hearing transcript (pdf - 690 kb) - House Foreign Affairs Committee ...

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task includes both bilateral contacts and the active use of multilateral fora such as
the OSCE and the UN Commission on Human Rights. It is in the interests of persecuted
religious believers to have as many nations as possible raising their plight,
and I have already begun discussions with counterparts in other nations, in the
hope of furthering that goal.
As you are aware, yet another tool established by IRFA is the required designation
of ‘‘countries of particular concern.’’ These countries are those which meet the
threshold of engaging in or tolerating ‘‘systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of
religious freedom, including violations such as torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment; prolonged detention without charges; causing the disappearance
of persons by the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons;
or other flagrant denial of the life, liberty or the security of persons.’’ These designations
were established to ensure that the worst abusers of religious freedom would
receive the scrutiny and action warranted by their abuses. Sadly, as in years past,
there continue to be a number of contenders for this title.
While I can assure you the designation process is well underway for this year,
I also want to emphasize that we are constantly reviewing the status of international
religious freedom with regard to the CPC process, which is not meant to
be restricted to an annual event. The CPC designations carry significant weight,
and they feature prominently in the discussions I have with other governments. If
and when a designation is warranted, IRFA grants authority to make it at any time.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let me say once again how profoundly privileged I feel to be here
today to represent before you the needs and the suffering of so many noble men and
women around the world.
I also feel privileged in this work because I know I stand with so many people
of good will. They are Members of Congress, such as many in this room, who have
worked long and hard to make this issue a priority in our foreign policy. They are
Foreign Service Officers, who meet in the dark of night to help believers in harm’s
way. They are members of my staff at the Office of International Religious Freedom—men
and women who are devoting their professional lives to the cause of religious
freedom for all. And they are, of course, our President and Secretary of State,
who care deeply about religious liberty.
But, at the end of the day, all of us who care about this issue are privileged because
we stand with the persecuted. We stand with the millions of men and women
around the world who yearn simply for the freedom to practice their religious beliefs
without fear of government coercion or reprisal.
This report is for them. I believe it gives them hope. Indeed, we hear from them
sometimes, and they tell us it gives them hope. At the very least, it communicates
to the persecuted, and to their tormentors, that we will not forget them, and that
we will never abandon their cause.
Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the Subcommittee for being here today,
and for your commitment to religious freedom.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to recognize Mr. Smith to begin
the questions.
Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Mr. Ambassador, again, thank you for your great work. I look
forward to working with you going forward.
In her testimony which will follow, Felice Gaer, who is the Chair
of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, makes
the point that in China, the government has intensified its campaign
of repression against religious believers in the past year and
makes a series of recommendations about benchmarks, the importance
of the upcoming Jiang Zemin trip that there ought to be
some very serious recommendations, like the release of prisoners,
an end to the torture.
The State Department’s own report pointed out last year that
200 Falun Gong, known people, were tortured to death by Chinese
police. That is part of a systematic repression of all people of faith,
but there seems to be extraordinary vehemence vented at the
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