FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent government agency advising the Administration and Congress, will hold a hearing on Thursday, January 24 in Washington, D.C., on "Promoting Religious Freedom in North Korea." The hearing is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Longworth House Office Building, Room 1302.

Background

Despite the difficulty of obtaining reliable information on conditions in the Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea), it is apparent that religious freedom does not exist there. Among other countries, the Commission nominated North Korea for designation by the State Department as a "country of particular concern" (CPC) - the world's worst religious-freedom violators, subject to U.S. action under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The Commission was pleased when in October 2001, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell designated North Korea as a CPC.

U.S. policy toward North Korea has focused on concerns with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology, and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Nevertheless, in light of the grievous religious-freedom situation there, the Commission believes that the United States must place significant emphasis on the protection of religious freedom in North Korea. The hearing will examine religious persecution in North Korea and explore policy options for the U.S. government to improve the situation of religious people there.

To date, the confirmed witnesses and schedule are as follows:

9:00-9:15 Welcome and Introductory Remarks by Michael K. Young, Chair

Panel I:

9:15-10:15 Religious Freedom Conditions in North Korea

Norbert Vollertsen, former volunteer medical doctor in the DPRK

Sang-Chul Kim, Secretary General, Commission to Help North Korean Refugees

10:15-10:30Break

Panel II:

10:30-12:00 U.S. Policy Options for North Korea

Stephen Linton, Chairman, Eugene Bell Foundation

Donald Oberdorfer, Adjunct Professor, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University

Chuck Downs, Private consultant and author of Over the Lines

Jack Rendler, Vice Chairman, U.S. Committee on Human Rights in North Korea

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, Steven T. McFarland, Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - Michael K. Young, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, today praised as "a victory for religious freedom and tolerance" Pakistan's abolition of an electoral system that discriminated against religious minorities there. The Commission is an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress.

In its May 2001 report, the Commission noted that the "separate electorate system is inconsistent with democratic principles, the right to equal citizenship, and the protection of political rights without discrimination on the basis of religion as provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...," and urged the U.S. government to raise this issue with Pakistani government officials. The Commission also raised the issue on many occasions with U.S. officials and representatives of the Pakistani government in the United States and Pakistan.

The system provided for separate at-large seats in the national and provincial assemblies and local councils for four categories of non-Muslims: Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus, and others (Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc.). Muslims, on the other hand, voted for Muslim legislators on a territorial basis. Members of religious minorities held that this system of "religious apartheid" rendered them second-class citizens and placed them outside the mainstream of Pakistani political life. They believed that local Muslim legislators did not respond to the concerns of religious minorities in their districts, but would do so if they identified minorities as part of their constituency. In effect, the system disenfranchised the Ahmadi community, which strongly disagrees with the government's contention that Ahmadis are not Muslims; Ahmadis would not vote in a system that separated them from Muslims.

"We're grateful to the U.S. government for any actions it took to explain the inequities of this system to the Pakistani government, " Chairman Young said. "We're very pleased that President Musharraf understood how this system sidelined millions of loyal Pakistani citizens and took steps to correct it. We hope this move - along with steps Pakistan is taking to improve its education system and to curb violence in the name of religion - will lead to increased tolerance of and justice for religious minorities in that country."

Young called upon the U.S. government to continue to work with Pakistan to reduce and eliminate abuse of Pakistan's blasphemy law, which has been used to harass and unjustly imprison moderate Muslims, as well as Christians and Ahmadis.

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, Steven T. McFarland, Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent government agency advising the Administration and Congress, yesterday wrote President Bush urging him to press religious-freedom cases with China. The Commission expressed grave concern over reports from China of an escalation of repression of religious groups, most recently Protestant Christians.

"Few assumed the human rights situation in China would immediately improve after approval of PNTR," the Commission wrote. "But instead, conditions have worsened." The Commission called on the Administration and the Congress to continue to speak out against this campaign, now and during the President's trip to China next month. The text of the letter follows:

January 15, 2002

Dear Mr. President:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is gravely concerned over reports from China of an escalation in repression of religious groups, most recently Protestant Christians. The Commission respectfully urges you to continue to speak out against this apparent campaign both now and in your meetings in Beijing next month.

For reportedly the first time since adoption of a 1999 "evil cult" law, a Protestant Christian pastor has been sentenced to death. Pastor Gong Shengliang of the underground "South China Church" was sentenced to death in December for founding an "evil cult" and on reportedly questionable charges of assault and sexual violence. On January 5, a Hubei court extended the month-long period for deciding on his appeal. Fifteen other leaders of the South China Church were sentenced to between two years to life imprisonment. As you know, last month the same law was used to indict a Hong Kong businessman for allegedly smuggling Bibles to another banned Protestant group. Last August and September, 63 Protestant believers (including Pastor Gong) reportedly were arrested, mostly in Hubei and Hebei provinces; two other members of Pastor Gong's church reportedly were tortured to death.

The arrests are part of a crackdown - often lethal - on religious believers who are outside of China's state-controlled religious organizations - a crackdown that has intensified since the United States granted China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status and thereby eliminated the annual congressional review of China's human rights record. The Chinese government delayed announcement of the death sentence against Pastor Gong (which was imposed earlier in December) until just three days after you signed the PNTR trade proclamation on December 27, 2001. Few assumed the human rights situation in China would immediately improve after approval of PNTR. But instead, conditions have worsened.

The Commission is grateful that you and several members of Congress have expressed their concerns to China over Mr. Li's indictment. We also appreciate that you have raised religious freedom directly with the President Jiang Zemin in your meetings in October. We urge you to speak out regarding Mr. Li and Pastor Gong and to raise their cases, along with those of other religious prisoners of conscience, during your visit to Beijing in February. The Administration must continue to tell Chinese authorities at all levels that human rights obligations are every bit as important to the United States - and just as binding politically on China - as other international obligations.

Thank you, Mr. President, for your efforts on behalf of religious freedom in China and for considering the Commission's recommendation in this vital matter.

Respectfully yours,

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." 

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, Steven T. McFarland,  Executive Director