Apr 27, 2023
USCIRF Condemns Russia’s Closure of the SOVA Center
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) denounced Russia’s forcible closure of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, a nongovernmental organization that conducts research on freedom of religion or belief issues in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea. Today, the Moscow City Court ordered SOVA’s liquidation after the Ministry of Justice claimed it had violated its charter by participating in activities outside of Moscow.
“For more than two decades, SOVA has thoroughly documented Russian religious freedom violations, particularly through the use of problematic legislation such as Russia’s extremism law. Amid the Russian government’s incessant efforts to decimate civil society and censor independent media, SOVA courageously and tirelessly reported on routine violations committed against Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestant Christians, and others,” said Vice Chair Abraham Cooper. “SOVA’s closure has nothing to do with enforcing the ‘rule of law’ but rather is a blatant attempt to silence independent reporting and shield the Russian government from accountability for its myriad of human rights abuses.”
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the human rights situation in Russia has deteriorated severely as authorities have continued to clamp down on human rights organizations, religious minorities, and opponents to the war. In 2022, the government shut down the Memorial Human Rights Center following several court orders and revoked the registration of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. In January 2023, a court similarly ordered the closure of the Moscow Helsinki Group, the country’s oldest human rights organization. In recent months, authorities have increasingly engaged in efforts to intimidate and silence human rights defenders.
“SOVA’s closure comes amid an unprecedented crackdown on human rights organizations and independent media in Russia, including those documenting freedom of religion or belief violations. More and more, the Russian government has leveraged its laws on foreign agents, undesirable organizations, discrediting the armed forces, and even ‘rehabilitating Nazism’ to sabotage the critical work these organizations do,” said Commissioner Sharon Kleinbaum. “The discontinuation of SOVA’s work will be a huge loss for the Russian people and religious freedom advocates. We urge the U.S. government to support independent Russian civil society actors, including those in exile.”
In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the U.S. government redesignate Russia as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In November 2022, the U.S. Department of State redesignated Russia as a CPC. In March of this year, USCIRF held a hearing on Russia’s religious freedom violations in Ukraine and Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
###
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].
Apr 27, 2023
USCIRF Releases New Report on Abuses against Fulani Muslim Civilians
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on abuses against Fulani Muslim civilians and their implications for religious freedom in west and central Africa.
Abuses against Fulani Muslim Civilians – Across west and central Africa, escalating violence and abuses against Fulani Muslim civilians are negatively impacting religious freedom for many communities. Governments and state-backed forces in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic (CAR), Benin, and Togo have targeted Fulani Muslim civilians with violence and human rights abuses based on their ethnoreligious identity or assumptions regarding their religious beliefs. Some governments have strategically exploited Muslim sites and holidays to target and commit abuses against Fulani Muslims. This issue update documents common abuses against Fulani Muslim civilians and their implications for religious freedom in west and central Africa.
###
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 [email protected].
Apr 25, 2023
This op-ed was originally published by The Diplomat on April 25, 2023.
By USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel & Commissioner Eric Ueland
The visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief provides a unique opportunity for increased engagement and the potential for positive reform.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, completed her first official country visit last week, to Tajikistan. This visit comes nearly two years after her predecessor cancelled a planned trip to the country after the government failed to extend an official invitation. Ghanea’s visit is a fresh opportunity for Tajikistan to address its many shortcomings on protecting the fundamental right of freedom of religion or belief. Since 2012, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Tajikistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” or CPC, for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. The State Department has designated it as a CPC since 2016, most recently in November 2022.
In 2009, religious freedom in Tajikistan declined sharply after the government’s adoption of several highly restrictive laws. Religious groups suddenly had to undergo a more burdensome and intrusive registration process that, if denied, rendered their religious activities illegal and meant great personal risk of fines or even prison. Even more shocking for families was a ban on children participating in any organized religious activities such as prayers or education. Today, the government continues to control and surveil all religious activity, including publishing or selling religious literature, wearing religious clothing, and other outward expressions of devotion. It also represses religious freedom in the guise of “extremism” charges leveled at individuals for the nonviolent practice of their faith. For example, last July Imam Muzaffar Davlatmirov was detained, hastily charged, and then convicted in a secret trial for “public calls for extremist activity” after he held funeral prayers for protesters killed by the government. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Similarly, authorities have imprisoned Jehovah’s Witness Shamil Khakimov since 2019 on spurious charges of “inciting religious hatred.”
Over the past decade, Tajikistan’s repression of religion has most widely affected the majority Sunni Muslim population. In the past year, however, the government has newly cracked down on the Ismaili Shi’a Muslim minority, closing religious schools and bookshops and enforcing bans on private prayer meetings. In addition, the country’s small Christian population finds it difficult to register their communities and so are forced to worship in secret. The UN Special Rapporteur’s visit to the country offers an opportunity to better understand the conditions facing religious communities in Tajikistan.
Engagement with the UN Special Rapporteur and other international actors has played a key role in advancing freedom of religion or belief elsewhere in the region. For example, in 2017, Uzbekistan welcomed the visit of then Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, whose recommendations to improve the country’s religious freedom landscape led the Uzbek government to adopt a “road map” for reform. Uzbekistan largely ended police raids on religious minorities, consulted with international experts to revise its own problematic religion law, and eased some restrictions on religious groups’ ability to practice and express their beliefs. Although Uzbekistan continues to severely violate religious freedom—most notably by imprisoning Muslims for “unauthorized” religious activities—leading to USCIRF’s continued recommendation for its inclusion on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL), its government has nonetheless made perceptible progress that will hopefully continue.
Similarly, since 2019 Kazakhstan has engaged with the United States on these issues through the U.S.-Kazakhstan Religious Freedom Working Group, a forum for discussions on its restrictive legislation, religious prisoners of conscience, and the targeting of individuals who do not adhere to “traditional” religions or state-sanctioned Islam. Most recently, the working group provided extensive feedback on amendments to the country’s 2011 religion law that contributed to some modest changes. USCIRF continues to encourage the government of Kazakhstan to adopt additional amendments with the wide-ranging changes necessary to comply with international human rights standards. While Kazakhstan continues to engage in conversations with international actors, including USCIRF, its reforms to date remain insufficient for USCIRF to discontinue recommending its inclusion on the SWL as well.
Ample room remains for Central Asian countries to reform their respective spaces for freedom of religion or belief, and engagement on these key issues is an important first step. Tajikistan’s willingness to host the Special Rapporteur offers the government a unique opportunity to receive recommendations from an independent expert, reassess its practices, and bring its policies in line with international human rights standards. Doing so would be in the government’s self-interest and would benefit those who simply seek to worship freely and without fear in Tajikistan.