FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2013 | By USCIRF

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is deeply concerned by reports that Raif Badawi, a Saudi website editor, was convicted and sentenced on July 29 to seven years in prison and 600 lashes on blasphemy and other charges that violate international human rights standards. USCIRF also welcomed the US Department of State raising concerns about Mr. Badawi's conviction at a July 30 press briefing.

"The only thing Mr. Badawi appears to be guilty of is creating a platform on the Internet for religious debate in Saudi Arabia, a right he is guaranteed to under international law. All charges should be dropped and Mr. Badawi should be released immediately and unconditionally," said USCIRF Chairman Robert George.

The editor of the Free Saudi Liberals website, Mr. Badawi was arrested in Jeddah in June 2012 and charged with apostasy, "insulting Islam through electronic channels," and "going beyond the realm of obedience." In January 2013, a Saudi court determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue an apostasy charge, which carries the death penalty in the Kingdom. According to Mr. Badawi's lawyer, the court ordered the website to be shutdown.

"Religious freedom is severely restricted in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government bans most forms of public religious expression other than that of the government's own interpretation of one school of Sunni Islam and uses criminal charges of apostasy and blasphemy to suppress discussion and debate and silence dissidents," said Dr. George.

In a separate case, Saudi blogger Hamza Kashgari, detained without charge by Saudi authorities since February 2012, continues to face possible apostasy and blasphemy charges. During a USCIRF visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Saudi officials stated that Mr. Kashgari was detained because he wrote statements on Twitter which "disturbed the public order," a crime in the Kingdom. Mr. Kashgari disputes these charges. Officials claimed that he continues to be held for his own safety because many Saudi citizens have called for his death and that he is being "educated" to express his opinions without arousing conflict or injuring the feelings of others.

USCIRF again recommended in 2013 that Saudi Arabia be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, despite the Saudi government's progress over the past year on some policies and practices. Although the State Department has designated Saudi Arabia as a CPC since 2004, the Department put into place an indefinite waiver on taking any action in consequence of the CPC designation. USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. government replace the indefinite waiver of action with a limited 180-day waiver, during which time the Saudi government should advance and complete reforms, including those confirmed in July 2006 in U.S.-Saudi bilateral discussions.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at (202) 523-3258 or [email protected].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 30, 2013 | by USCIRF

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commends the European Union's recent adoption of Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief , as well as a recent report on religious freedom by a cross-party group in the British parliament.

"We are very pleased that the European Union has committed to prioritizing freedom of religion or belief in its external human rights policy and welcome its joining the vitaland growing worldwide effort to ensure religious freedom for all,” said Professor Robert P. George, USCIRF chairman. "The report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Religious Freedom in the British parliament provides key recommendations for future activities by the British government.”

The EU-wide effort joins the work of several European governments, such as Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well the European Parliament's working group on freedom of religion or belief .

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), which created USCIRF, the State Department's International Religious Freedom Office, and its Ambassador-at-Large, serves as the blueprint for how the United States seeks to incorporate religious freedom in its human rights and foreign policies. Canada recently took a positive step forward on behalf of religious freedom abroad by creating an international religious freedom office and ambassador in its foreign ministry.

"Religious freedom is a necessary condition for stable, successful societies, and thus for a peaceful world. We are very encouraged by these recent initiatives by the EU and its member governments to give religious freedom the prominence it deserves in foreign policy. The EU's guidelines and member governments' efforts are important steps forward, yet much work remains,” said Professor George. "To quote the British All-Party Parliamentary Group report, freedom of religion or belief is still an ‘orphaned right." We hope that the EU and its member states will carry out these new guidelines robustly, through their collective diplomacy and development efforts.”

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCIRF at (202) 523-3258 or [email protected] .

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July 29, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on July 24, 2013:

On July 25, Vietnam"s President Truong Tan Sang meets President Obama at the White House, even as continued violations of religious freedom and related human rights back in Vietnam negatively complicate the relationship between our two countries.

As documented in this year"s Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Vietnam"s government shows no signs of loosening its iron grip over religious activities across the nation, as it continues to severely restrict independent religious practice and repress individuals and groups it deems a challenge to its authority. The government deploys a specialized religious police force and uses ill-defined national security laws to suppress independent Buddhist, Protestant, Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai practices, while aiming to stifle the growth of ethnic minority Protestantism and Catholicism through violence, discrimination, and compulsory renunciations of faith.

The regime also threatens, intimidates, detains, sentences, and disbars lawyers who have defended human rights by representing religious communities or human rights and religious freedom advocates in cases against the state. In December 2012, Vietnamese authorities arrested Le Quoc Quan, an attorney and human rights defender who has helped Vietnamese Catholics in seeking return of church properties. They are now holding Mr. Quan incommunicado in Hoa Lo Prison and denying him access to his own lawyer or family. In 2010, Dr. Cu Huy Ha Vu was charged with propaganda against the state after representing the villagers of Con Dau against the authorities" land grab of their village and cemetery. Despite being in poor health, he is now serving a seven-year sentence due to other activities.

Other individuals detained for their religious practice or religious freedom advocacy include Nguyen Cong Chinh, Bui Van Tham, Thuy Vo Thi Thu, Nguyen Van Thanh, Phan Ngoc Tuan, Nguyen Trung Ton, Nguyen Van Lia, Tran Hoi An, Ksor Y Du, Kpa Y Ko, Father Nguyen Van Ly, and Thich Quang Do.

Given these systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief, USCIRF continues to recommend to our State Department that Vietnam be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), marking it among the worst religious freedom abusers in the world. Though the Commission has been making this recommendation since 2001, the State Department has only recognized Vietnam as a CPC in 2004 and 2005, removing the designation in 2006 because of advances made toward fulfilling a binding agreement.

Following the initial designation of Vietnam as a CPC and increased American and international attention, Vietnam took measured steps to improve religious freedom conditions, including enacting a law banning forced renunciations of faith and releasing dozens of individuals imprisoned in connection with religion or belief. These steps contradict the oft-repeated claim that linking human rights and religious freedom concerns to our bilateral relationship will inevitably be counterproductive. Clearly, if Vietnam reverses its current course and begins again to improve religious freedom conditions, it can only strengthen the bond between our countries and increase goodwill between our peoples.

This Thursday"s state visit with President Truong Tan Sang provides President Obama with an ideal chance to communicate this vital message to Vietnam, for the sake of the fundamental rights of the Vietnamese people and the benefit of our bilateral relationship.

Katrina Lantos Swett is a Commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who has just completed her term as USCIRF"s Chair.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at (202) 523-3258 or [email protected].