FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2018

Pastor Andrew Brunson Is Released

“While we welcome this good news, we should not lose sight of other religious freedom concerns in this country,” said Commissioner Perkins

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today welcomed with great satisfaction the decision by a Turkish court to release Pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest. Pastor Brunson was first detained on October 7, 2016, on false charges and served almost two years in prison before he was placed under house arrest on July 25, 2018.

USCIRF’s Commissioner Tony Perkins, who attended the October 12 hearing, said, “Today’s decision by the Turkish government is good news. We celebrate along with the millions of Americans who have been praying for Pastor Brunson’s release.”

Commissioner Perkins also said, “President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Secretary Pompeo are to be commended for their resolve, not only in defending Pastor Brunson but in defending the fundamental freedom of all people in all places. Additionally, there were many others advocating for Andrew, including USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga and former Vice Chair Sandra Jolley.

“While we are relieved by today’s decision on Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention, we remain concerned for the Turkish people because numerous religious communities, such as the Greek Orthodox community and the Alevis, continue to face discrimination and restrictions on registration and ownership of property. Turkey must continue to work to treat all of its citizens equally and with respect for their religious freedom.”

Since the initial detention of Pastor Brunson, USCIRF has repeatedly condemned the charges against him and called for his release.

Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga attended Pastor Brunson’s third hearing on July 18, 2018, and described this experience in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

This year USCIRF placed Turkey on its Tier 2 list of countries that have serious religious freedom violations, and began advocating for Pastor Brunson as part of its Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.

To learn more about recent religious freedom conditions in Turkey, see the Turkey chapter in USCIRF’s 2018 Annual Report.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Kellie Boyle at  [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2018
 

Open Letter from USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza to Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

Click here to read the Farsi translation of the letter

October 2018

Washington, D.C. –

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani,

I am writing you in my capacity as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). While I am fully aware this letter may never reach you, in the event that some word of it does, I want you to know that your case is not ignored by the international community. You are not forgotten.

For nearly a decade, the Iranian government has harassed and threatened you. The authorities have not only deprived you of your liberty, your family of their father, your faith community of their pastor, but they have infringed upon your children’s right to education. In 2009, for protesting new compulsory Quranic studies forced on your children and for registering your church, you were charged with apostasy and given a death sentence. Though you were acquitted in a later trial, the authorities continued to harass you and your family.

I was appalled when, in May, an Iranian court upheld a 10-year prison sentence against you for allegedly “acting against national security” by “promoting Zionist Christianity.” Then I read with horror reports of your brutal arrest in July, when security forces broke into your home, assaulted your son and transferred you to the notorious Evin prison. For a person of faith who has simply tried to live out your beliefs in peace, I cannot imagine how challenging these events must be.

While I know this sentiment does little to alleviate the suffering you, your family, and your community are currently enduring, I want you to know that your faith and dedication to justice in standing up to these abuses is an example to others, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof, both in Iran and around the world. If nothing else, I hope you will take away from this letter my deep admiration.

USCIRF, and I personally, will consistently bring attention to your plight. I know that the Iranian people, who are heirs to a rich tableau of faiths and history, want and deserve to live in a society where they are free to pursue the dictates of their own conscience.

I close by reiterating my commitment to advocating for your release and sending my wishes for the wellbeing of your family.

Sincerely,

Nadine Maenza

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Learn more about Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and USCIRF advocacy efforts on his behalf here.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

This op-ed originally appeared in The Christian Post on September 18, 2018.

By Tenzin Dorjee and Nadine Maenza

It has been more than a year since Burmese authorities began a brutal campaign terrorizing, sexually assaulting, and killing mainly Rohingya Muslims, leaving burned villages and corpses in their wake; more than a year since more than 700,000 fled across the border to Bangladesh. Despised for being both ethnically and religiously different, Rohingya Muslims are considered by Burma's military and many of the majority Buddhist population as outsiders illegally residing in the country with the goal of spreading Islam across the land.

What is even more alarming is that this kind of violent campaign had happened before, most recently in October 2016. Then, too, Burma's military launched attacks against Rohingya Muslims and others. Their stated reason? That small groups of Rohingya insurgents, in both instances, attacked and killed Burmese security forces in retribution for increased harassment and discrimination. In so doing, the insurgents handed the government, the military, and some nonstate actors justification—in the name of combatting terrorism—to exterminate and forcibly evict Rohingya Muslims from Burma.

A new report from the State Department revealed that the military's campaign against Rohingya Muslims was planned well in advance, using the insurgent attacks as justification. In fact, the military had intensified its crackdown in the months leading up to the attacks. The report states "the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents."

While the State Department did not label the abuses against Rohingya Muslims as genocide or crimes against humanity despite robust supporting evidence, the United States and the international community nevertheless must swiftly seek justice against the perpetrators under the appropriate international instruments. A recently released UN-commissioned report concluded that Burma's top military leaders should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, noting circumstances suggesting their "genocidal intent."

We should not be surprised. Burma's military and security forces—and even nonstate actors—have perpetrated these and similar abuses against several religious and ethnic minority communities in Burma for decades. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and many of the ethnic groups in Burma have long felt the military's wrath and society's disdain.

In the case of Rohingya Muslims, there is no denying that they have been targeted, at least in part, because of their faith. Earlier this year, a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), where we serve as Commissioners, spoke with Rohingya refugees now residing in Bangladesh. They described how Burma's government and others often interfered with Ramadan and Eid festivals; locked and burned down madrassas and mosques; desecrated and burned Qur'ans; prevented burials according to Muslim tradition; and targeted imams for detention, torture, and killings. Last November, a USCIRF delegation met with Burma's government, including the Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture, religious leaders, interfaith youth groups, and civil society and to advocate for the religious freedom of Rohingya and other Muslims, Christians, and all religious and ethnic communities.

In USCIRF's 2018 Annual Report, we recommended that the State Department should redesignate Burma as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for its systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom against Rohingya Muslims and others. This designation should have been made by the end of August, and USCIRF urges the State Department to make CPC designations as soon as possible.

The United States must continue to impose targeted sanctions on specific abusers, through IRFA and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, as the Treasury Department did in August 2018 and December 2017. Such sanctions include visa bans and asset freezes.

It is imperative that the United States make human rights in Burma a priority not just in its bilateral relations, but also as part of its overall foreign policy strategy. The White House National Security Strategy prioritized religious freedom and protecting religious minorities, a policy exemplified by the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom held by the State Department in July 2018. The administration and Congress now must work together to respond strongly and to reinforce U.S. foreign policy priorities in Burma.

Burma's government can no longer deny the abuses perpetrated by the military and nonstate actors. The world can no longer stand by with only words and no action. Our collective conscience can no longer accept these violations of human rights.

Dr. Tenzin Dorjee serves as the current chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and was reappointed by Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2018. Nadine Maenza serves as a Commissioner at USCIRF. She was appointed by President Trump in 2018.