USCIRF Welcomes Release of Religious Prisoner of Conscience Dennis Christensen

Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the release of prisoner of conscience Dennis Christensen. Christensen was released from a Russian penal colony on May 24, 2022.

“After enduring years of unjust imprisonment and inhumane living conditions—all for the peaceful exercise of his faith—Dennis Christensen is a free man,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel, who advocated for Christensen as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience (RPOC) Project. “We are elated to see Mr. Christensen finally permitted to leave the country and return to his native Denmark.”

Since the Russian Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses an extremist organization and banned their activities in 2017, authorities have consistently targeted, arrested, and imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses on groundless charges of “extremism” in connection with their peaceful religious activities. In 2021 alone, the Russian state convicted 105 Jehovah’s Witnesses, including elderly and disabled members, as well as those residing in Russia-occupied Crimea in Ukraine.

On May 25, 2017, Russian authorities arrested Christensen following a raid on a Jehovah’s Witness worship service in Oryol, Russia. On February 6, 2019, a district court found Christensen guilty of organizing “extremist” activities and sentenced him to six years in prison at a penal colony.

“Unfortunately, Dennis Christensen is not the only member of a religious community whom Russia has unjustifiably incarcerated on bogus allegations of involvement in an ‘extremist’ or terrorist group,” added Vice Chair Turkel. “The Russian government should immediately release all those it has imprisoned for their peaceful religious practice or affiliation and put an end to its persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities.”

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Russia as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In November 2021, the State Department designated Russia as a CPC for the first time. USCIRF recently highlighted religious freedom conditions under Russia in a Backgrounder documenting domestic religious freedom violations in the country and the use of similar tactics to expand Russian influence in Belarus and repress opposition to its occupation of Crimea in Ukraine. USCIRF also produced a series of Spotlight podcast episodes on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, focusing on Russia’s “Denazification” narrative and religious regulation framework.

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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]. 

USCIRF Welcomes Senator Mitch McConnell’s Appointments of Abraham Cooper and Eric Ueland to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Washington, DC – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced on June 8 the appointments of Abraham Cooper and Eric Ueland to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). USCIRF welcomed the newly appointed Commissioners who will be instrumental in continuing the promotion of religious freedom abroad.

Abraham Cooper is the Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), which he co-founded. He is also a founder of the Global Forum on Anti-Semitism. As an acknowledged expert on online hate and terrorism, Abraham Cooper has a distinguished career defending the rights of the Jewish people, combating terrorism, and promoting multi-faith relations worldwide. He has been ranked by Newsweek among the 50 most influential rabbis in America, alongside USCIRF Commissioner Sharon Kleinbaum.

Among his other roles, Eric Ueland is a Public Advisor for the Paragon Health Institute. In 2020-21, Ueland served as the Senior Official (Acting Undersecretary) for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the Department of State, after some time as a Senior Advisor and then Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. Formerly, he served as the Director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources at the Department of State, a Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and then the Director of Legislative Affairs.

USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. Last month, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reappointed Nury Turkel; Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) reappointed Frederick Davie; and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) appointed Frank R. Wolf and David G. Curry to the Commission.

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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].