Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom invite you to a briefing by

Tad Stahnke
Deputy Director for Policy, U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom

Robert C. Blitt
Legal Policy Analyst, U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom

Religion & Iraq's Permanent Constitution:
Constitutional Models of Predominantly Muslim Countries

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
9:00AM-10:30AM
in Conference Room A (4th Floor) at
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 1201 Connecticut Ave NW
[entrance on Rhode Island Ave NW, next to St. Matthew's Cathedral]

The authors of a recent study examining the religion-state relationship and the right to freedom of religion or belief in the constitutions of predominantly Muslim countries will present key findings from the study and discuss its relevance with regard to the drafting of a new permanent constitution for Iraq. 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.

Tad Stahnke joined the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in February 2000 and currently serves as the Deputy Director for Policy. Prior to joining the Commission, Stahnke spent three years with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, a law firm in New York City. He also worked as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Wilfred Feinberg in the United States Court of Appeals. From 1996-98, Stahnke helped lead a program on "Religion, Human Rights, and Religious Freedom" at Columbia University Law School, where for several years he taught a seminar on religious freedom and international human rights law.

Robert C. Blitt is Legal Policy Analyst for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Prior to joining the Commission, Blitt spent over five years living, working, and traveling in the Middle East. In addition to his Middle East regional expertise, Blitt is a specialist in public international law, comparative constitutional law, and international human rights law.

Please RSVP by June 27 by email to <[email protected]>, by telephone to Melody Jones at (202) 457-6949 (202) 457-6949, or by fax to (202) 457-6992.

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
June 17, 2005

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240 

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Vice Chair Nina Shea will testify on Monday, June 20, before the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations at a hearing on human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam. The hearing will be held in Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172, at 2:00 p.m.

The hearing is being held on the day that Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai arrives in Washington for meetings with President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials. Prime Minister Khai's visit comes 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War and 10 years after the normalization of U.S.-Vietnamese relations.

Vice Chair Shea will testify that while trade and military ties have increased, significant problems in U.S.-Vietnamese relations remain, particularly in the area of human rights, including religious freedom, which will hinder the further growth of the relationship. Vietnam's economic openness has not led directly to political openness, and freedoms of speech, assembly, association, and religion continue to be significantly restricted.

The Commission recommended beginning in 2001 that Vietnam be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, for severe violations of religious freedom. In September 2004, the State Department designated Vietnam a CPC. Last month, the State Department announced it had reached an "agreement" with Vietnam to avoid more stringent actions, which can include economic sanctions, required for countries designated as CPCs. However, as the Commission noted when the agreement was announced, the actions taken by Vietnam signal only promises of improvement and not actual measurable progress in addressing the problems that resulted in Vietnam's CPC designation.

In her testimony, Commissioner Shea will outline the religious freedom concerns that remain, troubling new developments, and recommendations for U.S. policy to address these issues.

Commissioner Shea's testimony will be available on the Commission's web site at www.uscirf.gov at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, June 20.

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.