Do not give a blank check to abusive regimes, says US official at 7th World Congress

April 24, 2012 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic…Bettina Krause/IRLA

When Knox Thames, director of Policy and Research for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, stood to address World Congress attendees this morning, he held in his hand a piece of rubble from a Seventh-day Adventist church building in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, demolished some years ago by government authorities.

In his presentation, Knox acknowledged the current global crisis in religious freedom-the results of which he has seen first-hand through his visits to many different countries representing the US Department of State and through his liaison work with the United Nations and the OSCE.

Yet, at the same time, he sounded a note of optimism, saying, “I’m not without hope that religious liberty advocates can make a real difference.”

Knox illustrated the power of advocacy by presenting a case study of the progressive lifting of some religious restrictions in the central Asian country of Turkmenistan over the past decade. With persistent advocacy by individuals and organizations, Knox said that a number of governments, including the United States, were moved to exert diplomatic pressure on Turkmenistan to ease restrictions. It’s this extended awareness-raising and diplomatic effort that Knox credits with the eventual easing of registration requirements for minority faith groups in Turkmenistan.

“I have seen that the efforts of individuals, faith groups and non-governmental organizations can save lives, change laws, and expand religious freedom,” said Knox. He warned that ongoing advocacy is difficult and results are never assured. He advised advocates to act with discernment and persistence, and to reject the temptation to exaggerate their cause or to speak without knowing all the facts.

“More people of goodwill are needed in struggle for freedom,” he said, “But come prepared. We need to do more than just say ‘Please.'”