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U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lawrence J. Goodrich
August 19, 2002
Director of Communications (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
Armitage Asked to Raise Religious Freedom on Visits
to India, Pakistan, and China
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom, an independent federal agency
advising the Administration and Congress, has written
to Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage
requesting that he raise religious freedom concerns
during his visit to India, Pakistan, and China later
this month. The Commission specifically asked Mr.
Armitage to raise the recent sectarian violence in
Gujarat, India; attacks on Christians in Pakistan; the
need to discuss religious freedom during the upcoming
Bush-Jiang talks; and the situation of North Korean
refugees in China.
The text of the letter follows:
August 15, 2002
The Honorable Richard L. Armitage
Deputy Secretary of State
Dear Deputy Secretary Armitage:
Pursuant to its advisory responsibilities under the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA),
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
respectfully urges you to raise religious Freedom
concerns with the governments of India, Pakistan, and
China during your visit to Asia later this month.
In India, we urge you to express publicly the U.S.
government's profound concern about the widespread
killing of Muslims in the state of Gujarat earlier
this year. Sparked by the killing of 58 Hindus on a
train, mobs of Hindus killed at least 1,000 Muslims,
many of whom were mutilated and burned alive. There
have also been instances of retaliatory violence
against Hindus. Although some U.S. administration
officials have commented in response to questions by
reporters about the "horrible violence in Gujarat" and
about their expectation that the Indian government
would "do the right thing," as far as we know no
senior U.S. administration official has expressed
concern over the killings or called for accountability
for those responsible. In fact, Secretary Powell said
that the violence in Gujarat "did not come up in any
of the conversations that I had in both India and in
Pakistan" during his recent visit to the region.
Although the Indian federal government has taken some
positive steps, the situation in Gujarat remains
highly volatile and highly visible in the Indian
press. India's own National Human Rights Commission
has detailed evidence of premeditation by members of
Hindu extremist groups, complicity by Gujarat state
government officials, and police inaction in the face
of orchestrated violence against Muslims. Clearly it
is important that the United States speak out publicly
against such religion-based extremist violence, all
the more so in view of our country's war on terrorism.
In Pakistan, we urge you to similarly speak out
publicly against recent
attacks on Christian targets, reportedly by Islamic
extremists. Pakistan's government should forcefully
combat such violence, punish its perpetrators, and
work more effectively to foster an atmosphere of
tolerance and respect for the rights of everyone,
regardless of religion or belief. Unlike in the case
of the terrible murder of American journalist Daniel
Pearl (who was forced to "confess" his religion before
he was killed), the Pakistani government has not
emonstrated a similar resolve to find and bring to
justice those directly responsible for recent attacks
against Christians. We also hope that you will
underline the Commission's conclusion that
discriminatory religious legislation (notably, the
blasphemy and anti-Ahmadi laws) promotes religious
intolerance that in turn encourages acts of sectarian
and religiously motivated violence in which both
Muslims and non-Muslims are victims.
Despite the proposed Madrassa reform law, too many of
Pakistan's Islamic religious schools continue to
provide ideological training and motivation to those
who go on to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir, and who
take part in violence targeting religious minorities
in Pakistan.
In China, in your meetings with Chinese officials in
preparation for President Jiang Zemin's October 2002
visit to the United States, we urge you to ensure that
religious freedom is a prominent agenda item for
discussion between Presidents Bush and Jiang. Goals
and benchmarks should be established prior to
President Jiang's visit in order to measure progress
in the protection of religious liberty in China, which
has been designated by the Secretary of State as a "country
of particular concern" under IRFA. Among these
benchmarks should be the release of persons confined
on account of their religion or belief and an end to
the detention, imprisonment, torture, and other forms
of ill treatment of Protestant Christians, Roman
Catholics, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and
other groups, such as Falun Gong, that the government
has labeled "evil cults." Urging the Chinese
government to take such steps would demonstrate a
determination on the part of the administration to
follow up on the recent visit to China of the
Ambassador at Large for International Religious
Freedom, from whom we await a report. In addition, the
Commission strongly recommends that you communicate to
Chinese officials U.S. concerns about the situation of
thousands of North Koreans who have fled to China and
urge the Chinese government to abide by its
international commitments to refrain from forcibly
repatriating North Koreans and to grant refugee status
to those who meet international criteria. In
particular, there are reports that 12 North Koreans
who, led by South Korean Pastor Chun Ki Won, were
arrested by Chinese officials in December 2001 while
attempting to enter Mongolia are now facing
involuntary repatriation where they will likely face
severe penalties, some say including execution, upon
their return due to the international publicity
surrounding their case.
We understand that there are many interests that the
U.S. government must pursue in each of these countries.
However, we strongly recommend that religious freedom
concerns be prominent in your dialogue with their
governments. This is important not least because it is
the protection of religious freedom and other human
rights that has proven often to be the most effective
guarantor that other U.S. interests will be advanced.
Respectfully,
Felice Gaer
Chair
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
was created by the International Religious Freedom Act
of 1998 to give independent recommendations to the
executive branch and the Congress.
Visit our Web site at www.uscirf.gov
-30-
Felice D. Gaer, Chair Dean Michael K. Young, Vice
Chair Firuz Kazemzadeh
Richard Land Bishop William F. Murphy
Leila Nadya Sadat Nina Shea Hon. Charles R. Stith Hon.
Shirin R.
Tahir-Kheli Ambassador John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio
Tad Stahnke, Acting Executive Director
800 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE 790 WASHINGTON, DC
20002 202-523-3240
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