Saturday, June 04, 2011

U.S. House Holds Two Hearings On International Religious Freedom Issues

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has held two recent hearings on religious liberty issues. On June 2, the full committee held a hearing on Religious Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights in Asia: Status of Implementation of the Tibetan Policy Act, Block Burmese JADE Act, and North Korean Human Rights Act. Transcripts are available online of the prepared statements by Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and witnesses Ambassador Robert King, Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel B. Baer, Deputy Assistant Secretary Joseph Yun, Richard Gere of the International Campaign for Tibet, Chuck Downs of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Aung Din of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, and Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch.

On June 3, the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights held a hearing on Prioritizing International Religious Freedom in U.S. Foreign Policy. Transcripts are available online of testimony by USCIRF's Leo Leonard, Thomas Farr of the Religious Freedom Project, Joseph Grieboski of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, and Brian Grim of the Pew Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life. [Thanks to Tom Farr for the lead.]