Defending Freedoms Project

In December 2012, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, in conjunction with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Amnesty International USA, launched the Defending Freedoms Project with the aim of supporting human rights and religious freedom throughout the world with a particular focus on prisoners of conscience.

Specifically, Members of Congress “adopt” prisoners of conscience, standing in solidarity with these brave men and women, while committing to advocate publicly for their release.

Click the interactive map below to view the status of prisoners of conscience highlighted in the Defending Freedoms Project

Spotlight

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2015 Annual Report on April 30, 2015. In the report, USCIRF recommends that the State Department add these eight countries to its list of “countries of particular concern,” defined under law as countries where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are tolerated or perpetrated: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

USCIRF also recommends that the following eight countries be re-designated as “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs: Burma,... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hundreds of people have been killed in Boko Haram terrorist attacks throughout northern Nigeria and in sectarian violence in the Middle Belt during the past two months. The July 20 meeting in Washington D.C. between President Barack Obama and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari offers both nations the opportunity to reinvigorate their commitment to, and develop initiatives that would, help curb both types of violence.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates World Refugee Day. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 60 million people are refugees or internally displaced, the highest number the agency has ever recorded. Many of these people are fleeing religious persecution and intolerance.

For Uighur Muslims in China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang, observing Ramadan – a month-long period of introspection, fasting, prayer, and devotion – is difficult, if not impossible. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly urges the Chinese government to end all restrictions on Uighur Muslims’ religious practices and activities, including limitations on Ramadan observance, and honor their right to genuine freedom of religion or belief.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, was elected on June 11, 2015 as Chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Dr. George was first appointed to the Commission in March 2012 by Speaker of the House John Boehner and reappointed to a second term in 2014.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) solemnly marks the one year anniversary of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) takeover of Mosul, and the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed, displaced, or forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries. These former residents of Mosul are among the more than two million Iraqis who fled their homes due to ISIL’s offensive.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the continuing prosecution of Rev. Yat Michael and Rev. Peter Reith who face the death penalty if convicted on the baseless charges of undermining Sudan’s constitution and waging war against the state.