U.S. House of Representatives - 02.10.2004

The U.S. State Department's  International Religious Freedom Report for 2003: An Analysis and Update

Full written testimonies, transcript, and webcast video

Hearing of the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights

Agenda: An analysis and update of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2003, and recommendations for designations of Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).

Participating: Republican Reps. Elton Gallegly (CA, Chair), Chris Smith (NJ), Joseph Pitts (PA), Dana Rohrabacher (CA) and Steve Chabot (OH) and Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman (CA) and Betty McCollum (MN)

PANEL I: John V. Hanford III, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. State Department 
PANEL II: Michael Young, Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
PANEL III: Joseph K. Grieboski, Founder and President, Institute on Religion and Public Policy
Tom Malinowski, Washington Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

Amb. Hanford’s written testimony references President Theodore Roosevelt’s response to the 1903 Kishinev Pogrom as part of historical American concern about international religious freedom. It details Kazakhstan’s progress (“greater respect for religious liberty”), and Turkmenistan’s continued discrimination “against those practicing any faith other than Sunni Islam or Russian Orthodox Christianity, which are controlled by the Government.” It notes Uzbekistan’s continued “harsh campaign against unauthorized Islamic groups…arresting numerous alleged members…and sentencing them to lengthy jail terms after unfair trials.”

Since the 1998 passage of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), which established his office, Amb. Hanford said he has seen a lot of improvement, a good “trajectory.” His staff has increased from one to ten people, and Foreign Service officers must now receive training on religious freedom issues. 

During questioning, Rep. Smith expressed concern over the new French law on religious wear, which he said, juxtaposed with the “rising tide of anti-Semitism” marks “a real problem.” Amb. Hanford concurred, noting that such laws give license to more oppressive regimes to continue their harsh repression of religion.

Mr. Young called for the redesignation of Turkmenistan as a CPC. According to his written testimony, USCIRF has also “established a Watch list of countries where…conditions do not rise to the statutory level requiring CPC designation but which require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments.” Uzbekistan is already on the list, and USCIRF has decided to place Belarus and Georgia on the list as well.

Critiquing the Annual Report, Mr. Young noted that the report on Russia, while accurate, reaches an inaccurate conclusion – that religious freedom conditions have not changed. He said the report on Uzbekistan whitewashes government treatment of observant Muslims practicing outside the state sanctioned Muslim establishment, including cases of torture. Similarly, he said, parts of the Turkmenistan report suggest some excuse for President Niyazov’s intolerable repression.

Mr. Young said that Congress and the Administration should consider “systematic policy tools” beyond CPC designation, similar to the Helsinki Accords, to effect change. He called on Congress and the Administration to integrate their actions toward CPCs, to promote positive developments and penalize negative ones by adjusting funding levels for non-humanitarian aid. He also recommended setting quantifiable benchmarks (e.g., number of prisoners held on religious grounds) 

Mr. Grieboski's testimony urged that “Kazakhstan, as a predominantly Muslim, non-Arab state...be recognized for its contributions to the discussion of respect for religious rights” as well as advances in its “human rights standards and practices.” He concurred with Mr. Young, recommending that IRFA be amended to require designation of every country according to seven different benchmarks of religious freedom, allowing for both positive and negative designations.

Mr. Malinowski's testimony focused on how the Administration should use the IRFA to exert pressure on countries with which the United States has established relations, such as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Such countries, he argues, are much more susceptible to negative pressure than are countries such as North Korea and Iran. Detailing specific cases of abuse, he said that U.S. diplomats “have hit a brick wall” in their efforts to exert pressure on Uzbekistan, however, and need Congress or the Administration to send a strong signal.

- Prepared by David Shulman, NCSJ Program Assistant