[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E996-E997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       INTRODUCTION OF THE FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 1997

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Freedom From 
Religious Persecution Act. This bill, which will be introduced in an 
identical format in the Senate, is bipartisan and will represent, what 
I hope will be a fundamental departure from ``business-as-usual'' human 
rights policy.
  The persecution of people of faith is the great untold human rights 
story of the decade. With the end of the cold war came freedom for 
millions living under Communism in the former Soviet Union, Central 
Eastern Europe. During those years, many people of all faiths worked 
together with the Jewish community on behalf of those suffering 
persecution at the hands of the Communist dictators. The Jewish 
community led the fight and the Christians, though sometimes late, 
raised their voices and demanded justice for their faithful. But, with 
the dawn of freedom came a feeling that the problem had been solved.
  Sadly, it has not. Millions of people of all faiths live in daily 
fear of secret police, vigilantes, state repression, or discrimination.
  Religious persecution--and especially the persecution of Christians--
did not dissipate with the cold war. It has persisted and accelerated. 
It has gotten worse while the world and the United States have turned 
their efforts elsewhere. A few groups have tried to keep the flame 
flickering. I am grateful for their work and efforts to document this 
problem. My thanks go out to the Catholic Church, Nina Shea with the 
Puebla Program of Freedom House; Michael Horowitz with the Hudson 
Institute; John Eigner and all those at Christian Solidarity 
International; Steven Snyder with International Christian Concern; John 
Hanford and with Senator Lugar and his associates; Voice of the 
Martyrs; Open Doors; Diane Knippers with the Institute for Religious 
and Democracy; Paul Marshall, author of ``Their Blood Cries Out''; and 
many, many others. In the House, individuals like Chris Smith, Tony 
Hall, Tom Lantos, and Nancy Pelosi and others have long been champions 
of religious freedom.
  But generally the world has been deaf. U.S. policy does not reflect 
an understanding of the seriousness and intensity of this human 
tragedy. We have turned away while 1.5 million--Christians and 
Muslims--have been killed in Sudan. Millions of house church Christians 
in China are forced to risk their lives and their freedom to worship in 
secret to keep their faith independent of government control. 
Christians in Pakistan are having a difficult time and so are the 
Coptic Christians in Egypt. Tibetan Buddhists have seen their holy 
places destroyed and their religious leaders imprisoned, tortured, 
raped and beaten. Bahai's are executed in Iran. Muslims in Sudan are 
suffering.
  We cannot be silent any longer. When we come to the defense of the 
``least of these,'' those who are persecuted for their religious 
beliefs, we raise the comfort level for all who are persecuted by 
dictators. When we speak for Christians, we also speak for Muslims. 
When we speak for Jews, we also speak for Bahai's. We are speaking for 
all of whatever belief.

  This legislation tracks the resolutions and bill language passed in 
the 104th Congress and calling for action. The American Christian 
community has recognized these facts and begun calling for action on 
behalf of the millions of Christians who are being persecuted on 
account of their beliefs. It has joined forces with the Tibetan 
community and others to urge the United States to do more, to speak out 
in defense of the ``least of these.''
  The United States must take a new approach to this growing problem--
an approach

[[Page E997]]

that says we will no longer be silent when regimes terrorize or allow 
terror against its religious believers.
  The bill does a number of things:
  It focuses on persecution--abduction, enslavement, imprisonment, 
killing, forced mass resettlement, rape, or torture.
  It establishes an Office in the White House to monitor religious 
persecution and requires the Director to report to Congress on whether 
a country has category 1 persecution--government involvement--or 
category 2 persecution--no government involvement but lack of 
government action to stem persecution. We ask that the Director look at 
persecution of Tibetans, Bahai's, and Christians--the three groups 
which were the focus of resolutions--but encourage the Director to 
examine persecution of vulnerable communities whenever it occurs.
  It shuts off aid to category 1 and 2 countries and requires U.S. 
executive directors to vote against multilateral development banks 
against loans to persecuting countries.
  It improves refugee and asylum procedures to ensure those seeking 
refuge from persecution are not turned away from a country which has 
historically welcomes religious victims.
  Finally, and I want to emphasize this point, the bill imposes 
immediate and tough sanctions on the Government of Sudan until it 
ceases all religious persecution. The sanctions prescribed in this bill 
are virtually identical to those imposed on South Africa in the anti-
apartheid act of the 1980's such as ban on flights, ban on investment, 
and a ban on imports. Though its difficult to quantify human suffering, 
after having traveled to Sudan three times since 1989, I can say with 
some experience that the persecution occurring there is some of the 
worst I've ever seen. Slavery, forcible conversion, the use of food as 
a weapon, torture, kidnapping of children. It's time the United States 
singled this country out as an example of one of the most egregious 
violators of human rights in the world.
  This bill is not intended as a panacea. The international community, 
the President, and the Congress must remain vigilant and speak out on 
individual cases.
  This bill, is intended to increase the priority given to this issue 
in our foreign policy and put the persecutors on alert. The United 
States will no longer acquiesce.
  Jackson-Vanik was the movement that crystallized concern in the 
1980's on behalf of those suffering persecution in the Soviet Union. I 
am hoping that this bill will be its counterpart for the 1990's.
  It's an important and vital first step. We have 25 original 
bipartisan cosponsors in the House and we expect this bill to pass and 
to result in real action.
  I want to thank all those who worked to put this bill together 
including Anne Huiskes on my staff; Bill Morley and Gretchen Birkle on 
Senator Specter's staff; and Grover Joseph Rees and Dorothy Taft on 
Representative Chris Smith's staff. I also want to thank those outside 
groups who have worked on this bill including Michael Horowitz with the 
Hudson Institute, Heidi Stirrup, Christian Coalition; Will Dodson, 
Southern Baptist Convention; Will Nance, Prison Fellowship; Melissa 
McClard, Family Research Council; Nina Shea, Puebla Program; Father 
Keith Roderick; Dr. Whalid Phares; Ann Buwalda, Just Law, David Adams, 
Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod; and the many others who have helped us 
craft this bill. Their efforts and input are greatly appreciated.

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