Washington D.C., Apr 23, 2013 / 16:16 pm
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has asked Secretary of State John Kerry to focus on religious liberty as a key human right during an upcoming U.N. Human Rights Council review.
Commission chair Katrina Lantos Swett told Kerry in an April 12 letter that the U.N. council's upcoming Universal Periodic Review forum "provides a unique opportunity to shine a light on the violations of religious freedom in these countries and to encourage these nations' governments to comply with international norms."
Swett said the forum allows U.S. representatives to ask "hard questions" about countries with "profoundly troubling" religious freedom records in the former Soviet Union, central Asia and the Middle East.
"Doing so would publicly reaffirm that the promotion of religious freedom remains a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy and a concern to the international community," she said.