni authorities. The Yemeni government prohibits conversion from Islam and the proselytizing of Muslims. Given that apostasy is a crime punishable by death in Yemen, there is credible fear about the well-being of those imprisoned.
Out of a population of some 20 million in Yemen, approximately half are Sunni Muslims and slightly less than half are Shi'a Muslims. Yemen's minority Christian population numbers nearly 3,000 while the Baha'i community numbers just over 200 adherents. There are also approximately 500 Jews and less than 100 Hindus. In its annual survey on international religious freedom which was released last month, the State Department noted that ongoing violence between the government and one rebel faction of Shi'a Muslims in the northern regions have increased tensions along ethnic and religious lines. While Jews have faced harassment and intimidation by the rebel faction in recent years, the role of the central government as a perpetrator of violations of the religious freedom of Yemen's small minority communities has been infrequent. However, several arrests in the past five months appear to indicate a new, disturbing trend of government-sanctioned intolerance towards religious minorities.
The Commission advises the U.S. government to urge the Yemeni government to immediately release all religious prisoners and to reassure Yemeni religious minorities of its support of religious freedom, as defined in the ICCPR. This includes an individual's freedom to "adopt a religion or belief of his choice," and "manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching."
*Number based on updated information as of Oct. 29, 2008.
April 30, 2013
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 Act (IRFA) to monitor religious freedom abuses abroad, today released its 2013 Annual Report. The Report highlights the status of religious freedom globally and identifies those governments that are the most egregious violators.
"The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability. These forces include the rise of violent religious extremism coupled with the actions and inactions of governments. Extremists target religious minorities and dissenters from majority religious communities for violence, including physical assaults and even murder. Authoritarian governments also repress religious freedom through intricate webs of discriminatory rules, arbitrary requirements and draconian edicts,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF's Chair.
The 2013 Annual Report recommends that the Secretary of State re-designate the following eight nations as "countries of particular concern” or CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. USCIRF finds that seven other countries meet the CPC threshold and should be so designated: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.
"The Annual Report ultimately is about people and how their governments treat them. Violations affect members of diverse religious communities around the world, be they Rohinghya Muslims in Burma, Coptic Christians in Egypt, Buddhists, Uighur Muslims and Falun Gong in China, Baha'is in Iran, Ahmadis and Christians in Pakistan, or Muslims in Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and in non-Muslim nations like Russia. We recommend that the White House adopt a whole-of-government strategy to guide U.S. religious freedom promotion and that Secretary of State Kerry promptly designate CPCs, before currently designated actions expire later this year,” said Lantos Swett.
In Burma, ongoing political reforms have yet to significantly improve the situation for freedom of religion and belief. Sectarian violence and severe abuses of religious freedom and human dignity targeting ethnic minority Christians and Muslims continue to occur with impunity.
In Egypt, despite some progress during a turbulent political transition, the government has failed or been slow to protect from violence religious minorities, particularly Coptic Christians. The government continues to prosecute, convict, and imprison individuals for "contempt” or "defamation” of religion, and the new constitution includes several problematic provisions relevant to religious freedom.
In both Pakistan and Nigeria, religious extremism and impunity have factored into unprecedented levels of violence that threaten the long-term viability of both nations. Targeted violence against Shi'i Muslims in Pakistan is pervasive, while repeated Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria exacerbate sectarian tensions.
"Many of these countries top the U.S. foreign policy agenda, and religion is a core component in their makeup. Successful U.S. foreign policy recognizes the critical role religious freedom plays in each of these nations and prioritizes accordingly. Religious freedom is both a pivotal human right under international law and a key factor that helps determine whether a nation experiences stability or chaos,” said Lantos Swett.
USCIRF also announced the placement of eight nations on its Tier 2 List for 2013. The Tier 2 category replaces the Watch List designation USCIRF previously used. These nations are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia. USCIRF found the violations these governments engage in or tolerate are particularly severe, and meet at least one criterion, but not all, of IRFA's three-fold "systematic, ongoing, egregious” CPC standard.
In Russia, religious freedom conditions suffered major setbacks in the context of growing human rights abuses. In Indonesia, the country's rich tradition of religious tolerance and pluralism is seriously threatened by arrests of individuals the government considers religiously deviant and violence perpetrated by extremist groups. Federal and provincial officials, police, courts, and religious leaders often tolerate and abet the conduct of religious freedom abusers.
The USCIRF report also highlights the status of religious freedom in countries/regions that do not meet the Tier 1 (CPC) or Tier 2 threshold. These include: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Ethiopia, Turkey, Venezuela and Western Europe. The Annual Report also addresses in-depth thematic issues: Constitutional Changes; Severe Religious Freedom Violations by Non-State Actors; Laws against Blasphemy and Defamation of Religions; Imprisonment of Conscientious Objectors; Legal Retreat from Religious Freedom in Post-Communist Countries; Kidnapping and Forced Religious De-Conversion in Japan; and Religious Freedom Issues in International Organizations.
ABOUT USCIRF
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government advisory body with its commissioners appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in Congress. The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that the United States annually designate as CPCs countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. IRFA also tasks USCIRF with assessing conditions in these and other countries and making recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
In accordance with IRFA, USCIRF uses international standards, as found in UN conventions and declarations, for assessing religious freedom conditions.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCRIF at (202) 523-3258 or media@uscirf.gov