FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) warmly welcomes Pope Francis on his historic visit to the United States.  On September 24, the Pope will be the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress.

“USCIRF welcomes Pope Francis as a champion of the dignity of each and every member of the human family, a bold witness and apostle for religious freedom, and a powerful voice for the persecuted and the displaced around the world,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “Especially during this tumultuous time of upheaval in many parts of the world, we welcome the Pope’s presence and prayers, teachings and messages, as well as his affirmation of the imperative of dialogue and cooperation between religions.” 

As Pope Francis has stressed repeatedly, religious freedom is “not just a matter of thought or private devotion,” but a “fundamental right of the person” which national and international laws and organizations must “recognize, guarantee and protect” as well as “an indicator of a healthy democracy and one of the principal sources of a nation’s legitimacy.”

“Millions of refugees and displaced persons, forced to flee their homes in shocking numbers due to war, privation, and persecution, have no greater friend than Pope Francis,” Chairman George said.  “His meeting in May with Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan, his condemnation of violence including the 'repulsive and damnable' atrocities of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram’s brutality in Nigeria, and the 'atrocious, inhuman and incomprehensible persecution' of Christians – which he has deemed genocide, has been heard around the world, and he has rightly urged the international community to take further action in response to these calamities.”

In a recent conference of some 60 nations on the plight of victims of ethnic and religious violence across the Middle East, the Vatican made the following three-fold plea for  action:  the international community must respond to the immediate humanitarian needs of refugees, while working in the longer term to ensure respect for religious rights and freedom of religion – especially the right to change one’s religion; guarantee the rights of refugees, especially religious and ethnic minorities, to return to their countries of origin to live in dignity and security and enjoy the full rights of equal citizens; and tackle terrorism and encourage interfaith dialogue.  

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the violations of religious freedom and human rights taking place in Azerbaijan.   These violations are evident in the arrests, detentions, and harsh sentences given to human rights defenders, members of religious groups, and civil society activists. Such violations are at odds with Azerbaijan’s strong tradition of secularism and religious tolerance. USCIRF Commissioners recently visited Azerbaijan to raise concerns about these detentions and religious freedom conditions.

“The Azerbaijani government continues to hold prominent prisoners of conscience including RFE/RL investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova and Leyla and Arif Yunus. These courageous advocates who support religious freedom and human rights should be honored for their work rather than facing false accusations and detention and, in the case of the Yunuses, being held in pre-trail detention for over a year and denied much-needed medical care.  Sadly, their treatment is only the tip of the iceberg, as more than 100 prisoners of conscience languish in Azerbaijan’s prisons and still others stand accused,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.

Ismayilova, whose trial just ended in Baku with the prosecution seeking a nine-year sentence, is a well-known atheist who publically has supported Muslims’ right to religious expression and won awards for her coverage of official corruption in Azerbaijan.  She is falsely accused of embezzlement, tax evasion, and abuse of power.  Leyla Yunus is the head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif is an expert on Islam. Supporters of religious freedom, they had been falsely accused of tax evasion, illegal business activities and abuse of authority and given prison terms on August 14 of eight and one-half and seven years respectively. Lawyer Rasul Jafarov was sentenced in April 2015 to 6 ½ years in prison on false charges of financial crimes; he had worked with Leyla Yunus to document cases of religious prisoners – both were arrested shortly after publicizing their lists of prisoners.    

In early-July meetings with Azerbaijani officials in Baku, a USCIRF delegation raised concerns about religious freedom in the country, including the detention of the Yunuses.  The delegation also raised the cases of Zakariyya Isakh Mammadov and Shahin Hasanov, two readers of Turkish theologian Said Nurs, whose texts are banned in Azerbaijan, and two female Jehovah’s Witnesses, Valida Jabrayilova and Irina Zakharchenko, who are in pre-trial detention for distributing religious texts which the government had not officially approved. These actions contrast with the government’s support for other religious minorities, including Jews, Catholics, and Russian Orthodox.

“The Azerbaijan government must free these and other prisoners of conscience. The recent release from prison of prominent Shi’a cleric Tale Bagirov – however belatedly – is a step in the right direction, but the government needs to do more to uphold its religious freedom and human rights commitments.  It is vitally important that Azerbaijan’s strong tradition of religious tolerance be reflected in its support for the right of religious freedom and human rights of all its citizens,” said Chairman George.

USCIRF placed Azerbaijan in Tier 2 in the 2015 Annual Report because of its restrictions on freedom of religion or belief.  These restrictions include: almost all Protestant denominations denied legal status; members of unregistered religious groups raided; state permission required to produce, import, export, or distribute religious material; and state-approved religious education required to preach, teach religion, or lead ceremonies.  Muslims, who constitute 96 percent of the population, are subject to further government restrictions.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the passage by Burma’s Union Parliament of the religious conversion bill.  This bill is one measure in a package of “race and religion bills” which a group of nationalist Buddhist monks have advanced.  Each discriminates against and restricts the religious freedom of non-Buddhists, particularly Muslims, and diminishes women’s rights. 

“By word and deed, Burma’s government continues to further entrench and legalize discrimination based on religious beliefs and sex,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.  “Burma’s leaders once again have disregarded internationally agreed human rights standards.  The government claims that these bills  protect women and religion, but civil society groups in Burma have exposed them for what they are – tools the government uses to continue to violate the freedom of religion and related human rights,” said Chairman George.

Under the religious conversion bill, individuals choosing to adopt another faith confront special bureaucratic hurdles – including requiring applicants to provide extensive and intrusive personal information, to receive “approval,” thereby creating a system that effectively would discourage and reject conversions. 

“This measure is discriminatory, period.  It is gravely wrong for the government to presume to dictate whether an individual can change their religion or belief,” said Chairman George.  “We call on President Thein Sein immediately to reject this ill-conceived measure.”

One of the extremist movements led by a group of nationalist Buddhist monks, the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion – also known as Ma Ba Tha,  created the race and religion bills and has been pushing the government to adopt them ever since.  USCIRF has criticized these efforts.  Burma’s government has failed to implement meaningful protections for religious and ethnic minorities, and instead has adopted politically expedient discriminatory measures, such as the population control law and interfaith marriage law.  

USCIRF again recommended in 2015 that Burma be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom.  The State Department has designated Burma as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

For more information, see the Burma Chapter (in English and Burmese) in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.