Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page

9. Check if this filing amends a previously filed version of this report

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code FOR

16. Specific lobbying issues

On behalf of 55 organizations and individuals, including the client, who signed a multi-faith letter, made contacts to express our continuing concern about the nuanced religious freedom situation in Hungary and urge U.S. government leaders to raise this issue in private bilateral discussions with Hungarian officials. The Hungarian government should be urged to respect religious freedom for everyone, consistent with the 2017 Budapest Resolution, which included clear statements that condemn any action aimed at denying or curtailing the free exercising of basic human rights, with particular emphasis on violations of religious freedom; calls upon the worlds governments and international organizations to seek long-term solutions in order to end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, and to ensure the exercising of all human rights, including that of the free exercising of religion in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and urges common action on behalf of the worlds governments and international organizations to end atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities, and to implement immediate and concrete measures in accordance with that goal.

On behalf of 43 organizations and individuals, including the client, who signed a multi-faith letter, made contacts to express our serious concerns over the human rights violations and religious freedom abuses in The Peoples Republic of China. As the U.S. government seeks to counter China economically and militarily, we urge leaders to counter China morally as well, making these concerns a top priority in trade negotiations and ensuring that international religious liberty remains a top foreign policy priority with respect to China. For decades, the Communist Party of China has routinely violated the basic human rights of millions in their country by strictly controlling how many children a family can legally have, using extreme forms of technological surveillance to monitor their citizens, and seeking to control the speech of their citizens and snuff out the free exercise of religion. In the annual global human rights report, the State Department referred to Chinas re-education camps for Uyghur Muslims as some of the worst human rights violations since the 1930s, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that China was in a league of its own when it comes to human rights violations. The broad efforts to sinicize all religious practice in China, from Islam to Christianity to Buddhism to Falun Gong, is directly inconsistent with international human rights and religious freedom norms, standards, and law. If unchallenged, these norms and standards will be eroded, threatening the lives and freedoms of millions more around the world who are subject to autocratic regimes.

On behalf of 28 organizations and individuals, including the client, who signed a multi-faith letter, made contacts to express our continuing concern about restrictions on religion in the Republic of Kazakhstan; and to urge U.S. government leaders to engage the Kazakh President and leaders of his government regarding the 2011 Religion Law and related amendments to the Criminal Code and Administrative Code, and urge them to amend the 2011 Religion Law and related articles in these Codes in order to bring them into conformity with international human rights standards, Kazakhstan's international commitments, and its own Constitution.

On behalf of 23 organizations and individuals, including the client, who signed a multi-faith letter, made contacts to urge swift action to take up two bills addressing the human-rights crisis in the Uyghur Region of China: the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 (H.R. 649 and S. 178), and the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act of 2019 H.R. 1025). Reports have now confirmed large-scale, highly secretive prisoner-transport to remote parts of the country. Many thousands of children are now experiencing their third year of separation from their parents through forced placement in state orphanage institutions. Reports of deaths in detention are increasing, despite the extreme secrecy preventing information from reaching the outside world.
The State Departments December 4 Senate testimony provided an estimate of between 800,000 and possibly over two million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim communities detained in extralegal prison-camps for secret indefinite detention, where they are forced to denounce their religion and identity. They are subject to inhuman torture, withholding of medical care, food and water deprivation, humiliation and ill-treatment, as well as forced labor. The long arm of the Chinese governments repression also reaches Uyghurs living abroad, who are being pressured to return home, to remain silent about the human-rights crisis, or even to spy, through threats to their families. Six reporters working for the Congressionally supported Radio Free Asia Uyghur Service have suffered cruel reprisals as a result of their work, with more than 30 of their relatives detained or disappeared. This demonstrates the lengths the Chinese government is willing to go to silence Uyghurs, and is a direct challenge to the rights and well-being of U.S. citizens. U.S. leadership on the crisis, as it enters its third year, will pave the way for other governments and the United Nations to call the Chinese government to account and impose genuine consequences for Chinas trampling of international norms on a shocking scale. Many governments remain intimidated by Chinese threats of retaliation and reprisals. It is up to the U.S., the champion of liberal values and the country that did the most to lead the world out of the ashes of World War Two, to lead the way once again.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

State - Dept of (DOS), U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

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Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.

20. Client new address

21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)

22. New General description of client’s business or activities

LOBBYIST UPDATE

23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client

ISSUE UPDATE

24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains

AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)

Internet Address:

26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client

FOREIGN ENTITIES

27. Add the following foreign entities:

28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization

CONVICTIONS DISCLOSURE

29. Have any of the lobbyists listed on this report been convicted in a Federal or State Court of an offense involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering?
No Yes