Religious Freedom Report Comes at Crucial Moment

Today, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will release the 2010 Annual
Report on International Religious Freedom, an annual examination of
"the legal status of religious freedom as well as the attitudes towards
it, in almost 200 countries and territories around the world." Human
Rights First is urging the administration to use the report to
strengthen efforts to protect religious minorities around the world -
such as the Iraqi Christians - and to combat defamation of religion laws
that are used to silence debate and dissent and persecute religious
minorities.

"Freedom of religion is a basic human right," said Human Rights
First's Tad Stahnke. "It's also a value on which this country was
founded. President Obama has been clear that protecting religious
freedom is a priority for his administration, continuing a commitment to
human rights that has animated American foreign policy for decades.
Today's report should provide a roadmap for the State Department and
other agencies to put this commitment into action in the coming years."

Last year in Cairo, President Obama stressed the importance for
religions to respect their differences - a theme that will likely be
reflected in today's report. In those remarks, he noted, "Indeed, faith
should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in
America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. ... Around the
world, we can turn dialogue into Interfaith service, so bridges between
peoples lead to action - whether it is combating malaria in Africa, or
providing relief after a natural disaster."

Earlier this month in Jakarta, President Obama referenced his remarks
in Cairo, stating, "I said then, and I will repeat now, that no single
speech can eradicate years of mistrust. But I believed then, and I
believe today, that we have a choice. We can choose to be defined by our
differences, and give in to a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we
can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit
ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress. And I can promise you - no
matter what setbacks may come, the United States is committed to human
progress. That is who we are. That is what we have done. That is what we
will do."

Human Rights First notes that President Obama's Jakarta speech and
today's State Department report come at crucial time for religious
tolerance. In Iraq, the Christian community has recently been targeted
for brutal attack. This fall, the United Nations General Assembly will
engage in a debate over a contentious "defamation of religions"
resolution. Human Rights First has found that defamation laws are
frequently used to target individuals for the peaceful expression of
political or religious views. A recent report issued by the
organization, Blasphemy Laws Exposed: The Consequences of Criminalizing "Defamation of Religions,"
details more than 50 recent cases from 15 countries that provide a
window into how national blasphemy laws are abused by governments. The
real-life stories in this report document how time and again,
accusations of blasphemy have resulted in arrests and arbitrary
detentions and have sparked assaults, murders and mob attacks.

As the State Department releases today's report, Human Rights First
is urging the administration to maintain its position against such a
measure at the United Nations and to urge other nations to join in
opposing its passage.

It is also urging the administration to respond to a series of recent
attacks targeting Christians in Iraq. Among the group's key
recommendations are the following:

• The United States should continue to support the protection of Iraqi
  refugees and displaced people, by leading the international community
  in providing assistance for Iraqis who have been displaced by the
  violence in Iraq and by encouraging other states to join more robustly
  in this effort.
• The Department of State, with other relevant agencies, should
  take additional steps to improve the pace of resettlement for Iraqi
  refugees - at present, they can wait a year or more for their
  applications to be processed - so that refugees are not left stranded in
  difficult or dangerous circumstances for extended periods of time;
• The Department of State, with other relevant agencies, should
  enhance capacity to expedite the resettlement of refugees who face
  imminent harm by developing a transparent and formal expedited procedure
  for refugees who face an imminent risk of harm; and
• The Department of State, working with the Department of
  Homeland Security and intelligence agencies, should improve the
  staffing, coordination, and timeliness of the security clearance process
  so that Iraqi refugees are not left stranded in difficult and dangerous
  situations.

"In many parts of the world, people are in danger because of how they
choose to worship. The United States must fulfill its promise to
protect those fleeing persecution," Stahnke concluded.