Freedom from Religious Persecution Act of 1997
UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Democracy and Human Rights, East Asia and the Pacific
29 May 1997
Washington -- Senator Arlen Specter (Republican of Pennsylvania) introduced a bill May 21 to establish an Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring and to provide for the imposition of sanctions against countries engaged in a pattern of religious persecution.
The bill, which is co-sponsored by Senators Paul Coverdell (Republican of Georgia) and Tim Hutchinson (Republican of Arkansas), states that "the United States Government is committed to the right to freedom of religion and its policies and relations with foreign governments should be consistent with the commitment to this principle" contains a number of "findings" that mention countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Persecution of religious believers, particularly Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant Christians, in Communist countries, such as Cuba, Laos, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and Vietnam, persists and in some cases is increasing," the bill states.
"In Tibet, where Tibetan Buddhism is inextricably linked to the Tibetan identity, the Government of the People's Republic of China has intensified its control over the Tibetan people by perverting the selection of the Panchen Lama, propagandizing against the religious authority of the Dalai Lama, restricting religious study and traditional religious practices, and increasing the persecution of monks and nuns," it says.
The bill also contains a number of provisions that apply directly to Sudan.
"Governments," the bill states, "have a primary responsibility to promote, encourage, and protect respect for the fundamental and internationally recognized right to freedom of religion."
The House of Representatives version of the bill -- H.R. 1685 -- is nearly identical. It was introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf (Republican of Virginia) May 20 and is co-sponsored by 27 other members of Congress.