USCIRF Urges Clinton To Press Burma On Religious Freedom During Trip There

As reported by Voice of America, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton left yesterday for a trip to Asia that includes the first visit in over 50 years of a U.S. Secretary of State to Burma. (Background form State Dept.) The trip comes in response to progress in Burma on political reform and human rights issues. Also yesterday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released a letter (full text) it sent to Clinton urging her to publicly raise concerns about religious freedom while in Burma, saying:

Religion drives serious human rights abuses in Burma, particularly against ethnic minorities and Buddhist monks who participated in peaceful protests in 2007. We believe improvements in religious freedom should be a critical benchmark for gauging the government of Burma’s commitment to genuine reform.

Burma has been listed by the State Department since 1999 as a "country of particular concern" because of its religious freedom violations. (See prior posting.)