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The Diplomat
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Assessing Religious Freedoms in Central Asia, USCIRF Delegations Visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
In late June, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Vicky Hartzler led delegations to both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, joined by Vice Chair Asif Mahmood in the former and Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi in the latter, to assess the state of religious freedoms in the two countries. USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal body established by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), which monitors the status of freedom of religion abroad in order to make policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress. Each year, USCIRF releases an annual report covering the previous year's developments and making recommendations on the designation of 'countries of particular concern' (CPCs) where there is 'systematic, ongoing, and egregious' violations of religious freedoms. In its 2025 report, released in March, USCIRF recommended that Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, among others, be designated as CPCs and subject to sanctions, and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan be listed on the special watch list (SWL), which entails no immediate punishments, but indicates concern. The Diplomat interviewed USCIRF Chair Hartzler about her recent visits to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the reasons USCIRF is concerned about religious freedoms in these countries, and the commission's encouraging the Trump administration to consider lifting the national security waiver typically paired with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan's CPC designations. You recently led a USCIRF delegation to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to assess religious freedoms in these states. Can you tell us about what kinds of people you meet with on these sorts of trips? Whose voices are you taking into consideration? We met with a wide range of stakeholders, including leaders and members of majority and minority religious communities, human rights activists, non-governmental organizations, and relevant government officials. To understand the religious freedom situation in any country, it is essential to speak with a wide range of individuals and, in particular, representatives of diverse religious communities. This is particularly true for Central Asian countries, where broad and vague laws restrict freedom of religion or belief. Officials enforce such legislation arbitrarily, resulting in some individuals being unable to freely practice their religion. In USCIRF's most recent annual report (2025), the Commission recommended that the U.S. State Department include Kyrgyzstan in the Special Watch List for 'engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.' USCIRF first recommended that Kyrgyzstan be included in the SWL in 2024. What changed in Kyrgyzstan that triggered its inclusion in USCIRF's recommendations? In its 2024 and 2025 Annual Reports, USCIRF recommended Kyrgyzstan's inclusion on the State Department's Special Watch List due to the government's ongoing and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief. Over the past few years, the Kyrgyz government increasingly enforced long-existing restrictive legislation regulating religion. Authorities rigorously penalized religious practices, including online religious expression, collective religious worship and studies, and the possession of unauthorized religious materials, through raids, forced renunciations of faith, administrative fines, and prison sentences. In January 2025, a new religion law was passed, further restricting religious activities, including requiring religious groups to obtain registration from 500 people and places of worship to obtain registration, as well as continuing to ban the distribution of religious literature, among other things. Kazakhstan has also been recommended for the SWL for several years, though the State Department has never designated it as such. Can you discuss some of the conditions that led to USCIRF recommending Kazakhstan's inclusion in the SWL again? Since 2013, and most recently in our 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF has recommended Kazakhstan for inclusion on the State Department's Special Watch List due to the government's ongoing and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief. The Kazakh government restricts the religious activities of all groups, including Muslims who deviate from the state's preferred interpretation of Hanafi Sunni Islam. For example, the government continues to target activities such as peaceful religious expression through observing religious holidays or gathering for religious services, and distributing religious materials with fines, detainments, and, in some cases, prison sentences. The 2011 religion law includes broad and vague provisions that authorities arbitrarily enforce. The law requires government approval to engage in virtually any religious activity and includes administrative burdens that allow officials ample opportunities to deny permission. This essentially permits the government to use the same law to approve the religious activities of those groups it finds favorable, while preventing or penalizing the activities of 'unfavorable' groups. How can vague or broadly applied definitions of 'extremist' harm religious communities? And do you think that this has an adverse effect on security as well? Each Central Asia government applies a broad and vague definition of 'extremism' under its extremism law. Within such legislation, 'extremist' acts are not limited to those that involve violence or calls to violence. This gives authorities broad discretion to investigate and prosecute individuals for a range of peaceful religious activities. There are several individuals imprisoned under 'extremism' charges for peaceful religious activities. In Kazakhstan, there are at least three Muslim men who are imprisoned related to their peaceful, online religious activities: Anatoli Zernichenko, Beket Mynbasov, and Ernar Samatov. In Kyrgyzstan, USCIRF monitors two religious prisoners of conscience, a Muslim man named Asadullo Madraimov, who criticized an official religious policy, and a Christian man named Pavel Schreider. The outgoing Biden administration did not make Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) or SWL designations by the end of 2024, leaving in place the 2023 designations. Do you expect the Trump administration to make designations? Have you had any productive interactions with the Trump administration on religious freedom issues? USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency tasked under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to monitor freedom of religion or belief globally and make policy recommendations to the U.S. government, including the president. Since its creation, USCIRF has consistently held meetings with the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. We look forward to working with the next Ambassador-at-Large once confirmed. Currently, former Congressman Mark Walker has been nominated and is waiting for Senate confirmation. Under IRFA, the President is required to make designations 90 days after the State Department submits its annual International Religious Report. However, Secretary Blinken failed to make the required designations before the change in administration. In January 2025, USCIRF welcomed Marco Rubio's confirmation as Secretary of State and called for him to review USCIRF's recommendations for designations, most recently updated in the 2025 Annual Report. To reiterate USCIRF's recommendations in Central Asia, USCIRF recommends Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan for inclusion on the Special Watch List, recommendations that the State Department has not traditionally implemented. In addition, USCIRF recommended that Turkmenistan and Tajikistan be designated as CPCs. While we applaud the State Department for implementing these recommendations, USCIRF encourages the Trump administration to lift the national security waiver paired with these CPC designations not only to reinforce that religious freedom is a priority for U.S. foreign policy, but also to emphasize the severity of religious freedom violations in these countries. Under IRFA, the administration may waive any presidential action typically paired with a CPC designation if it furthers U.S. policy on religious freedom or if it is in the important national interest of the United States.
Newsweek
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Bloody Church Massacre Condemned by World Leaders: 'Deeply Disturbing'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An attack against a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the weekend that killed nearly 50 civilians drew condemnation from global leaders. Vicky Hartzler, who chairs the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told Newsweek that the attack is "disturbing." "The recent increase in attacks on Christians and other religious communities by the ISIS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo is deeply alarming. The most recent attack is particularly disturbing as it targeted a place of worship during an evening service—individuals should have the freedom to worship without the fear of putting one's life at risk. USCIRF strongly condemns these attacks and calls on the U.S. government to provide all possible support to curtail this disturbing trend," Hartzler said. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment via email. The Context The violence, attributed to Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), highlights the persistent threat that extremist militias pose to civilians in eastern Congo, a region that has faced decades of unrest. The deadly attack also underscored the escalating violence targeting Christian communities in the area. What To Know On Sunday, Islamic State-backed rebels attacked a Catholic church in Komanda, a city in the Ituri province. The United Nations reported that at least 49 civilians, including nine children, were killed during the attack. Several others were injured. The attackers burned down the church and several other nearby homes and businesses. The attack drew condemnation from world leaders. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as MONUSCO, a peacekeeping mission in the region, said in a statement that it held "deep outrage at these heinous acts of violence, which constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and infringements on human rights." "These targeted attacks against defenseless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling, but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law," Vivian van de Perre, acting head of MONUSCO, wrote. Pope Leo XIV also condemned the attack. "May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people," he wrote. The aftermath of an attack in Komanda, in the Ituri province of eastern Congo, on July 27, 2025. The aftermath of an attack in Komanda, in the Ituri province of eastern Congo, on July 27, 2025. Olivier Okande/UGC via AP The French Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement on the attack, as well: "France expresses its solidarity with the Congolese government and offers its condolences to the victims' families and loved ones. France stands with the Congolese authorities in their effort to combat terrorist groups and protect the Congolese people," the statement reads. The attack on the Catholic church began at about 1 a.m. on Sunday when armed members of the ADF stormed the church. Video footage from the aftermath showed burning structures and bodies scattered inside the church. The ADF originated in Uganda in the 1990s and has been affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019. It largely operates around the Uganda-Congo border and has targeted civilians living in the area's villages, the Associated Press reported. The ADF was believed to have beheaded 70 Christians in a church in the province of North Kivu. What People Are Saying Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, described the aftermath to the Associated Press: "The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic church." UNICEF, in a statement: "The uptick in violence between armed groups in Ituri is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. It is becoming increasingly difficult for UNICEF and partners to reach those most in need – and children, as ever, are bearing the brunt." What Happens Next Local and international pressure is mounting for stronger security interventions to protect civilians and religious minorities in eastern. The ADF remains active in the region.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ram Madhav writes: What the current discourse on religious freedom gets wrong
In an interesting report, 'Changing the conversation about religious freedom: An integral human development approach', published in June last year, the Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank, claimed that it was seeking 'a new approach to religious freedom that integrates it with integral human development (IHD)'. In a welcome departure from the earlier practice of demonising countries in the name of religious freedom, the report argued that religious freedom should not only be treated as a human right but also as 'a crucial component of overall human flourishing and sustainable development'. Religious freedom became a bogey to defame countries after the US Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) in 1998 and created the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to 'monitor, analyse and report on violations of religious freedom worldwide'. The commission's annual reports have acquired notoriety for misrepresenting facts, often with an alleged political bias, in branding several countries as 'Countries of Particular Concern' (CPCs). Several countries have questioned its locus standi in interfering in their sovereign affairs. India took an aggressive stand by refusing to recognise the commission and denying visas to its officials. Earlier this year, the Ministry of External Affairs not only rejected the commission's 2025 report, which included India as one of the CPCs, but went further to brand the commission an 'entity of concern'. The USCIRF's reports have no sanctity outside the four walls of the US Congress. Yet, they have helped create a 'religious freedom industry'. A breed of 'religious freedom ambassadors' has emerged in over 30 countries. Religious freedom, per se, is not contentious. Several democracies, including India, hold it as sacrosanct. Articles 25 to 30 of the Indian Constitution offer various freedoms to religions including the freedom of conscience, the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate, and the freedom to manage their affairs without state intervention. Minority religions enjoy positive discrimination by way of special rights to run educational and cultural institutions. The same rights are not available to the majority Hindu religion. India is the only country where people of all religions, including several Christian denominations and Muslim sects, coexist in harmony. It's not that there are no religious tensions, but they must be seen in the context of India's population of a billion-plus Hindus, almost 200 million Muslims and 40 million Christians. In its long history, Hindu society has endured enormous religious persecution by invading Mughal armies as well as violent religious inquisitions by Christian rulers like the Portuguese in Goa. The country was partitioned in 1947 on religious grounds after a brutal and violent campaign led by the Muslim League. That history has made the leaders of modern India recognise the need for strengthening the bond of national unity based not only on political and constitutional foundations but also on cultural and civilisational ethos. Religious bigotry and fundamentalism — majority or minority — were rejected and emphasis was laid on creating a national mainstream. For a vast and diverse country with a long history of religious strife, that's not an easy task. Yet, occasional outbursts notwithstanding, India has achieved commendable success in demonstrating unity and harmony. Still, India remained in the USCIRF's crosshairs. There are two important reasons for that bias. One is that the commission places its religious freedom discourse in a Eurocentric framework. It refuses to take into account country-specific sensitivities. Two, it relies on scholars who are reportedly biased. I was at a conference in Rome recently where the Atlantic Council's initiative to view religious freedom from the prism of integral human development was the central theme. Propounded first by Jacques Maritain, a French Catholic philosopher, in 1936, and followed three decades later by Deendayal Upadhyaya, the ideological father figure of the BJP, Integral humanism emphasises the need to rise above religions to secure not only the material but ethical, moral and spiritual well-being of individuals. It advocates a pluralistic approach for achieving such an integral development. It is imperative that the religious freedom discourse be situated in the national context to achieve a proper understanding of the role of religions in the integral growth of people. The Indian Constitution imposes reasonable restrictions on public order, morality and health on all fundamental rights, including the freedom of religion. That calls for religions that came from outside to internalise the cultural experience of India, in which pluralism and respect for all religions is an important basic principle. No religion can claim universality or superiority. Hence, in the Indian context, the religious narrative should shift from 'one god' to 'only god' — everything is divine — and 'one truth' to 'only truth'. Religious conversions are an important challenge in this context. In a landmark judgment in Rev. Stainislaus vs State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), the Supreme Court held that the right to 'propagate' does not include the right to proselytise and hence there is no fundamental right to convert another person. The Court clarified that it does not impinge on the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution, but rather, protects it. It may be worthwhile to recall that Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis had criticised proselytism, albeit in the limited context of Catholics being won over by other denominations. A proper understanding of the cultural and civilisational experiences of various nations helps in reframing the religious freedom discourse in the right perspective. Otherwise, the Atlantic Council's efforts will also be seen as 'a form of 'cultural imperialism' or a 'Western' endeavour with a hidden agenda', to borrow from its own report. The writer, president, India Foundation, is with the BJP. Views are personal
Herald Malaysia
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Religious freedom in Russia continues to decline: experts
Even theological disagreement within the Russian Orthodox Church is silenced, says a Russian-born scholar Jun 05, 2025 President Vladimir Putin with Kremlin-controlled religious leaders during the official celebrations of the National Unity Day on Nov. 4, 2023. (Photo: Wikipedia) By Gina Christian, OSV News As Pope Leo XIV highlights the need for interreligious dialogue and diplomacy, religious liberty in Russia continues to decline, with the US International Religious Freedom Commission citing that nation's intensified use of blasphemy laws to silence freedom of expression. At the same time, a Russian-born scholar told OSV News that even theological disagreement within the Russian Orthodox Church is silenced. In May, Pope Leo stressed to Vatican-accredited diplomats that interreligious dialogue can foster peace, with such exchange first requiring "full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person." But a month earlier, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom issued an update on Russia's "intensified" enforcement of its laws against what the commission called "perceived offensive expression toward religion, religious texts, and religious leaders." The commission -- which defines blasphemy as "the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or sacred things" -- noted that under international human rights law, "freedom of religion or belief includes the right to express a full range of thoughts and beliefs, including those that others might find blasphemous." The law protects the rights of individuals, not "religious feelings, figures or symbols from behavior or speech considered blasphemous," said USCIRF. As a result, said the commission, "while certain offensive statements and actions may warrant public rebuke, prosecuting perceived offensive expression toward religion violates the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right to freedom of opinion and expression under international human rights law." In Russia, the two laws commonly invoked to prosecute blasphemy -- one criminal, one civil -- have been used to enforce compliance with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has leveraged the nation's predominantly Russian Orthodox religious identity and what it calls "traditional values" to rally the nation against the West. "For years, President Putin has championed his interpretation of 'traditional values' to oppose the West on human rights and justify his authoritarian practices, which include systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom," said USCIRF. USCIRF said that the use of the blasphemy laws has accelerated with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022 and continues attacks initiated in 2014. Dmitry Dubrovskiy, a researcher from the Institute for International Studies at Charles University in Prague, told OSV News that Russia's blasphemy laws also work in an indirect, but no less effective, way. "It's not so important how many people are being fined or prosecuted -- what is much more important is how many people are prevented from doing something because they're afraid of being prosecuted," explained Dubrovskiy, a former associate professor at Moscow's Higher School of Economics until March 2022, when he was declared a "foreign agent" in Russia and left the country. Dubrovskiy said the prosecution of those deemed to violate Russia's blasphemy laws sends "a message" that certain groups are "second-rate humans." At the same time, he said, "the message about the peculiar character of the Russian Orthodox Church in general" is that "it's totally untouchable" as "the highest level of authority, and not for discussion," although the church has only traditionally, rather than formally, been declared Russia's state church. In its 2025 World Watch List, the nonprofit Open Doors International -- which aids persecuted Christians in more than 70 countries -- said that amid a climate of "dictatorial paranoia" that fuels Russia's persecution of some religious groups, "the Russian Orthodox churches experience the least problems from the government" among Christian organizations. "The government continues to favor the Russian Orthodox Church at the expense of other Christian groups," while "Jehovah Witnesses have been banned since 2017," said the report. "After the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 state surveillance has increased, including the monitoring of non-ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) Christians." Open Doors also said in its report that "state agents at various levels carry out surveillance and impose restrictions," with Russia's legislation "being adapted and bringing in new restrictions constantly. All over Russia, local communities oppose openly evangelistic activities carried out by Protestant Christians." In October, the Russian government also put forth a draft law banning religious services in residential buildings. Dubrovskiy pointed to his research on the "expert opinions" used in classifying religious groups in Russia as "extremist" -- a practice that dates from Soviet times. He has found that such experts are increasingly selected not for their knowledge of religion, but of extremism, with little understanding of faith communities' practices and an inclination to label groups harshly. Priests of the Russian Orthodox Church -- which has openly supported that nation's war on Ukraine, with Patriarch Kirill declaring soldiers killed in action as absolved from sin -- have been expelled and imprisoned for expressing their dissent over the invasion, even on religious grounds. Among those who have been incarcerated is Hieromonk Ioann Kurmoyarov, whose YouTube videos criticizing the Russian government's aggression in Ukraine resulted in a three-year prison sentence, imposed in 2023, for sharing "fake news" about the Russian military. Speaking out against the Russian Orthodox Church itself is a danger, said Dubrovskiy. "All the Russian (Orthodox) priests who have ever criticized the church are being excommunicated or expelled," he said, adding that while theological debate by nature entails a level of disagreement, "there is no such thing as discussion" within the Russian Orthodox Church, which strives to "discipline the people to believe and to follow the instructions of the patriarch." Religious persecution is also experienced among Russia's Muslims, who make up close to 11% of the population, according to Open Doors. Clashes between Islamic militant groups and the government in certain areas have caused many ethnic Russians, largely Christian, to flee. In the same Muslim-majority regions, Christians with Muslim backgrounds face persecution from family, friends and the local community. OSV News is awaiting a response to its request for comment from the apostolic nuncio to Russia, Archbishop Giovanni d'Aniello, on the status of religious freedom in Russia In Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, officials have cracked down harshly on religious groups, destroying houses of worship and seizing church buildings while imprisoning, torturing and killing clergy. In the partially-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, Russian officials banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and Caritas -- the international humanitarian aid network of the universal Catholic Church. Two UGCC priests, Father Ivan Levitsky and Father Bohdan Geleta, were abducted from their former Zaporizhzhia region parishes and released through Vatican mediation in June 2024, after 18 months of captivity and torture. Despite the Russian government's zealous crackdown on non-Russian Orthodox faith communities, and the nation's majority-Orthodox populace, Russian society as a whole is not especially religious, said Dubrovskiy. Instead, "a substantial amount of Russians definitely consider their Orthodoxy as a cultural identity," he said, noting that just "approximately 3-7% of the Russian population regularly visit a church."--
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Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Yunus vows to uphold minority rights in B'desh during constitutional reform
Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday said any constitutional amendments would uphold religious freedom and minority rights, asserting that minorities will continue to enjoy the same rights as the majority Muslim population. The head of the interim government made the comments during a meeting with US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Stephen Schneck here, according to a post on his official social media handle. "We are striving hard to build religious harmony in the country," Yunus said. On being asked about the activities of the reform commissions and the proposed constitutional changes after last year's uprising that ousted former premier Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime, Yunus said that "any constitutional amendments would uphold religious freedom and minority rights in Bangladesh". "The consensus-building commission is holding dialogue with political parties over the proposed amendments. Minorities will continue to enjoy the same rights as the majority Muslim population," he said. Yunus noted the role of religion in the country and reiterated the government's commitment to maintaining religious harmony. "We are committed to safeguarding the religious freedom of every citizen of the country," he said. Responding to allegations of minority violence, Yunus said the interim government remains committed to transparency, inviting global journalists to visit and see the situation firsthand. Bangladesh saw a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community following Hasina's ouster in August last year.
