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U N ITED STATES COMMISSIONO N in T E R N ATIONAL RELI Ious I U S C R F Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom May 2010 (Covering April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010) Commissioners Leonard A. Leo Chair (July 2009 – June 2010) Felice D. Gaer Chair (July 2008 – June 2009) Michael Cromartie Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou Vice Chairs (July 2008 – June 2010) Dr. Don Argue Imam Talal Y. Eid Felice D. Gaer Dr. Richard D. Land Nina Shea Ambassador Jackie Wolcott Executive Director Professional Staff Tom Carter, Director of Communications Walter G. DeSocio, General Counsel David Dettoni, Director of Operations and Outreach Judith E. Golub, Director of Government Relations Carmelita Hines, Director of Administration Knox Thames, Director of Policy and Research Dwight Bashir, Deputy Director for Policy and Research Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Deputy Director for Policy and Research Catherine Cosman, Senior Policy Analyst Deborah DuCre, Receptionist Scott Flipse, Senior Policy Analyst Yuna Jacobson, Associate Director for Government Relations Tiffany Lynch, Policy Analyst Jacqueline A. Mitchell, Executive Assistant Muthulakshmi Anu Narasimhan, Communications Specialist Stephen R. Snow, Senior Policy Analyst Front Cover: URUMQI, China, July 7, 2009 – A Uighur Muslim woman stands courageously before Chinese riot police sent to quell demonstrations by thousands of Uighurs calling for the government to respect their human rights. The Uighurs are a minority Muslim group in the autonomous Xinjiang Uighur region. Chinese government efforts to put down the ethnic and religious protest resulted in more than 150 dead and hundreds of arrests. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images) Back Cover: JUBA, Southern Sudan, April 10, 2010 – School children participate in a prayer service on the eve of Sudan’s first national elections in more than two decades. Those elections are called for under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan, the full implementation of which is widely believed to be essential to averting another bloody civil war marked by sectarian strife. Although the elections were deeply flawed, many Southern Sudanese saw them as a necessary milestone on the road to a January 2011 referendum on Southern Sudan's political future--the final major step in the peace agreement. (Photo by Jerome Delay/Associated Press) U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 790 Washington, DC 20002 202-523-3240, 202-523-5020 (fax) www.uscirf.gov Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom May 2010 (Covering April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010) Table of Contents Transmittal Letters to the President, Secretary of State, Speaker of the House, and President Pro Tempore…………………………………………………………………………..i Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1 Report Overview and Implementation of IRFA…………………………………………….....4 Countries of Particular Concern and the Watch List……………………………………...4 Overview of CPC Recommendations and Watch List…………………………………....8 Implementation of IRFA…………………………………………………………………16 Assessing the Status of Religious Freedom Firsthand…………………………………...21 Engaging the U.S. Executive Branch and Foreign Governments on Religious Freedom……………………………………………………………….23 Convening Public Hearings, Testifying before Congress, Briefing Congressional Staff, and other Public Events…………………………………...26 Working with Congress………………………………………………………………….28 Raising Public Awareness through the Media…………………………………………...30 Country Chapters: Countries of Particular Concern Burma………………………………………………………………………………….....31 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)…………………………………40 Eritrea………………………………………………………………………………….....47 Iran…………………………………………………………………………………….....54 Iraq…………………………………………………………………………………….....67 Nigeria……………………………………………………………………………………80 Pakistan…………………………………………………………………………………..91 People’s Republic of China..…………………………………………………………...103 Saudi Arabia……………………………………………………………………………123 Sudan…………………………………………………………………………………...139 Turkmenistan…………………………………………………………………………...158 Uzbekistan……………………………………………………………………………...171 Vietnam………………………………………………………………………………...184 Country Chapters: USCIRF’s Watch List Afghanistan……………………………………………………………………………..204 Belarus………………………………………………………………………………….212 Cuba…………………………………………………………………………………….220 Egypt…………………………………………………………………………………....227 India……………………………………………………………………………………241 Indonesia……………………………………………………………………………….255 Laos…………………………………………………………………………………….267 Russian Federation……………………………………………………………………..272 Somalia…………………………………………………………………………………288 Tajikistan……………………………………………………………………………….297 Turkey………………………………………………………………………………….303 Venezuela………………………………………………………………………………318 Additional Countries Closely Monitored Bangladesh……………………………………………………………………………..324 Kazakhstan……………………………………………………………………………..327 Sri Lanka…………………………………………………………………………….....331 Promoting International Religious Freedom through Multilateral Institutions The United Nations……………………………………………………………………..334 The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)…………………...341 USCIRF’s Expedited Removal Study……………………..…………………………………349 Appendix1: Biographies of Members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom…………………………………………………………………………….357 Appendix 2: The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, Selected Provisions.........363 Appendix 3: Summary of International Human Rights Standards on Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion or Belief………………………………………………..366 April 29, 2010 The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: I am pleased to transmit the 2010 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This report covers the period of April 2009 through March 2010, and was prepared in compliance with section 202(a)(2) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), 22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq., P.L. 105-292, as amended by P.L. 106-55 and P.L. 107-228. The Annual Report documents religious freedom abuses and limitations in 28 countries around the world, as well as concerns at the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Annual Report: • Recommends that the State Department designate five additional “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, under IRFA for egregious violations of religious freedom – Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam; • Recommends eight countries be re-designated as CPCs – Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan – and that additional actions are taken; • Documents violations of religious freedom in countries placed on the USCIRF Watch List and urges increased U.S. government response; • Highlights efforts of some member states at the United Nations to undermine religious freedom standards through the flawed “defamation of religions” concept; and • Discusses measures still required to address flaws in U.S. policy regarding expedited removal of asylum seekers. USCIRF concludes that the adoption of these and other recommendations found in the Annual Report would considerably advance U.S. efforts to protect and promote the universal right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these policy recommendations with you. Sincerely, Leonard Leo Chair i April 29, 2010 The Honorable Hillary Clinton Secretary of State Washington, D.C. 20520 Dear Madam Secretary: I am pleased to transmit the 2010 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This report covers the period of April 2009 through March 2010, and was prepared in compliance with section 202(a)(2) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), 22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq., P.L. 105-292, as amended by P.L. 106-55 and P.L. 107-228. The Annual Report documents religious freedom abuses and limitations in 28 countries around the world, as well as concerns at the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Annual Report: • Recommends that the State Department designate five additional “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, under IRFA for egregious violations of religious freedom – Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam; • Recommends eight countries be re-designated as CPCs – Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan – and that additional actions are taken; • Documents violations of religious freedom in countries placed on the USCIRF Watch List and urges increased U.S. government response; • Highlights efforts of some member states at the United Nations to undermine religious freedom standards through the flawed “defamation of religions” concept; and • Discusses measures still required to address flaws in U.S. policy regarding expedited removal of asylum seekers. USCIRF concludes that the adoption of these and other recommendations found in the Annual Report would considerably advance U.S. efforts to protect and promote the universal right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these policy recommendations with you. Sincerely, Leonard Leo Chair ii April 29, 2010 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Madam Speaker: I am pleased to transmit the 2010 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This report covers the period of April 2009 through March 2010, and was prepared in compliance with section 202(a)(2) of the International
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