FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2002

Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress, yesterday wrote President Bush, asking him to raise religious freedom issues and the plight of North Korean refugees in China during his upcoming summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

"Despite the growing religious activity in China during the last two decades, the government continues its violent crackdown on the freedom of religion and belief of evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and other groups, such as the Falun Gong, that the government has labeled ‘evil cults,'" wrote Chair Felice Gaer, on behalf of the Commission. "The Commission has concluded that religious freedom conditions have deteriorated in the past year." The text of the letter follows:

October 22, 2002

Dear Mr. President:

We have been heartened when you have publicly spoken out on religious freedom in China and expressed concern for the people of North Korea. We are convinced that those who are suffering repression in those two countries are even more heartened. In regard to your upcoming meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and pursuant to its advisory responsibilities under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom respectfully urges you to raise several measures that would advance religious freedom in China and protect North Korean refugees.

In your February 2002 speech at China's Qinghua University, you said: "Freedom of religion is not something to be feared, it's to be welcomed . . . ." Yet, it is clear from events since then that the Chinese government has not taken steps to protect the religious freedom of its citizens. In fact, despite the growing religious activity in China during the last two decades, the government continues its violent crackdown on the freedom of religion and belief of evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and other groups, such as the Falun Gong, that the government has labeled "evil cults." In October 2001, the Secretary of State determined for the third straight year that China was a "country of particular concern" under IRFA, and the State Department's most recent International Religious Freedom Report states that China's respect for religious freedom remains poor. The Commission has concluded that religious freedom conditions have deteriorated in the past year.

As repressive as conditions in China are, tens of thousands of North Koreans have nevertheless fled there to escape the dire economic and political conditions in their own country. Although the Chinese government has permitted some North Koreans to resettle in South Korea in recent months, many more have been forcibly repatriated by Chinese authorities despite China's ratification of international treaties on refugees. North Koreans who return - voluntarily or otherwise - face imprisonment, or even death, at the hands of the North Korean authorities.

The Commission respectfully urges you to continue to raise religious freedom concerns and the plight of North Korean refugees with the Chinese President.

Specifically, as our two countries expand economic ties and cooperation in the war against terrorism, we recommend that, in accordance with China's obligations under the international human rights treaties to which it is already a party, you urge the Chinese government to:

1. halt the forced repatriation of North Koreans, grant refugee status to those who meet international criteria, and cooperate with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees;

2. release persons in China confined on account of their religion or belief and stop further detention, imprisonment, torture, and other forms of ill treatment of persons on that basis;

3. reform laws, policies, and practices that govern religious and spiritual organizations and activities. The release of a few individuals imprisoned on account of their religion or belief, while welcome, does not represent the kind of systemic improvements that are necessary to bring China's laws and practices into conformity with international law, and thus eliminate state control of, and undue government interference with, religious groups and the conduct of religious activities;

4. provide access to religious persons in all regions of China by foreign diplomats, humanitarian organizations, and international human rights and religious freedom organizations, as well as this Commission and delegations of the Congress (including access to unofficial Catholic Bishops, evangelical Protestants, members of the Falun Gong, the young Panchen Lama, and others in Tibet and Xinjiang who are imprisoned, in detention, or under house arrest); and

5. respect the right to freedom of religion or belief as an integral part of the government's approach to issues of counter-terrorism and security, in particular among Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang Province where the government has repressed peaceful religious practice. You have stressed on several occasions that the fight against terrorism must not serve as an excuse to persecute religious minorities in any country.

Thank you for considering the Commission's recommendations.

Respectfully,

Felice Gaer

Chair

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2002

Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress, today issued a statement on Afghanistan, recommending that President George W. Bush or Secretary of State Colin L. Powell immediately appoint a high-level Special Envoy to advance human rights protections in Afghanistan.

"A human rights envoy is critical to ensure that the protection of human rights, including religious freedom, is a key element in the Administration's strategy for regime change and political reconstruction in Afghanistan," said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. The text of the statement follows.

A Statement of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

The President or Secretary of State should immediately appoint a high-level Special Envoy to advance human rights protections in Afghanistan. Despite the huge amount of military and foreign-assistance resources the United States is devoting to Afghanistan, the U.S. government is not making a similar investment in diplomatic resources to promote human rights and related freedoms. This is a serious omission in the Administration's strategy for regime change and political reconstruction. The Special Envoy should be appointed now, while it still is possible to influence the development of Afghanistan's new political and legal institutions.

The Commission is alarmed by mounting evidence that Afghanistan is being reconstructed - without significant U.S. opposition - as a state with oppressive crimes and punishments derived from an extreme interpretation of Shariah, as well as a religious law-enforcement apparatus and police. Already a number of developments justify an urgent focus by the United States on human rights issues. Among them:

• The reported establishment of two separate religious police organizations, one by the Supreme Court and another by the Karzai government, to ensure Afghans follow specific religious practices and, in some cases, to use coercive measures of punishment against those that do not conform.

• Statements by the Chief Justice that amputations and other abusive corporal punishments under Shariah would continue. Proposed reforms, such as private, versus public, trials and amputations do not transform such cruel and inhuman punishments into acts that meet international standards. The Chief Justice's other statements have affirmed that non-Muslims who refuse to convert or to obey Islam should be executed, along with non-Muslims who do not cease to propagate their faith or leave the country.

• The appointment to the Judicial Commission of a majority that favored a strict and possibly extreme interpretation of Shariah, which could be used to impose impermissible coercive measures against women and repress religious minorities. That commission has since been dissolved and is awaiting new appointees.

• The ouster of Sima Samar as Minister of Women's Affairs on charges of "blasphemy" (later found to be groundless).

• Reports of the continuing practice of forced marriage and other human rights abuses against women, often with the support of the police and courts.

• An increase in warlordism, giving more power to unaccountable persons who rule by intimidation, rather than by popular consent.

• The assassination of Vice President Abdul Qadir, the absence of a credible investigation, and the failure to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

• Maltreatment of prisoners, including reports of incidents resulting in mass deaths, about which there have been no credible investigations.

• The numerous deprivations and abuses faced by returning refugees and internally displaced persons, and the reportedly forced repatriation of Afghan refugees from sanctuaries in Iran, said to be imminent.

The Special Envoy should be stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul with the sole responsibility to promote, coordinate, monitor, and report on the implementation by the Afghan Transitional Authority of human rights, including religious freedom. The Special Envoy should ensure that U.S. resources are used effectively to promote a greater respect for human rights, and to the extent possible, that the same is true for the United Nations and other donors. It is important that the Special Envoy have high visibility and the President's confidence.

The Special Envoy also could help ensure that recovery and reconstruction assistance is provided in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1401 (2002) to those parts of the country "where local authorities contribute to the maintenance of a secure environment and demonstrate respect for human rights...." This could help strengthen the Afghan central government and reduce the influence of warlords.

Recent history has demonstrated the central importance of human rights, including religious freedom, and the rule of law to societies across the globe. During the current transitional period in Afghanistan, the basic building blocks of a new government and society are being put in place. It is essential to ensure that the protection of human rights, including religious freedom, be incorporated properly into the legal instruments of that country and implemented in practice throughout Afghan society.

For more information about these issues, please see the Commission's June 2002 report on Afghanistan .

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."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2002

Contact:
Eileen A. Sullivan, Deputy Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 26

WHAT:Felice D. Gaer, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress, will testify on the Commission's behalf before the House International Relations Committee Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights regarding the State Department's 2002 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

WHEN:Wednesday, October 9, 2002 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

WHERE:Room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building.

BACKGROUND:On October 7, the State Department issued its fourth Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. In its testimony, the Commission will assess the factual accuracy of the report, the Department's use of sources, and raise questions about the Department's description of its own policy follow-up on the findings in the report. The Commission's testimony will emphasize conditions and U.S. policy with regard to the 12 countries that it has recommended be designated by the Administration as "countries of particular concern" (CPCs): Burma (Myanmar), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Pakistan, People's Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. The State Department has yet to name this year's CPCs. The Secretary of State is required by law to designate as CPCs those countries in which the government has engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom as defined in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The full report can be found on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov or at www.state.gov .

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.