USCIRF Applauds U.S. Senate Bipartisan Efforts to Create the Senate Human Rights Commission

   

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauds the reintroduction of a resolution to establish the Senate Human Rights Commission (S.Res.80).
 
“USCIRF is grateful that the United States Senate is prioritizing international human rights through the proposed creation of the Senate Human Rights Commission,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin. “The Senate Commission would convene experts on various human rights situations taking place around the world and discuss solutions to very difficult problems, and it would serve as an important reminder that the U.S. is committed to individual universal freedoms as a vital part of its foreign policy and engagement with the world. We look forward to the establishment of the Senate Commission and seeing its contribution to international religious freedom as it addresses the ongoing persecution of faith communities around the world.”
 
If agreed to in the Senate, the Commission will serve as a forum for bipartisan discussion of international human rights issues, including international religious freedom. It will promote internationally recognized human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and address international human rights violations through regular briefings and hearings.
 
“International religious freedom is one of many global human rights issues that must remain a bipartisan commitment in Congress,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins. “The Senate Human Rights Commission would be an important initiative for institutionalizing the kind of public discourse needed to highlight and find solutions for the most egregious situations facing our times, such as the Uyghurs in China, the Rohingya in Burma, and Christians in Nigeria. We applaud the leadership of Senators Coons and Tillis and urge the Senate to adopt this resolution and establish the Commission.”
 
The resolution to establish the Senate Human Rights Commission is modeled after the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is led by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC).