Apr 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2008
Contact: Judith Ingram,
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
-EVENT ADVISORY-
Friday, May 2, 2008, 9:30-11 a.m.
First Amendment Lounge, National Press Club
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will announce its 2008 recommendations to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for "countries of particular concern" at a press conference beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 2, in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club.
The Commission will also release its 2008 Annual Report and discuss its findings and recommendations for the President, Secretary of State, and Congress regarding U.S. foreign policy and the promotion of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, and related human rights.
The press conference is open to all members of the media, the non-governmental, faith-based, academic and policy communities. Please see below for RSVP information.
The Commission is mandated by Congress to make recommendations to the Secretary of State on countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. Under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), those countries may be designated by the Secretary of State as "countries of particular concern," or CPCs. IRFA also requires that the U.S. government follow CPC designation with policy action.
In addition to announcing CPCs, the Commission will announce its Watch List of countries that require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by their governments.
What: USCIRF Recommendations for Countries of Particular Concern Designation and 2008 Annual Report press conference
When: Friday, May 2, 2008, 9:30-11 a.m.
Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW (14th and F streets), Washington, DC 20045
RSVP: [email protected] or (202) 523-3240 x 114
Apr 10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2008
Contact: Judith Ingram,
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
A Prison Without Bars: Refugee and Defector Testimonies of Severe Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 1-2 p.m.
Cannon House Building, Room 340
WASHINGTON- The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom will release its updated report on religious freedom and related human rights in North Korea, entitled A Prison Without Bars: Refugee and Defector Testimonies of Severe Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea, at a press conference the day before South Korean President Lee Myung Bak is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. for a summit with President Bush. The discussion of the report, with Commission Chair Michael Cromartie and Commissioners Nina Shea and Imam Talal Y. Eid, will be followed by a briefing, co-sponsored by the Congressional Korea Caucus.
A Prison Without Bars offers fresh evidence regarding the grave situation of North Korean asylum seekers who have been forcibly repatriated from China back to North Korea. Contrary to claims made by the Chinese government, repatriated North Koreans face severe persecution, including harsh interrogations, long-term imprisonment, and torture if they are found to have converted to Christianity or had contact with South Korean Christians or churches while in China. The report provides evidence that the cult of personality surrounding Kim Jong Il and his family remains strong, and that Kim Jong Il's regime perceives any new religious activity as a security threat to be combated at all costs. As a result, stringent security measures have been enacted to stop the spread of religion, mostly Protestantism, through cross-border contacts with China.
A Prison Without Bars follows up the Commission's 2005 study on North Korea's brutal suppression of religious freedom, Thank You Father Kim Il Sung. The Commission's new report again presents the opportunity to gain insight into human rights conditions in the "Hermit Kingdom" by providing a channel for North Korean nationals to present their experiences to the international community.
According to refugees interviewed for the report:
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Apart from churches and temples in Pyongyang meant most to impress foreign tourists and guests, elements of Buddhism, Christianity, and traditional folk beliefs continue to exist in North Korea, in spite of the repression. Certain practices within Shamanism, such as fortune-telling, are widely practiced in defiance of government bans.
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Conditions along the China-North Korea border are uniquely hazardous for North Korean refugees, as security agents target refugees believed to have visited Chinese churches for food aid or other forms of immediate assistance.
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Refugees who admit under intense interrogation to having had contact with Christians while in China often receive particularly harsh punishments. As a result, many North Korean refugees must consciously avoid revealing any knowledge of Christianity or contact with China-based Christians.
According to former North Korean security agents, who were also interviewed for this report:
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There is increased police activity aimed at halting religious activities in the border regions with China-including setting up of mock prayer meetings to entrap new converts in North Korea, and training security agents in Christian traditions and practices for the purposes of infiltration of churches in China.
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North Korean security agents overseeing the detention and often brutal interrogation of North Korean refugees classify their efforts as "counterintelligence work," as it is believed that South Korean missionary activities aimed towards North Korean refugees is a cover for conducting espionage.
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The North Korean dictatorship draws a distinction between recent converts who acquired religion while in China, and "old believers," whose families have been multi-generational religious devotees. New religious converts are targeted for especially stringent punishments.
Immediately following the press conference, the Commission will conduct a congressional briefing on human rights in North Korea, jointly sponsored with the Congressional Korea Caucus. The briefing will feature David Hawk, a Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy; Peter Beck, Executive Director of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; and Jae Ku, Executive Director of the U.S.-Korea Institute at the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Several Members of Congress are also expected to participate in the briefing.
Apr 9, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2008
Contact: Judith Ingram,
Communications Director,
(202) 523-3240, ext. 127
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 1-3:30 pm
Cannon House Building, Room 340
1 pm: Release of USCIRF Report:
A Prison Without Bars: Refugee and Defector Testimonies of Severe Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea
and
2 pm: USCIRF and Congressional Korea Caucus Joint Briefing:
Human Rights in North Korea
WASHINGTON- As South Korean President Lee Myung-bak prepares for his first meeting with the U.S. President, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is releasing a new report on religious freedom violations in North Korea, which highlights China's forced repatriation of North Korean refugees and their brutal mistreatment when they return home. Together with the Congressional Korea Caucus, the Commission will sponsor an expert briefing on the suppression of religious freedom and other human rights in North Korea.
Release of USCIRF Report: A Prison Without Bars: Refugee and Defector Testimonies of Severe Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea offers fresh insight into the grave situation for North Korean refugees who have been forcibly repatriated from China back to North Korea. Refugees face severe persecution, including harsh interrogations, long-term imprisonment, and torture if they are found to have converted to Christianity or have had ongoing contact with South Korean churches. The North Korean dictatorship perceives religion as a security threat to be combated at all costs.
A Prison Without Bars follows up the Commission's 2005 study on North Korea's brutal suppression of religious freedom, Thank You Father Kim Il Sung, once again providing a channel for North Korean nationals to present their experiences to the international community. Refugees interviewed for the report attest to the continuing existence of elements of Buddhism, Christianity and traditional folk beliefs such as Shamanism in North Korea in spite of the repression. Former North Korean security agents, who were also interviewed for this report, testify to increased police activity aimed at halting religious activities in the border regions with China-including the infiltration of churches in China and setting up of mock prayer meetings to entrap new converts in North Korea.
The Commission will present the new report at 1 p.m.
USCIRF and Congressional Korea Caucus Joint Briefing: There is a pressing need on the international level for more effective action that addresses the ongoing repression of human rights in North Korea and the problems faced by North Korean refugees in China. A necessary focus on nuclear security should not preclude or diminish diplomatic efforts to address ongoing and egregious humanitarian, refugee, and human rights concerns.
Speakers at this briefing will discuss the humanitarian issues facing North Korean residents and refugees in China, and will explore ways for the United States to actively protect North Koreans in advance of the United States - Republic of Korea summit.
Confirmed speakers include:
Michael Cromartie
Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Nina Shea, Commissioner
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Imam Talal Eid, Commissioner
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
David Hawk
Reagan-Fascell Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy
Peter Beck
Executive Director, U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Jae Ku
Executive Director, U.S.-Korea Institute at the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
The joint briefing will start at 2 p.m.