FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 3, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned Sunday"s terrorist attack on Baghdad"s Our Lady of Salvation Catholic church and expressed its sincere condolences to the victims and their families. Reports indicate that at least 40 worshippers, two priests, and 10 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed, and more than 60 people were wounded.

"This horrific attack is a sobering reminder of what all should already know-that Iraqi Christians clearly continue to face a grave terrorist threat,” said USCIRF chair Leonard Leo. "We recognize the promptness with which the Iraqi government responded to the hostage situation at the church, and it is most unfortunate that all of the hostages could not be safely rescued and that security forces were killed. In the wake of this brazen and senseless attack, we urge the Iraqi government to proactively heighten security at Christian and other minority religious sites and the United States government to increase its support of such efforts.”

"It also is time for the Obama administration to acknowledge the sectarian aspects of the conflict in Iraq, which are evident in this attack, and ensure that U.S.-Iraq policy prioritizes the plight of the country"s vulnerable religious minority communities,” continued Mr. Leo. "Congress already has taken this step, as reflected in House and Senate resolutions that call on the U.S. government to, among other measures, work with the Iraqi government to enhance security at places of worship and ensure that members of ethnic and religious minority communities do not suffer discrimination and can effectively convey their concerns to government. The administration should act accordingly as quickly as possible.”

Since 2008, USCIRF has recommended that Iraq should be designated as a "country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. Members of the country"s smallest religious minorities, including Christians, Mandaeans, and Yazidis, continue to suffer from targeted violence, threats, and intimidation. They also experience a pattern of official discrimination, marginalization, and neglect. Since 2003, many have fled to neighboring countries, where they represent a disproportionately high percentage of registered Iraqi refugees, and they are not returning. As a result, these ancient communities" very existence in Iraq is threatened, thereby jeopardizing Iraq"s future as a secure, stable, and diverse democracy.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF"s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director at [email protected], or (202) 523-3257.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Six Catholic residents from the rural village of Con Dau, Vietnam, are scheduled to go on trial Wednesday, October 27, for refusing to sell and vacate land-including a longstanding religious burial site-that has been in their village for 135 years to create a tourist resort.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today urged Secretary Clinton to speak about the Con Dau case during an upcoming trip to Hanoi for the Near East Summit. USCIRF also urges the State Department to seek the villagers" unconditional release, as well as to press for the protection of their religious, legal, and property rights under Vietnamese law and international human rights covenants, to which Vietnam is a party.

"We recommend that Secretary Clinton raise with the Vietnamese, both publicly and privately, the case of Con Dau village and make a public statement condemning the continued violence and abuses faced by religious communities in Vietnam,” said Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair. "The Vietnamese government used intimidation and violence to force Con Dau residents to sell their property. The six detained should be unconditionally released and an investigation should examine allegations that police tortured detainees and caused the death of one Con Dau resident.”

USCIRF testified at the August 2010 Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on efforts by the Vietnamese government to obtain the property of Con Dau residents and about general religious freedom abuses in Vietnam. A copy of that testimony can be found at www.uscirf.gov .

USCIRF staff conducted interviewswith Con Dau residents, within the last month, and found credible evidence of intimidation, harassment, restrictions on peaceful religious ceremonies, and torture in detention. As many as 60 people were detained after Con Dau villagers participated in a May 4,2010, burial ceremony prohibited by the Vietnamese government. Those taken into custody describe beatings, sleep deprivation, and forced confessions. Eyewitnesses also claim that Mr. Nam Nguyen, the Con Dau resident who died after being in police custody, was healthy and working the day before he died. At his funeral, he had extensive bruises on his body, according to eyewitness accounts. The six who remain in custody have been held for over three months without public charge or legal representation, which is a violation of Vietnamese law.

"What has happened in Con Dau is unconscionable and is too steep a price for economic progress,” said Mr. Leo. "It is well-documented that religious communities in Vietnam-Buddhist, Protestant, Hao Hao, and Catholic-all face restrictions, intimidations, and even violence because of their religious activities or religious freedom activism. Vietnam is supposed to be our new best friend in Asia, but the United States cannot continue to pursue a relationship that advances Vietnam"s economic and security interests without seeing progress on human rights and the rule of law.”

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF"s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director at [email protected], or (202) 523-3257.