USCIRF Chairman Mark says “Sudan is an egregious violator of religious freedom”

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is disappointed by the decision to permanently lift U.S. trade and economic sanctions on Sudan. In June, USCIRF wrote Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging him to maintain sanctions on Sudan, stating that “Sudan has not ‘sustained positive actions’ with regard to religious freedom.” USCIRF also criticized the sanctions review policy for not requiring an evaluation of progress, or lack thereof, on human rights or religious freedom. 

“USCIRF is disappointed that the White House chose to lift the Sudan sanctions,” said USCIRF’s Chairman Daniel Mark.  “The State Department must now redouble its efforts to engage the government of Sudan on pressing for greater religious freedom and better overall human rights.”

On January 13, 2017, then President Barack Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13761 indicating progress by the Sudanese government in lessening military hostilities, increasing access to humanitarian assistance, and cooperating with the United States on regional conflicts and counterterrorism. EO 13761 directed lifting the existing investment and trade sanctions by July 12, 2017 if the White House determined, in consultation with other relevant agencies, that the Sudanese government “has sustained the positive actions” described above. On July 11, the Trump Administration announced a three-month delay in the sanctions decision.

Since 1999, USCIRF has recommended, and the State Department has so designated, Sudan as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.  “Sudan is an egregious violator of religious freedom and should again be designated a CPC,” added Chairman Mark. 

Since South Sudan’s secession in 2011, USCIRF has documented a deterioration of religious freedom conditions in Sudan year after year.  The government of Sudan, led by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, imposes a restrictive interpretation of Shari’ah and applies corresponding hudood punishments on Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Government officials arrested and prosecuted Christian leaders and marginalized the Christian community. During this period, the Sudanese government has: arrested nearly 200 Christians, including 15 religious leaders; demolished or partially demolished approximately 20 churches and church buildings; expropriated or threatened to expropriate at least 10 others; and have stated that they would no longer issue permits for new church construction.

For more information, see USCIRF’s 2017 annual report chapter on Sudan.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2017

TURKEY: USCIRF Delegation Visits Imprisoned U.S. Citizen Pastor Andrew Brunson

Pastor Brunson says, "Knowing that I am not forgotten is important to me"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Almost a year to the day when American Pastor Andrew Brunson was detained, Vice Chairwomen Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga, of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), visited him in Kiriklar Prison in Izmir, Turkey. Since his imprisonment, only his lawyer, relatives, and U.S. embassy officials had been able to see him.

"The government of Turkey has fabricated charges against Pastor Brunson, largely based on purported 'secret testimony'," said Vice Chairwoman Arriaga. "He should be released immediately.""I wish to thank everyone who is advocating and praying for me," Pastor Brunson said during the visit. "Knowing that I am not forgotten is important to me."

Pastor Brunson was initially confined to a cell meant to accommodate 8 men but was instead crowded with 21 prisoners. He has since been moved to Kiriklar Prison where he is confined 24-hours a day to a cell with two others accused of being members of the Gülen movement. Suffering from the effects of the sustained stress he has endured, he has lost over 50 pounds.

Pastor Brunson spent over 20 years ministering to Christians in Turkey. He has been accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government and its constitution, all charges he says are completely false.  If convicted, Pastor Brunson could be sentenced to life in prison.

USCIRF Vice Chairwoman Jolley said, "He lives in a world of psychic and physical dislocation. Despite a public veneer of a legal process, the truth is Pastor Brunson has had no due process, no true information about the charges against him, unreliable court dates, and no idea when he ever again will see his children or his country."

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2017

H.R. 390: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes Genocide Bill

USCIRF Chairman Mark calls committee action “a key step toward helping victims of ISIS genocide”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) praises the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of H.R. 390, the “Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017.”   USCIRF urges the full Senate to quickly take up this urgently needed legislation, the House to swiftly reconsider it, and the President to expeditiously sign it into law.

“The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has targeted religious and ethnic minorities and others throughout Iraq and Syria,” said USCIRF’s Chairman Daniel Mark.  “Two U.S. administrations have singled out ISIS for committing genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims.  Now greater steps must be taken to give these groups the aid, protection, and justice they deserve. Delay only further endangers them and makes accountability more difficult.”

As passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, H.R. 390 would provide emergency relief for victims of genocide, crimes against humanity in Iraq and Syria, address urgent humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery needs, and provide accountability for perpetrators of these crimes.

“This past April, pursuant to the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, USCIRF recommended that ISIS in Iraq and Syria be designated as an Entity of Particular Concern,” said Chairman Mark.  “This latest legislation is a key step toward helping victims of ISIS genocide.”

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).