IRF Summit

🚨"It's beyond human imagination." @RobSchneider joins me at @kencen March 16, 6pm, in conversation for the book launch of "Killed to Order," one for the ages! Join us for an evening of unfiltered truth, uncomfortable realities, and a bit of dark humor. With LIVE Q&A. Together we'll make a real difference!

Defending religious freedom challenges power and often provokes retaliation, economic pressure, death threats, surveillance and coordinated disinformation. Authoritarian systems depend on fear to maintain control. Fear is their weapon. Courage is ours.

Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin continues to repress religious freedom. At @IRFSummit, NED convened experts & faith leaders who exposed Russia’s weaponization of church institutions— and how believers are pushing back. youtu.be/k-ddz05uMSA

“Facial recognition was first used against Uyghurs and now against Christians and other religious minority groups.” – Miriam Lexmann, Member of the European Parliament for Slovakia, shares her insights on an #IRFSummit2026 accountability panel: “Digital Frontiers and Algorithmic Bias – Next-Gen Accountability in the Information Age.” The panel dissected how AI surveillance and propaganda incite violence, while analyzing legal gaps that allow bad actors impunity. The discussion focused on solutions, including corporate accountability, blockchain for evidence storage, and international frameworks to monitor digital hate campaigns. We hope you enjoyed it, and we look forward to more critical conversations like this at #IRFSummit2027. #uyghur #uyghurrights #religiousfreedom

Section 230, surveillance, and content manipulation. At @IRFSummit, executive director @LeviBrowde addressed these urgent issues and Beijing's transnational repression of Falun Gong. WATCH 👇 & SAVE

At #IRFSummit2026, singer Libby Lloyd and pianist Brayden Walters delivered a beautiful and inspiring performance of "All That Matters" from the original Broadway musical "Finding Neverland" for our guests. We thank you both for gracing us with your talents.

Last week, I was honored to visit the @WhiteHouse and meet an inspiring group of persecuted Christians to hear their stories. DRL and the Trump Administration will always stand up for our fellow Christians who are increasingly persecuted around the world. Many thanks to the White House Faith Office for organizing this gathering.

"We see communities facing persecution and repression: The Uyghurs and Tibetans under severe pressure in China. Christians brutally targeted in Nigeria. Baháí and other religious minorities suffering discrimination and harassment in Iran and Yemen. The world must have a coalition that refuses to look away." @Paula_White, Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office, at #IRFSummit2026

“Barbaric.” Forced organ harvesting of the #FalunGong people in China exposed at #IRFSummit2026. We will not stay silent. ✊ @epochtimes  theepochtimes.com/china/barbaric…

Erdoğan “targets anyone who believes in independent thought, rule of law, and limits on power.” Enes Kanter Freedom shares his story of deep loss at the hands of Turkey simply for being open about his faith at #IRFSummit2026.  @breitbart  breitbart.com/sports/2026/01…

The Tibetan people have the right to choose their own successor. At #IRFSummit2026, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration called for a global declaration affirming Tibetan religious freedom and the rightful succession of the Dalai Lama. @ANI aninews.in/news/world/us/…

“I decided to raise funds from my own diocese in order to build a mosque for the Muslims… The mosque and the church exist side by side and both communities, Christians and Muslims, they are really very happy to live together.” In a recent interview with IRF Summit, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza describes how he built his extraordinary safe haven for both Muslim and Christian refugees driven from their homes by the extremist group #BokoHaram. Success stories like this are pivotal to the work that we do to unite religions under one common cause: Religious freedom for everyone, everywhere. We commend you for your amazing work, Bishop Mamza, and hope to bring this same spirit into our efforts at #IRFSummit. #IRFSummit2026 #SpotlightSpeaker

It's been almost 4 months now since Grace Jin Drexel's father Pastor Ezra (Mingri) Jin and over a dozen others members of the Zion Church were rounded up and detained by the CCP. They have been held ever since for the "crime" of worshiping outside state control. No family visitations have been allowed, so little is known about their condition, Grace told me during the recent @IRFSummit. She has not seen her father in person in 7 years. He was not even able to attend her wedding because the CCP had imposed restrictions on him traveling. "That all 18 of the detained individuals—including my father—will be released unconditionally and immediately…I hope and pray for that," Grace says. "And I hope and pray that the rest of the world—everyone who knows our story—will be able to pray with us for this."

At #IRFSummit2026, the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network awarded His Excellency Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah, President of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, the Peace Makers award. Bin Bayyah is a globally respected Islamic scholar, and author of the Marrakesh Declaration, who has brought religious leaders, scholars, and civil society together to address issues of extremism, coexistence, and human dignity. We thank him for this contributions to the #IRF community!

“Uyghurs rarely secure dramatic prisoner releases. Success, instead, may mean securing medical care or ensuring prisoners are not disappeared or killed... China is trying to erase evidence of its crimes. – Omer Kanat, Executive Director of the @UyghurProject and #IRFSummit2026 panelist Panelists discuss the complexities of advocating for the #Uyghur people, who face extreme suffering, harassment, and imprisonment without cause at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. Featured IRF Summit 2026 panel: Justice Beyond Borders – Advocating for Religious Prisoners of Conscience. #CCP #China #ReligiousFreedom #EastTurkistan

“The people of faith that we fight for are our greatest ally in the new Cold War that we are in.” – Sam Brownback, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, 2018-2021 and Summit Co-Chair. At IRF Summit 2026, Ambassador Brownback shared why religious freedom is a “paramount global security concern for all freedom-loving nations because an axis of communist, authoritarian and totalitarian regimes attack this right as a threat to their control.” These nations “fear religious freedom more than they do aircraft carriers or even nuclear weapons.” Brave voices are speaking out across the globe right now in support of freedom of religion or belief! We hope that this message continues to resonate with our attendees at #IRFSummit2026 and beyond.

World entering new Cold War over religious liberty, former ambassador Sam Brownback says trib.al/UqKsIPs

RFI was delighted this week, at the outset of the 2026 @IRFSummit, to convene a reception at @HungaryinUSA along with @Pepperdine and @HungaryHelps to honor @tristan_azbej, Hungary's State Secretary responsible for defending persecuted Christians. READ: shorturl.at/AQeBa.

PRE-REGISTER now for #IRFSummit2027! 🌍🤝 Bringing together leaders and advocates who passionately support #religiousfreedom. 📍Feb. 1-2, 2027 in D.C. irfsummit.org/register/

We are proud to have served as an official partner of #IRFSummit2026! On Tuesday, President @AnnieBoyajian moderated a panel with @EnesFreedom, @sardar_pashaei, and @USAmbUN on #transnationalrepression used by autocrats to target religious minorities beyond their borders. Freedom of religion and belief is under attack around the world. Since 2011, Freedom House has provided global emergency support to nearly 16,000 victims of religious persecution and their families. We will continue working to protect religious freedom and all those who are persecuted. No government can control what people believe.