Apr 30, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2015 | USCIRF

 

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2015 Annual Report.  This year’s report, the 16th since the Commission’s creation in 1998, documents religious freedom violations in 33 countries, makes country-specific recommendations, and assesses the U.S. government’s implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

"Not a day goes by without at least one country from these lists appearing on the front page of a major newspaper.  Humanitarian crises fueled by waves of terror, intimidation and violence have engulfed an alarming number of countries over the past year,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.

“With serious religious freedom violations occurring all around the world, these horrors speak volumes about how and why religious freedom and the protection of the rights of vulnerable religious communities matter.  All nations should care about abuses beyond their borders not only for humanitarian reasons but because what goes on in other nations rarely remains there.  The full recognition of religious freedom is a critical guarantor of the safety, security and survival of the persecuted and vulnerable.”

USCIRF, in its role as an independent U.S. federal government advisory body, recommends that the State Department add eight more nations to its list of “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, where  particularly severe violations of religious freedom are perpetrated or tolerated.  These countries are:

USCIRF also recommends that the State Department redesignate as CPCs the following nine countries and take additional actions to promote religious freedom:

Along with recommending CPC designations, USCIRF also places 10 countries on its 2015 “Tier 2” list, a Commission designation for governments that engage in or tolerate violations that are serious but not CPC-level.   USCIRF urges increased U.S. government attention to the following countries:

The USCIRF Report also highlights religious freedom concerns in countries that do not meet Tier 1 (CPC) or Tier 2 thresholds, but should also be the focus of concern.  These countries are:

Click here to view the full 2015 Annual Report.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using #USCIRF2015

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-9812.

 

Apr 23, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2015 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today solemnly marks the 100 year anniversary of the tragic killing of over one million Armenians in what is now modern-day Turkey. USCIRF recognizes the profound significance of this day and the deep wounds it continues to evoke for the Armenian people, and the other religious and ethnic communities who were victims of the horrible events of 1915.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government advisory commission that issues reports, recommendations, and statements independent of the executive branch.

“During World War I, in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish forces motivated by extreme nationalist fervor systematically killed and deported Armenians, Greek Orthodox Christians, Assyrian Christians, and others,” said USCIRF Vice Chair, James J. Zogby.

Historians, religious leaders, and many governments recognize that well over one million people were killed or died. Most recently, during a Sunday mass commemorating the anniversary, Pope Francis said that the 1915 events were “the first genocide of the 20th century.”

“Remembering and acknowledging the terrible evil that took place 100 years ago is especially important given the crimes against humanity – including acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing and religiously-motivated violence – that are taking place today in many parts of the world, especially in Syria and Iraq. On this day, the United States government and all like-minded countries that believe in the fundamental importance of human rights and religious freedom should state publicly and clearly that perpetrators of such heinous crimes will be held accountable,” stated USCIRF Vice Chair, Robert P. George.

“Our hope is that on this day individuals, religious and ethnic communities, and governments around the world will reflect deeply on this dark chapter in world history. Without open acknowledgement that these events took place and their significance, a new sense of mutual reconciliation and collaboration will not emerge,” said USCIRF Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.

USCIRF, an independent U.S. government commission, was created to monitor religious freedom violations abroad, and provide policy recommendations to the United States government on ways international religious freedom can be best protected, promoted, and improved through U.S. foreign policy. USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report will be released on April 30th and will be found at www.uscirf.gov.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

Religious freedom conditions in the Central African Republic (CAR) have not significantly improved, despite the government and 14 nonstate armed groups signing a new Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation (also referred to as the “Khartoum Agreement”). Thousands of Central Africans have been displaced over the past eight years, as militias organized, in part, along religious lines, target entire communities for violence and persecution based on their religious beliefs.

Source: People are pictured on the shores of the Ubangi River where goods are ferried across from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the capital Bangui, REUTERS / Modola

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