FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - A new religion law awaiting presidential signature would move Kazakhstan away from democracy and reform, says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress. In a letter sent Friday to Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones, the Commission urges the U.S. government to make clear to the government of Kazakhstan its "great concern" about the proposed law, which would allow the government to ban unregistered religious groups while making it difficult to register and to deny registration to all Muslim organizations not controlled by the state.

The text of the letter follows:

March 22, 2002

Dear Assistant Secretary Jones:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is seriously concerned about a new religion law in Kazakhstan that was approved by the Parliament and is awaiting the signature of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev. As of this writing, the law has apparently been sent to Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council for review. It seems likely to return to the President to be signed early next month.

If signed, this law demonstrates that the Kazakh government is moving in the wrong direction with regard to democratic development and reform. The law will give government officials the authority to ban all unregistered religious groups at the same time that it makes registration for those groups more difficult to obtain. The law would deny registration to all Muslim organizations not controlled by the government's Muslim Spiritual Directorate. The new law would also make it much easier for the government to ban any religious organization that it views as undesirable.

The law has been criticized by religious and human rights groups in and outside Kazakhstan, as well as by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE). The latter has expressed its concerns to the Kazakh government about many aspects of the proposed law. Among their concerns, the OSCE stated that the more stringent registration requirements would violate freedom of religion or belief. At the end of last month, the OSCE's representative in Kazakhstan stated that the OSCE had hoped that the Parliament would reject the proposed law.

The Commission strongly urges the Administration to make clear to the government of Kazakhstan the great concern about the law within the U.S. government. The Administration should raise this concern immediately, prominently, and persistently in all its dealings with the Kazakhstan government. It is important to recall that the state of religious freedom in a country is frequently a harbinger of that state's commitment to the protection of other human rights and to democratic reform more generally.

The Commission has already expressed its concern to the Administration regarding the importance of upholding human rights, especially in the context of the campaign against terrorism. The Commission thus urges the Administration to convey this in the strongest possible way to the government of Kazakhstan.

Sincerely,

U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - Religious-freedom conditions in Turkmenistan are extremely poor and respect for freedom of religion there is deteriorating. Those are among the conclusions in the latest report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency advising the Administration and Congress.

The report also contains a series of recommendations for U.S. policymakers, including a renewal of the Commission's recommendation that the State Department designate Turkmenistan a "country of particular concern." A country of particular concern is described in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 as one where violations of religious freedom are egregious, systematic, and ongoing. Current countries of particular concern include Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Sudan.

Among other Commission recommendations, the U.S. government should:

• Immediately suspend all non-humanitarian assistance to the government of Turkmenistan, with the exception of programs that serve U.S. national security interests in connection with the current campaign against terrorism;

• Scrutinize all aspects of any remaining assistance programs in Turkmenistan to ensure that these programs do not facilitate Turkmen government policies or practices that result in religious-freedom violations;

• Support efforts to facilitate Turkmenistan's sale of natural gas on world markets, including support for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP), only if the Turkmen government takes definitive steps to improve substantially conditions for religious freedom in Turkmenistan;

• Identify specific steps that the government of Turkmenistan could take in order to have its currently suspended assistance reinstated and to avoid triggering further restrictions on assistance programs. These steps should reflect a substantial improvement in the protection of religious freedom;

• Press forcefully its concern about religious-freedom violations in Turkmenistan, consistent with the Turkmen government's obligations to promote respect for and observance of all human rights;

• Suspend state visits between the United States and Turkmenistan until religious-freedom conditions in the country have improved significantly;

• Encourage scrutiny of religious-freedom violations in Turkmenistan in appropriate international fora such as the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other multilateral venues. The United States should sponsor a resolution at the United Nations condemning religious-freedom and other related human rights violations in Turkmenistan, which would create a U.N. special rapporteur to investigate the situation in Turkmenistan.

The report and recommendations may be read in their entirety on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov.

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
March 12, 2002

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

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has observed with great concern the rioting between religious groups in India over the past weeks that has taken more than 600 lives. Reports indicate that both Hindus and Muslims have instigated violence. In all cases, regardless of who the perpetrators are, the Commission unequivocally condemns such attacks and urges the U.S. government to press Indian authorities to exercise their power immediately to halt the atrocities and violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.

In its report of May 1, 2001, the Commission expressed its concern about the recent increase in violence against religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims and Christians, that has been associated with the rise in power of Hindu nationalist organizations, including the Vishna Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, as well as their political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These groups are collectively known as the Sangh Parivar. The BJP has led the national government since 1998 in coalition with regional parties (some without nationalist leanings).

The ideology of the Sangh Parivar holds that only Hindus are "real" Indians, suggesting that non-Hindus are foreigners and thus deserving of suspicion and even attack. Sangh Parivar groups argue that the previous leaders of India failed to create a nation sufficiently grounded in Hindu culture, and that Western thought, including the concept of secular government, is dangerous and detrimental to India, along with conversion to what they claim are "foreign" religions such as Islam and Christianity. Members of other religious communities are thus portrayed as foreign implants, and their patriotism and status as true Indian citizens are frequently called into question by Sangh Parivar groups.

It is hard to imagine a set of views and values less appropriate in a country that is home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations (about 120 million) and 20 million to 30 million Christians. The United States government must speak out strongly against both the increasing attacks on minorities and the ideology of hate behind them. The Indian government must also do more to root out the causes of such tragedies, especially by resolving the impasse over the Muslim Babri mosque in Ayodhya destroyed by Hindu nationalists in 1992, and where Hindu nationalists are vowing to construct a Hindu temple instead.

As the United States deepens its engagement with India, it must work with the Indian government to help foster an atmosphere of greater religious tolerance in that country.

As the Commission recommended in its May report, the U.S. government should:

• press India to pursue perpetrators of violent acts that target members of religious groups;

• make clear its concern to the BJP-led government that virulent nationalist rhetoric is fueling an atmosphere in which perpetrators believe they can attack religious minorities with impunity;

• encourage and facilitate private-sector communication and exchanges between American and Indian religious groups and other non-governmental organizations interested in religious freedom;

• allocate funds from U.S. foreign-assistance programs for the promotion of education on religious toleration and inclusiveness in India;

• seek ways to respond positively through enhanced economic ties to Indian government efforts to protect religious freedom.

The full text of the report on India is available on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov.

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