USCIRF News Digest

        Source:             www.uscirf.gov
Date:                   April 14, 2020

USCIRF News Digest - April 14, 2020

USCIRF News

 USCIRF Troubled by Denial of Food Aid to Pakistani Hindus and Christians

 USCIRF Urges Governments to Release Religious Prisoners of Conscience in COVID-19 Response

 USCIRF Calls on Houthis in Yemen to Abide by Commitment to Release Hamid bin Haydara

 USCIRF Outraged Over China Selection to UN Human Right Council Consultative Group

 USCIRF Condemns the Stigmatization of Religious Minorities during COVID-19 Pandemic

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Top News from Around the World

 Armenia
 Praying alone: Easter in Echmiadzin, the spiritual capital of Armenia (JAM News)
 Armenia: Easter service held without believers (JAM News)

 Australia
 Top Australian Jewish Group Expresses Alarm About Online Spread of Antisemitic Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories (The Algemeiner)

 Belarus
 Belarus: Makhalichev “basically free, but still not out of danger” (Forum 18)
 Belarus refuses to extradite Russian Jehovah’s Witness wanted for ‘extremism’ (RFE/RL)

 China
 Covid-19 forces China to ease crackdown on Christians  (UCA)
 Mormon church to open first temple in mainland China (Reuters)
 China's Appointment to U.N. Human Rights Panel Sparks Global Outcry (RFA)
 Classroom Instruction Switch From Tibetan to Chinese in Ngaba Sparks Worry, Anger (RFA)
 Police in China's Chengdu Raid Online Easter Church Service (RFA)

 France
 Coronavirus crisis in France sparks antisemitic conspiracy theories (The Jerusalem Post)

 Georgia 
 Georgian gov tries to convince church to comply with self-isolations restrictions (JAM News)
 Combating the epidemic in Georgia – church remains biggest risk (JAM News)
 Georgian Orthodox Church remains unyielding as Easter celebrations approach (OC Media)

 Greece
 Western Thrace, contested space: The Turks of northeast Greece (Al Jazeera)

 India
 Explained: Sampling bias drove sensationalist reporting around Tablighi coronavirus cases (The Scroll)

 Iran
 Mosque converted into mask factory in virus-hit Iran (Yahoo News)

 Indonesia
 ‘I miss praying at church’: Christians celebrate lonely but hopeful Easter from home (Jakarta Post)

 Malaysia
 500 Years Ago, This Port Linked East to West. Its Fate Was to Fade Away (NYT)

 North Macedonia
 Threat to reopen mosques draws warning in North Macedonia (Balkan Insight)

 Russia
 Conviction of Djikaeva for Contempt of Islam Triggers Disputes on Instagram (Caucasian Knot)
 Believers of Northern Caucasus Perform Friday Namaz Outside Mosques (Caucasian Knot)
 Russia Celebrates Orthodox Palm Sunday Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (The Moscow Times)
 Russia: Mass Raids, New Arrests on "Extremism" Charges (Forum18)

 Saudi Arabia
 Saudi Arabia executed them after questionable trials. Now it won’t give up the bodies for proper burial. (Washington Post)

 Tajikistan
 Tajik Court Postpones Journalist's "Extremism" Trial (RFE/RL)
 Tajikistan: Court Says News Website Serves as Platform for Terrorists (Eurasianet)

 Turkey
 Turkey’s state religious body undermines anti-coronavirus efforts (Al-Monitor)

 Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan: UN cites concerns on torture, freedoms (HRW)
UN report cites concerns about torture, limits on freedoms in Uzbekistan (RFE/RL)
Uzbekistan is reforming its judicial system-up to a point (Economist)
Easter in Uzbekistan – and in the footsteps of Ella Christie (The Guardian)

 Vietnam
  Vietnamese Catholics struggle to survive pandemic (UCA)

 Other
 The Pandemic has Exposed Fisures within Religions (Economist) 
 'It's Time for Christians to Let Their Light Shine' as World's Most Persecuted Bear the Brunt of Coronavirus Blame (CBN)