On May 14, the United States Senate unanimously passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, a landmark bill that holds the Chinese Communist Party responsible for the mass internment and persecution of Uyghurs. This legislation also “endorses targeted sanctions on culpable Chinese government officials, and creates a mandate for reports on human rights abuses in …
Throughout March and April, ethnic violence and internal displacement in Myanmar has been on the rise, despite the International Court of Justice’s ruling in late January that the government of Myanmar must “refrain from acts of genocide against the Rohingya.” Such was a landmark decision that recognized the genocidal tactics used against Rohingya Muslims, such …
Background: Iran remains one of USCIRF’s recommendations for the designation as a Country of Particular Concern in regards to international religious freedom. As an Islamic nation, religious minorities such as Baha’is and Christians are routinely detained for apostasy, blasphemy, and evangelism. According to USCIRF, “Iran harasses, fines, and arrests those who dissent from its interpretation …
Iran Updates on Prisoners of Conscience: Fatemeh Bakhteri and Mary Mohammadi Read More »
Background: On April 30, 2020, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA hosted a virtual webinar titled “Vulnerable Religious Communities during COVID” in which numerous panelists including Ambassador Sam Brownback and USCIRF Commissioner Rev. Johnnie Moore discussed how the outbreak of COVID-19 has exacerbated the discrimination and mistreatment of religious minority communities around the world. Starting off with …
Vulnerable Religious Communities and the Outbreak of COVID-19 Read More »
Each year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) releases a comprehensive report in which they discuss the situations in countries which are the most repressive regarding religious freedom. These reports serve as a major source of information produced by a U.S. government agency. These reports which detail restrictions on the exercise of …
USCIRF Releases 2020 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom Read More »
Background: USCIRF has continuously recommended that Afghanistan be placed on the State Department’s Special Watch List due to its numerous religious freedom violations, which are only exacerbated by the already entrenched political turmoil. Afghanistan has state-sanctioned death penalty for those who leave Islam, including Christian converts. In addition there is routine targeting by the Talibans …
Pastors and other religious leaders have been repeatedly harassed for various reason in Cuba and police in Nicaragua have stood by as mobs attack churches and worshippers.
North Korea Freedom Week is an annual event held to promote the freedom, human rights and dignity of the North Korean people. It first began in 2004 in Washington, D.C., as North Korea Freedom Day, the largest gathering of individuals to promote human rights in North Korea that had ever been held outside the Korean peninsula.
It has been a five year long ordeal, with lack of food, poor living conditions and abuse in prison, with two of the 42 suspects dying in custody in 2017. After five years however, the Youhanabad Christians are finally released. Background In 2015 Jubilee Campaign reported on the Suicide Bombings of two Churches in Youhanabad, …
We stand behind those who have fled from the DPRK because Kim Jung-un’s regime did not recognise their freedom of expression, speech, faith, opportunity, dignity and the security of life and food. Their lives were in the hands of the communist dictatorial regime and endured imprisonment, torture, execution, persecution, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, forced abortion, rape, and starvation, information blockade in the DPRK, as well as enslavement and human trafficking in the People’s Republic of China.
