FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 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 deplored the recent spate of attacks on synagogues, other Jewish sites, and individuals in France and Belgium. Several synagogues were seriously damaged by firebombing and one in Marseille burned to the ground. Shots were fired at a kosher shop, a Jewish couple was attacked on the street, a bus full of schoolchildren was stoned, and high school soccer players were beaten by a gang wielding metal bars.

The attacks are the latest in a series of anti-Semitic violence that has plagued the two countries since October 2000. More than 400 incidents have been documented in France since then.

"These attacks on Jews in France and Belgium are despicable" said Michael K. Young, the Commission's Chair. "We hope the French government, in particular, will follow through on its recent statements to track down the perpetrators and hold them to account; making it clear such behavior will not be tolerated in France. The U.S. government should follow this issue carefully and urge the French authorities to treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve."

Chairman Young noted that the remarks of President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, and key Muslim leaders strongly condemning the anti-Semitic attacks in France were important indicators of a new concern over this issue which are welcomed by all who seek to end intolerance and violence against Jews in France.

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." 

Michael K. Young, Chair

• Felice D. Gaer Firuz Kazemzadeh, Richard D. Land, Bishop William Francis Murphy, Leila Nadya Sadat, Nina Shea, The Hon. Charles R. Stith, The Hon. Shirin Tahir-Kheli, Tad Stahnke, Acting Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2002

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

WHAT:The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will hold a press conference to release its new recommendations on promoting religious freedom in Sudan. Repeating its view that Sudan is "the world's most violent abuser of the right to freedom of religion and belief," the Commission will call on the Bush administration and Congress to step up efforts to help end that country's 18-year civil war. The fighting has killed some 2 million people and displaced 4 million others. Commissioner David Saperstein will conduct the press conference.

WHEN:Wednesday, March 21, 2001 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE:800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 790 (USCIRF office)

BACKGROUND:In its latest report, the Commission finds that since last May, the government of Sudan has intensified the deliberate air raids on civilian and humanitarian targets. While the Clinton Administration did take some steps to address the situation, including successfully working to prevent Sudan from taking a seat at the UN Security Council and earmarking aid to communities in southern Sudan and to the political opposition - the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - these actions fell well short of the comprehensive, sustained campaign that the Commission believes is commensurate with the Sudanese government's abuses. The Commission will urge the Bush Administration to mount such a campaign. Copies of the report will be available at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 and can be obtained by contacting the Commission's communications department at (202) 523-3240. The report can also be found on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.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." 

Hon. Elliott Abrams,Chair

• Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Vice Chair, Rabbi David Saperstein, Laila Al-Marayati, M.D.Hon. John R. Bolton, Dean Michael K. Young, Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, Nina Shea, Justice Charles Z. Smith, Ambassador Robert Seiple, Ex-Officio, Steven T. McFarland, Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - A new religion law awaiting presidential signature would move Kazakhstan away from democracy and reform, says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress. In a letter sent Friday to Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones, the Commission urges the U.S. government to make clear to the government of Kazakhstan its "great concern" about the proposed law, which would allow the government to ban unregistered religious groups while making it difficult to register and to deny registration to all Muslim organizations not controlled by the state.

The text of the letter follows:

March 22, 2002

Dear Assistant Secretary Jones:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is seriously concerned about a new religion law in Kazakhstan that was approved by the Parliament and is awaiting the signature of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev. As of this writing, the law has apparently been sent to Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council for review. It seems likely to return to the President to be signed early next month.

If signed, this law demonstrates that the Kazakh government is moving in the wrong direction with regard to democratic development and reform. The law will give government officials the authority to ban all unregistered religious groups at the same time that it makes registration for those groups more difficult to obtain. The law would deny registration to all Muslim organizations not controlled by the government's Muslim Spiritual Directorate. The new law would also make it much easier for the government to ban any religious organization that it views as undesirable.

The law has been criticized by religious and human rights groups in and outside Kazakhstan, as well as by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE). The latter has expressed its concerns to the Kazakh government about many aspects of the proposed law. Among their concerns, the OSCE stated that the more stringent registration requirements would violate freedom of religion or belief. At the end of last month, the OSCE's representative in Kazakhstan stated that the OSCE had hoped that the Parliament would reject the proposed law.

The Commission strongly urges the Administration to make clear to the government of Kazakhstan the great concern about the law within the U.S. government. The Administration should raise this concern immediately, prominently, and persistently in all its dealings with the Kazakhstan government. It is important to recall that the state of religious freedom in a country is frequently a harbinger of that state's commitment to the protection of other human rights and to democratic reform more generally.

The Commission has already expressed its concern to the Administration regarding the importance of upholding human rights, especially in the context of the campaign against terrorism. The Commission thus urges the Administration to convey this in the strongest possible way to the government of Kazakhstan.

Sincerely,

U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Michael K. Young

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." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />