| USCIRF

Oct 12, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 12, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom today expressed disappointment that the UN Human Rights Council concluded its latest session without extending the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief, and urged the U.S. government to take more vigorous action to support and advocate for the renewal of a strong mandate for the Special Rapporteur.

The Special Rapporteur is the independent expert who investigates and reports to the UN on violations of the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief around the world. Since the United States successfully championed its creation in 1986, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur has been a vital tool in the international protection of this fundamental freedom. The decision on the mandate's extension is now expected to be taken at the Human Rights Council's next meeting, which will begin on December 10.

At the session, the European Union had proposed a draft resolution on freedom of religion that would have extended the Special Rapporteur's mandate for three years. However, the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) refused to support the measure unless language on "defamation of religion" was added. As a result of this dispute, action was deferred until December.

"The Commission is deeply concerned by the increasing pressure in international institutions, including the Human Rights Council, to shift the focus from protecting religious freedom to halting so-called ‘defamation of religion,'" said Commission Chair Michael Cromartie. The supporters of this concept-typically governments that prohibit religious pluralism at home-claim that their aim is to promote religious tolerance. In practice, however, this approach seeks to suppress what these governments deem, often capriciously, to be "offensive" or "unacceptable" speech about a particular, favored religion, and even to justify violent reactions to this purportedly offensive speech. Prohibitions on defamation of religion thus both embolden extremists and deter dissenters. They also violate the principles outlined in international human rights instruments, which guarantee the right of everyone to freedom of expression as well as to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, and they improperly seek to protect groups at the expense of the rights of the individual.

As the Special Rapporteur has explained,

criminalizing defamation of religion can be counterproductive. The rigorous protection of religions as such may create an atmosphere of intolerance and can give rise to fear and may even provoke the chances of a backlash. . . . As a limit to freedom of expression and information, it can also limit scholarship on religious issues and may asphyxiate honest debate or research.¹

This multilateral campaign is an alarming attempt by its proponents to extend their national blasphemy laws into the international arena, despite these laws' incompatibility with universal human rights norms," Cromartie said. For example, in Pakistan-the leader of the OIC in the Human Rights Council-the domestic law makes blasphemy against Islam a criminal offense subject to severe penalties, including death. These broad provisions have been abused by extremists to intimidate members of religious minorities and others with whom they disagree, as well as by the unscrupulous simply to carry out a vendetta or gain an advantage over another person. Blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, which often are false, have resulted in the lengthy detention of, as well as threats of violence and actual violence against, the accused persons. Even persons who have been acquitted of blasphemy have been forced into hiding or to flee the country because of fears of vigilante violence.

The Commission is disappointed that the U.S. government failed to speak out on these important issues in the Council at the recent session. In previous sessions, the United States had made strong statements to the Council in support of the Special Rapporteur's mandate and against the concept of defamation of religion. It is our understanding that the U.S. government's position on the substance of these matters has not changed. Rather, there has been a decision, based on dissatisfaction with the performance of the Human Rights Council, to downgrade significantly the participation of the United States.

It is unfortunate that this decision led to a failure to engage on the renewal of the Special Rapporteur's mandate. Although the Special Rapporteurs do owe their existence to the Council, they are independent investigators. Indeed, the investigations and reports of the various Special Rapporteurs force the Council at least to hear about serious human rights violations in countries that many Council members, for political reasons, would prefer to ignore. They also serve the vital function of bringing these situations to public attention. It is not the fault of the Special Rapporteurs that the Council has not taken action on many of these situations.

Now that the issue has been deferred until December, the Commission strongly urges the United States to re-engage on the Special Rapporteur's mandate and the OIC's attempt to include defamation of religion therein. "Regardless of its views about the Council, the United States should not remain silent on these crucial matters concerning the promotion and protection of religious freedom worldwide," said Cromartie. "As it has in the past, the U.S. government should speak out publicly at the Council, as well as work with allies in the Council, to ensure that the Special Rapporteur's mandate continues to focus on the universal rights of every individual to free thought, conscience, and religion or belief and to be free from intolerance or discrimination based on religion or belief, rather than on the purported right of any religion or religions not to be defamed.

The Commission also urges the U.S. government, at the current UN General Assembly session, to support a strong resolution on freedom of religion or belief and against intolerance and discrimination on those bases, as well as to oppose any resolution on defamation of religion, as it did at the last Assembly session.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene, further to Human Rights Council decision 1/107 on incitement to racial and religious hatred and the promotion of tolerance, A/HRC/2/3, 20 September 2006, paragraph 42.

¹Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene, further to Human Rights Council decision 1/107 on incitement to racial and religious hatred and the promotion of tolerance, A/HRC/2/3, 20 September 2006, paragraph 42

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.

Michael Cromartie,Chair•Preeta D. Bansal,Vice Chair•Richard D. Land, Vice Chair•Don Argue•Imam Talal Y. Eid•Felice D. Gaer•Leonard A. Leo•Elizabeth H. Prodromou•Nina Shea•Ambassador John V. Hanford III,Ex-Officio

Oct 4, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 4, 2007

Contact:
Judith Ingram, Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127

WASHINGTON-The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom calls for immediate international action to condemn the Burmese government's brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators including Buddhist monks, to hold the government accountable for its actions, and to provide protection to Burmese citizens seeking to exercise their religious freedom and related human rights. The Commission urges an immediate, independent investigation into the crackdown.

The Commission also urges the United States to continue pressing for effective international condemnation of Burma's actions, including through the United Nations Security Council, and a clear timetable, with repercussions, for the junta if it does not act immediately to end all attacks on and arrests of peaceful demonstrators, release all political prisoners including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and hold accountable those in the military leadership who carried out the crackdown. .

The United States should demand an urgent investigation into disturbing reports that scores, and possibly more, peaceful demonstrators have been killed-far more than the death toll of 10 that the government has announced. The independent investigation should also quickly establish the fate of the thousands of monks and other demonstrators who reportedly have been seized and remain unaccounted for. According to a U.S. diplomatic source quoted in the press, many monasteries around the capital are ominously empty. .

The Commission is traveling to Southeast Asia in two weeks. We propose that the delegation be permitted to visit Burma to investigate the whereabouts and conditions of the Burmese who have disappeared. .

In addition to the action it has already taken on Burma-sending a special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, to Burma and holding a special session of the Human Rights Council on Burma on Tuesday-the UN should establish a monitoring mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights inside Burma. .

Since 1999, the U.S. government has designated Burma as a "country of particular concern" (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. In its 2007 Annual Report, the Commission detailed severe religious freedom violations in Burma including repression of ethnic minority Christians and Muslims and ongoing restrictions on Buddhist monks. .

The killing, jailing, and beating of Buddhist monks-who play an important public role as the keepers and protectors of Buddhist values for the nation-continue the pattern of serious religious freedom abuses perpetuated by the Burmese military. Over the past 15 years, the military junta has closely controlled the Buddhist hierarchy, jailed or defrocked monks who have criticized government policies, and used military courts to try monks who urged reconciliation with pro-democracy forces. In addition, hundreds of monks were among the more than 3,000 people who human rights groups estimate were killed during demonstrations in 1988 and 1990. Because of those actions, there is residual distrust of Burma's ruling junta among many of the younger monks, despite the government's attempts to promote Buddhism and court the favor of senior monks. .

"The decision to fire upon peaceful demonstrators and to kill and jail Buddhist monks shows the Burmese military's complete contempt for the most basic human rights," said Commission Chair Michael Cromartie. "The international community should hold the military leaders accountable. New sanctions need to be fully enforced and supported by Burma's neighbors, diplomats should have immediate access to all prisoners, and the UN should also establish a monitoring mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights inside Burma." .

Regrettably, the international response has not always been unified, as China, Russia, and South Africa have refused to support UN Security Council action against Burma. Moreover, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have in the past been reluctant to condemn human rights violations by member states, citing a desire not to interfere in their internal affairs. Still, effective multilateral strategies must be pursued. The Commission urges the U.S. government to press China to allow urgent UN Security Council action, including providing support for reconciliation talks between Aung Sang Sui Kyi's National League for Democracy Party (NLD) and the military junta. .

In addition, the Commission urges the U.S. government to construct a coalition of Asian democratic states such as India, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines to recommend joint action and construct a road map that outlines steps Burma needs to take before economic and political sanctions will be removed. By working with like-minded states on a common approach that pools collective sticks and carrots in a systematic way, the United States can help ensure that the military junta in Burma will find it harder to ignore its neighbors' collective will. .

"The U.S. cannot ‘outsource' this diplomatic problem to China. Building a coalition of democracies that includes our closest allies in Asia will be a powerful voice for change over stability," Cromartie said. "Moreover, by building such a coalition to address government acts of violence in Burma, we will help move our allies toward strategies that strengthen the prospect for continued democratization, the protection of religious freedom, and the adoption of the rule of law across the entire region." .

The Commission, a bipartisan, independent federal agency, continues to urge the U.S. government to continue to enforce sanctions while providing assistance to empower Burmese civil society groups that organize humanitarian assistance, conduct human rights documentation efforts, and provide public advocacy, leadership, and legal training to Burmese and ethnic Burmese living outside Burma. .

Sep 19, 2007

Dirksen Senate Office Building

September 19, 2007

Summary

Agenda

Opening Remarks - Michael Cromartie, Commission Chair

Remarks - Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Remarks - Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)

Remarks - Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY)

Panel

Dr. Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle East Affairs, Congressional Research Service
Prepared Testimony
Dr. Judith Yaphe, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies
Prepared Testimony
Hon. Ellen R. Sauerbrey, Assistant Secretary of State
Prepared Testimony
Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins,, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations
Prepared Testimony
Dana Graber Ladek, Iraq Displacement Specialist, International Organization for Migration
Prepared Testimony

Multimedia

VIDEO FILE: Panel 1: Causes and Consequences of Sectarian Violence
Dr. Kenneth Katzman
Dr. Judith Yaphe

VIDEO FILE: Panel II: U.S. Refugee Policy
Hon. Ellen Sauerbrey
Hon. Anne Convery

VIDEO FILE: Panel III: Iraq's Burgeoning Refugee Crisis
Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins
Ms. Dana Graber Ladek

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