July 30, 2012| by USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom welcomed the State Department's issuance of its 2011 International Religious Freedom Report.

"As always, the State Department does a commendable job of cataloguing the wide-ranging manifestations of religious freedom abuses around the world,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. "The next step, and real challenge, is convincing policymakers that prioritizing religious freedom through our bilateral and multilateral relationships is both a moral imperative and serves our national interests. The other challenge is convincing foreign governments to make needed improvements. USCIRF looks forward to working with the State Department in this effort to serve our common goal of promoting and protecting freedom of religion and belief globally.”

USCIRF particularly commends the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook for their efforts in spearheading the compilation of this comprehensive annual report.

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) requires the State Department to undertake an annual review of every country to "determine whether the government of that country has engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” Any country meeting that threshold is to be designated a "country of particular concern,” or CPC, and the U.S. government is required to take action to encourage improvements in each CPC country. IRFA provides a range of possibilities for such action, from bilateral agreements to sanctions.

USCIRF urges the State Department to promptly designate CPCs and to follow up those designations with vigorous U.S. diplomatic activity to seek improvements with respect to this fundamental human right. While IRFA does not set a specific deadline for CPC designations, the law indicates that these designations should take place soon after the issuance of the State Department's annual report since the decisions are to be based on that review.

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, Secretary of State and Congress.

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

July 25, 2012| by USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges an end to all violence and restrictions on peaceful religious activity in China's Xinjiang Uighur [Muslim] Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Religious freedom conditions in the XUAR have declined rapidly since the ethnic violence of June 2009. The Chinese government has instituted sweeping security measures that include efforts to weaken religious adherence and stop "illegal religious gatherings." Restrictions on Uighur Muslim religious activities have caused deep resentment with Beijing's oversight of the XUAR.

"Launched in the name of stability and security, Beijing's brutal campaign of repression against Uighur Muslims includes even the targeting of peaceful private gatherings for religious study and devotion,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos-Swett, USCIRF Chair. "The government is engaged in egregious abuses of internationally recognized human rights, including the precious right of freedom and religion or belief. Predictably, these abuses have led neither to stability nor security.”

In its March 2012 Annual Report, USCIRF outlined the religious freedom abuses that Beijing's policies have caused in the XUAR ( Click here to view 2012 USCIRF Annual Report Chapter on China ). Teachers, professors, university students, and other government employees are prohibited from observing Ramadan and engaging in daily religious activities such as reciting prayers, distributing religious materials, and wearing head coverings. Minors under the age of 18 continue to be denied access to some mosques and religious education.

Since USCIRF's March report was issued, Chinese police and security forces have raided "illegal religious schools" in the city of Hotan. Forty-seven Uighur Muslims were arrested and 17 children injured in the raids. In the city of Kashgar, Uighur men were sentenced to between seven to 10 years on charges that included "harboring extremist religious thoughts" and holding "underground religious meetings."

"By fueling anger and resentment, China's indiscriminate repression of Uighur religious, cultural, and political life may trigger precisely the extremism that Beijing is claiming to combat. For the sake of security as well as freedom, China's government should lift its restrictions on all peaceful religious activities, particularly during Ramadan,” said Dr. Lantos Swett.

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

July 24, 2012| by USCIRF

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourns the shocking death of Oswaldo Paya, a longtime human rights advocate in Cuba, who was killed on Sunday in an automobile accident.

"Oswaldo Paya was a committed, courageous champion for peaceful, democratic change and fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom, for all Cubans,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. "Through the Varela Project, the Christian Liberation Movement, and other forms of activism, Paya spoke truth to power, holding accountable the abusers of freedom and dignity. My USCIRF colleagues and I offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and co-laborers in the battle for Cuba's future. Given questions surrounding the circumstances of his death, we urge that a full and transparent investigation be conducted.”

For decades, Paya spoke out against the repressive practices of the Castro regime. As USCIRF documented in its 2012 Annual Report, Cuba remains on its Watch List due to its continued detention, arrests, and harassment of religious leaders, control and monitoring of religious belief and practices through surveillance and legal restrictions, and invasive registration process for religious organizations.

"In the wake of Paya's death, and given its worsening economic and social problems, now is the time for Cuba to take real steps toward a brighter future by upholding freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief,” said Chairwoman Swett. "As countless countries can attest, freedom opens the door to prosperity and stability.”

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