Jul 14, 2022
Last month, USCIRF traveled to Abuja, Nigeria and met with Nigerian and U.S. government officials, religious communities, civil society representatives, and human rights defenders to assess religious freedom conditions and discuss threats facing Nigerians of a range of faiths and worldviews. The trip came following the U.S. State Department’s November 2021 decision to remove Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of international religious freedom after designating it as a CPC for the first time in 2020.
Commissioner Frederick A. Davie, who led that USCIRF delegation, joins us today to discuss his key takeaways from the trip and insight into USCIRF’s continued recommendation of Nigeria as a CPC.
Jul 14, 2022
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Repression in Iran
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:
Iran Country Update – This country update reports on widespread religious repression in Iran. Baha’is, Christian converts, Sunnis, and Gonabadi Sufis in particular continue to face ongoing violations of their freedom of religion or belief. The Iranian government continues its widescale arrests of Baha’is, and despite a Supreme Court decision to the contrary, courts in Iran continue to convict Christians on national security charges for membership in house churches. The country update also notes the violation of religious freedom for women in Iran, including a recent crackdown on women not observing mandatory religious head covering laws, and lenient punishments rooted in religion for the perpetrators of so-called “honor killings.” It also notes the religious grounding of laws making Iran one of the few countries that actively executes gay men, and outlawing sexual contact between women.
In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S State Department designate Iran as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. USCIRF recently held a hearing on “State-Sanctioned Religious Freedom Violations and Coercion by Saudi Arabia and Iran” and highlighted the situation for religious prisoners of conscience in Iran on an episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast.
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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 [email protected].
Additional Name(s): Lê Thanh Nhị Nguyên
Gender: Male
Current Location: Long An Detention Center, Long An
Perpetrator: Vietnam
Ethnic Group: Kinh
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Unspecified/Other
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 3 Years, 6 Months' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: May/27/2022
Date of Sentencing: July/21/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Online Activity Religious Activity Unregistered Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Subversion
Le Thanh Nhi Nguyen is imprisoned for his religious activity and expression.
On May 27, 2022, authorities arrested Nguyen, a member of the THIÊN AM BÊN BỜ VŨ TRỤ (TABBVT) Buddhist Monastery (also known as Tinh That Bong Lai and Thien Am at the Edge of the Universe), an independent Buddhist community, and charged him with “abusing democratic freedoms” (Art. 331/2015 VCC). In January 2022, other members of the monastery were questioned and arrested after authorities accused it of taking advantage of religion and philanthropy for their own personal benefit. A complaint against the monastery was reportedly submitted by the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the state-backed religious entity, and Thich Nhat Tu, a member of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam’s board of directors.
On June 9, 2022, Nguyen was formally indicted, with authorities accusing him and others of creating videos and authoring an article insulting to the Duc Hoa District Police, the Buddhist Church of Vietnam in Long An province, and Thich Nhat Tu.
On July 21, 2022, the Duc Hoa District People's Court sentenced Nguyen to three years and six months in prison.
In late 2022, an appeals court reportedly upheld Nguyen's sentence.
Related Cases: Le Tung Van, Le Thanh Trung Duong, Le Thanh Hoan Nguyen, Le Thanh Nhat Nguyen, Cao Thi Cuc
“Le Thanh Nhi Nguyen” The Project 88
IRFBA Chair’s Statement on Vietnamese Religious Prisoners of Conscience: Lê Tùng Vân, Lê Thanh Trùng Dương, Lê Thanh Hoàn Nguyên, Lê Thanh Nhất Nguyên, Cao Thị Cúc, and Lê Thanh Nhị Nguyên U.S. Department of State
Negative Impacts of Religious Persecution on Ten Child Monks at Thiền Am Bên Bờ Vũ Trụ (TABBVT) Boat People SOS (BPSOS)
"Vietnamese religious leader appeals five-year sentence" Radio Free Asia (RFA)
"Elderly man jailed for 'abusing democratic freedoms'" Vn Express International
“Vụ Tịnh thất Bồng Lai: Người thứ sáu bị khởi tố với cáo buộc ‘lợi dụng quyền tự do dân chủ’” Radio Free Asia (RFA)
“Vụ tịnh thất Bồng Lai: Luật sư gửi báo cáo khẩn lên trung ương đòi điều tra công an huyện Đức Hòa” Radio Free Asia (RFA)
“Vụ Tịnh thất Bồng Lai: Ban hành cáo trạng với thời gian nhanh kỷ lục là chưa thỏa đáng!” Radio Free Asia (RFA)
“Vụ Tịnh thất Bồng Lai: Năm luật sư bào chữa tiếp cận được ông Lê Tùng Vân” Radio Free Asia (RFA)
“Tịnh Thất Bồng Lai: Bốn người bị khởi tố tội 'lợi dụng quyền tự do dân chủ'” British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
“Long An: four men prosecuted for abusing rights to freedom and democracy” Vietnam Plus