May 10

WHEN:

May 10th 10:30am - May 10th 12:00pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Freedom of Religion or belief in Syria

Tuesday, May 10, 2022
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Virtual Hearing

Hearing Transcript

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a virtual hearing that examined current conditions in Syria affecting freedom of religion or belief, and highlighted opportunities for U.S. policy to support Syria’s diverse religious and ethnic communities in formulating a political solution for the country.

Religious freedom in Syria remains threatened from numerous quarters. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad systematically discriminates against members of religious groups outside the President’s own Alawi branch of Islam, destroys religious minorities’ houses of worship during clashes with opposition groups, and actively strips both religious minorities and the Sunni Muslim majority of their autonomy and religious authority. Armed opposition forces and militant Islamist groups target vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities in their attempts to wrest power from the Assad regime and one another. The al-Qaeda offshoot Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) continues to brutalize and displace religious minority communities in the northwestern region of Idlib, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has increased its presence in eastern Syria, waging almost daily attacks and destabilizing the region for religious minorities. Turkish-supported Syrian armed opposition groups leverage their Turkish financing and military support to wage campaigns of religious and ethnic cleansing in Afrin.

In contrast, there are promising environments for religious freedom and intrareligious cooperation in Syria, including areas in the north and east governed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

What is the status of religious freedom in each of Syria’s regions and under each of these political authorities?  How can U.S. government policy support Syrian-led efforts to create a political solution for the country that encompasses and actively advances religious freedom? Witnesses documented religious freedom conditions throughout the country and made recommendations for U.S. policy in relation to religious freedom in Syria.  

Opening Remarks

  • Nadine Maenza, Chair, USCIRF
    Written Remarks
  • Sharon Kleinbaum, Commissioner, USCIRF
    Written Remarks
  • Ethan Goldrich, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Panel I - Interview by Chair Maenza

Panel II

  • Thomas Pierret, Senior Researcher, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence, France
    Written Testimony
  • Max Hoffman, Director, National Security and International Policy, Center for American Progress 
    Written Testimony
  • David Phillips, Director, Peacebuilding, and Rights Program, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University
    Written Testimony
  • Dastan Jasim, Doctoral Researcher, German Institute for Global and Area Studies; Doctoral Student, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
    Written Testimony

Apr 27, 2022

Frederick A. Davie Reappointed as USCIRF Commissioner

Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has reappointed Commissioner Frederick A. Davie to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for an additional two-year term, ending in 2024.

“Commissioner Davie’s insight and knowledge are a valuable asset to USCIRF’s work. His personal commitment to international religious freedom has enhanced our work and contributed to USCIRF’s policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress,” stated USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza. “On behalf of the Commission, we are thrilled that he will be continuing to share his expertise for another two-year term.”

Commissioner Davie was initially appointed to USCIRF by Senator Schumer in June 2020 for a two-year term. During his first term, for example, he  advocated for Nigerians Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience project. He participated in virtual USCIRF Conversations on Algeria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and North Korea. Commissioner Davie also joined an episode of USCIRF’s Spotlight Podcast and discussed Why the State Department Should Re-designate Nigeria as a CPC.

He currently serves as Senior Advisor for Racial Equity at Interfaith America, where his oversees the organization’s Black Interfaith Project, the Vote is Sacred program and other interfaith related racial equity initiatives. He is also Senior Strategic Advisor to the President at Union Theological Seminary, where he had served as Executive Vice President for a decade. As Senior Strategic Advisor, he provides counsel on public programming, racial justice and racial equity, and social justice and community engagement. Commissioner Davie is also a Presbyterian minister in the Presbytery of New York City.

“It is an honor to continue to serve on USCIRF,” said USCIRF Commissioner Davie. “USCIRF just published its 2022 Annual Report yesterday, of which I am proud to have taken part. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow commissioners and the USCIRF professional staff to promote freedom of religion or belief abroad.”

USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives.

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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].

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: China

Religion or Belief: Falun Gong

Reports of Torture: Yes

Reports of Medical Neglect: Yes

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 7 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Sentencing: September/28/2019

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity

Nature of Charges: Cult

Tan Quicheng

Extra Bio Info:

Tan Quicheng is imprisoned for his religious activity.

In 2019, authorities arrested Tan reportedly for practicing Falun Gong.

On September 28, 2019, the Lishu County Court of Siping City, Jilin, sentenced Tan to seven years in prison for "organizing or using a cult to undermine implementation of the law" (Art. 300 CCL).

On April 30, 2021, the Siping City Intermediate Court rejected Tan's appeal.

Tan has reportedly been tortured while imprisoned for not renouncing his religious activity. The torture has led to a deterioration of Tan's health. 

Tan has been previously imprisoned for his religious activity.  In 1999, Tan was arrested and later sentenced to one year in prison. In 2001, Tan was arrested again and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2002  after being declared a recidivist.

Sources:
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