


.Welcomes House Passage of the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019, Urges Swift Passage in the Senate
.USCIRF Applauds Sanctions against Senior Burmese Military Officials
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new reports:
Blasphemy Allegations in a Polarized Indonesia – This report provides an overview of blasphemy laws and prominent trends in blasphemy allegations within Indonesia. The cases demonstrate that blasphemy accusations can arise out of a myriad of motivations and that the government of Indonesia is doing little to address the proliferation of cases. In fact, the government of Indonesia may expand the scope of blasphemy in its new Criminal Code. The report concludes with recommendations for the U.S. government and Congress.
Vietnam Country Update – This is a report about the implementation of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion based on information obtained during a September 2019 USCIRF Commissioner Delegation visit. It explains how the mandatory registration process and the complicated approval processes under the law have impeded the ability of some religious groups to practice their faith.
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Vietnam as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act due to its systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF placed Indonesia on its Tier 2 list for violations that meet one or two of these classifications.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has also commended the House of Representatives for passing an amended version of the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019 (S.178). The bill, passed by unanimous consent by the Senate in September, will require the administration to impose sanctions on individual Chinese officials responsible for the persecution of Uighur and other Muslims.
“This bill is a great step forward in addressing one of the worst violations of religious freedom in the 21st century,” said USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “My fellow commissioners and I urge the Senate to swiftly pass the amended version and for President Trump to sign the bill so his administration can quickly implement all of its provisions.”
“I want to commend Representatives Smith, McGovern and Sherman and Senators Rubio and Menendez for their bipartisan leadership on this important legislation, as well as all the Members of Congress who supported it,” added Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee. “The U.S. government must not rest until the Chinese government closes the concentration camps and releases all of the Uighur and other Muslims unlawfully detained.”
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF called upon the administration to use its authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and International Religious Freedom Act to enact targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations, especially Chen Quanguo, the current Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang. In September 2019, USCIRF released a report documenting how the Chinese government uses surveillance cameras, biometric technology and artificial intelligence to monitor and harass Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities.
“USCIRF has long highlighted the Burmese military’s violations of religious freedom and mass violence against vulnerable communities and the importance of holding those responsible to account. These designations, which USCIRF had recommended, represent an important step forward in finding justice for the Rohingya and other persecuted groups,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Nadine Maenza.
“We applaud the Department of Treasury for sanctioning Burmese military leaders on International Human Rights Day for atrocities that USCIRF believes constitute crimes against humanity and genocide. Under their command, Burmese military forces committed egregious acts of violence – including extrajudicial killings, rape, and forced disappearances – and displaced millions from their homeland,” stated USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava.
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department continue to designate Burma as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act due to systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. Among its policy recommendations, USCIRF urged the U.S. government “to impose targeted sanctions on members of Burma’s military, security forces, and non-state actors for severe human rights and religious freedom violations.”