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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2008

Contact: Judith Ingram,

Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 127

[email protected]

Today, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom marksthe tenth anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). This U.S. legislation focused a spotlight on the importance of ending violations of religious freedom around the world and the need to promote this and other freedoms as integral components of U.S. foreign policy. Developments of the past decade have reinforced recognition of the importance of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, as the U.S. government navigates a world threatened by religion-based extremism and religion-imbued conflict.

"The first 10 years of IRFA implementation are only the beginning," noted Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "In this, the sixtieth anniversary of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are reminded that, as with other cherished human rights, there is much work to be done in order for the international right to the freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief to become a global reality."

Throughout the past decade, the existence of IRFA has focused U.S. policymakers on the importance of religious freedom for individuals and religious communities. Human rights defenders, including courageous and irrepressible religious freedom advocates throughout the world, often struggle under oppressive conditions. The Commission has been privileged to meet and work with such individuals of conscience and faith around the world. Commission delegations abroad have met some of them in their prison cells or in their homes where they were being held under house arrest. Their grass-roots efforts dovetail with those of governments and international organizations.

"The Commission also recognizes the important contributions of all the private citizens who have served on the Commission in its first ten years, and all those who support its ongoing effort to promote the recognition of human rights, including freedom of religion" stated Gaer. "As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, these rights constitute ‘the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.'"

Much room remains, however, for more effective policies promoting the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief globally. The Commission is required annually to recommend to the Department of State nations that constitute the most severe violators of religious freedom. In May 2008, the Commission recommended that the Secretary of State designate the following countries as "Countries of Particular Concern:" Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. A Commission "Watch List" also calls for close monitoring of: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria. The Commission is currently preparing a report on religious freedom in Iraq. For more information on the Commission's findings and an overview of its first decade, please see the 2008 Annual Report at www.uscirf.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2008

WASHINGTON-Felice D. Gaer, Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Vice Chair Michael Cromartie marked the tenth anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this week. Gaer and Cromartie served as official members of the U.S. delegation to the meeting, which was held in Warsaw, Poland, and closed on Friday.

"IRFA sparked an increased recognition among U.S. policymakers of the importance of religious freedom to people around the world," Gaer said. "This new emphasis was felt among religious freedom advocates throughout the world, many of whom are struggling under oppressive conditions, including some whom Commission delegations have met in their prison cells or under house arrest."

Cromartie noted that "ten years after the adoption of IRFA, the Commission has concluded that promoting religious freedom has proved to be more vital than ever to the political and humanitarian interests of the United States, as well as to national and global security, including in the OSCE region.... The Commission calls on all OSCE states to continually strengthen the protection of this freedom."

Cromartie and Gaer distributed Commission reports and other materials and focused in their statements on the Commission's ongoing concerns in:

• Uzbekistan, where the government continues to arrest Muslims, harshly repress religious groups, and close mosques that do not conform to government-prescribed practices or that it alleges to be associated with extremist political programs;
• Russia, where government policies do not effectively combat xenophobia, religious intolerance and hate crimes, including those motivated by hostility to diverse religions or beliefs; and
• Turkmenistan, where significant religious freedom problems and official harassment continue close to two years after the death of longtime dictator Saparmurat Niyazov.

Gaer and Cromartie consulted widely with government representatives, OSCE staff, and non-governmental organizations attending the annual meeting, which is Europe's largest human rights conference and the most important human rights event of the year for the 56-state OSCE. Its purpose is to examine implementation of the human rights commitments in OSCE's founding document, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, and other, subsequent commitments.

Both stressed the Commission's recommendations that the U.S. government needs to fully support the OSCE and that religious freedom and tolerance should be promoted through various OSCE institutional mechanisms, including the Panel of Experts on Religion and Belief and the three Personal Tolerance Representatives.

For a full list of Commission recommendations concerning the OSCE, see the OSCE chapter in the 2008 Annual Report ( http://www.uscirf.gov/images/AR2008/annual%20report%202008-final%20edition.pdf ) .