Source: www.uscirf.gov
Date: April 25, 2023
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Transnational Repression of Freedom of Religion or Belief
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
10:30am-12:00pm ET
Virtual Hearing
Register Here
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing that will examine transnational repression on the basis of religion, belief, or advocacy for religious freedom and how the United States can respond accordingly.
Government efforts to restrict freedom of religion or belief do not stop at national borders. In recent years, a concerning trend of governments harassing, intimidating, and even attempting to kidnap and deport religious minority citizens or religious freedom advocates who reside abroad has increased. Some of these attempts have occurred on U.S. soil. While country-specific approaches to this repression exist, the coalescence of a U.S. policy on transnational repression is an ongoing process. The stakes of this policy are high not only for those targeted for transnational repression, but also for countries that value freedom of religion or belief as a norm and practice. Authoritarianism is no longer contained to authoritarian states as new technologies, interlinked societies, and globalized economies connect people more than ever before.
Witnesses will document the use of repressive tactics by governments around the world to restrict religious freedom outside their borders and provide policy recommendations to the U.S. government on countering these threats.
Opening Remarks
- Nury Turkel, Chair, USCIRF
- Abraham Cooper, Vice Chair USCIRF
- Andrea Prasow, Executive Director, Freedom Initiative
- Nate Schenkkan, Senior Director of Research, Freedom House
- Teng Biao, Academic Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Open Constitution Initiative
- Marcus Michaelsen, Senior Researcher, Citizen Lab
- Julie Millsap, Government Relations Manager, Uyghur Human Rights Project