Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes

Official account of the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). TOU: RT ≠ Endorsement

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

Thank you, Patriarch Daniel, for an encouraging and productive conversation. I am grateful for our shared commitment to protecting religious freedom and commend the contributions of the Romanian Church to this work.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

This week I had productive conversations with Romanian government and civil society on our shared efforts to combat human trafficking and protect children from exploitation. We highlighted the value of our joint efforts against criminal organizations complicit in these heinous crimes.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

The White House Faith Office and DRL are working hand in hand to protect religious freedom. This list highlights the ways we are partnering to protect humanity's first freedom.

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

Grateful to partner with the White House Faith Office and be part of President Trump's Top 250 Victories for People of Faith. At @StateDept, we will continue to fight for religious liberty here and abroad. 
https://t.co/hLOUaq1n2R

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

Grateful to work with @USinHolySee Ambassador Burch on global religious freedom and create forward movement to resolve cases of persecution.

[U.S. in Holy See @USinHolySee]

This week at the embassy, the U.S. hosted a thoughtful conversation on addressing urgent cases of persecution and protecting religious freedom around the world. Grateful to have DRL A/S Riley Barnes join me in engaging other governments and pressing for more action and tangible results.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

I was honored to meet with Vatican Deputy Foreign Minister Monsignor Pacho and discuss ways we can partner together to protect human dignity for all and advance religious freedom around the world.

[Juan Pablo Segura @WHAAsstSecty]

WHA Special Advisor Kozak and @USEmbCuba Chargé Hammer met with recently exiled Cuban political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement, to discuss the lack of basic freedoms in Cuba and ongoing regime repression. We call for the immediate release of the more than 700 individuals who, like Luis Manuel, simply exercised their right to protest on July 11, 2021, and remain unjustly imprisoned.

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

Yesterday the Murillo-Ortega's National Assembly gutted what was left of Nicaragua’s democracy in the second constitutional rewrite in two years. The U.S. will implement measures at the next @OAS_official Foreign Ministerial to ensure our hemisphere stops business as usual with this dictatorship.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

“Murillo and Ortega’s war on democracy threatens our hemisphere’s stability and prosperity. We stand in support of Nicaraguans’ right to decide their country’s future.” - Secretary Marco Rubio https://t.co/GIuFt146W1

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

China's August 25 sentencing of artist Gao Zhen to three years for "insulting revolutionary heroes and martyrs" – for art created over a decade before the 2018 law existed – is unjust. His closed-door trial undermines China's own constitutional guarantees. We call for his immediate release and for the authorities to allow his family to leave China.

[Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Cuba @USEmbCuba]

. @USEmbCuba Jefe de Misión Mike Hammer se reunió con @SecRubio para informarle sobre la situación actual en Cuba y nuestros esfuerzos para hacer llegar 100 millones de dólares en asistencia humanitaria a través de Caritas y otras organizaciones fiables, así como sobre nuestro apoyo a las aspiraciones del pueblo cubano de vivir en libertad y con dignidad.
🇺🇸 🤝 🇨🇺

#ConCubanosDeAPie

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

Thank you to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros for the sustained partnership defending religious freedom and countering the many threats facing the global Orthodox community.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

The United States condemns the Hong Kong Court's guilty verdict of the former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance and calls for their immediate release. Their peaceful Tiananmen Square Massacre vigils sought only to remember the past and honor the lives lost in that assault.

[Dylan Johnson @ASDylanJohnson]

Secretary Rubio has formally designated U.S. citizen Min Zin as wrongfully detained. We call on Beijing to release all U.S. citizens arbitrarily detained or exit banned in China.

The safety and security of U.S. citizens is the State Department's top priority.

[Allison M. Hooker @UnderSecStateP]

Last week, I welcomed National Security Adviser Ribadu to Washington, D.C. for the second U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group. The United States remains steadfastly committed to safeguarding Christian communities. Throughout our discussions, we identified concrete steps to protect Christians facing violence in Nigeria, which we expect to see continued progress on. The United States will hold all countries accountable for ensuring that Christians can live out their faith free of threat or persecution. Learn more: https://t.co/Jss9Ur3HVP

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

We welcome Argentina joining the Geneva Consensus Declaration. They pledged to contribute leadership, diplomatic capacity, and regional reach to this agenda grounded in human dignity and national sovereignty. More than 40 nations are now GCD members. Welcome Argentina!

[Pablo Quirno @pabloquirno]

La Argentina formalizó su adhesión a la Declaración del Consenso de Ginebra.

La Declaración reafirma la protección de la vida humana y a la familia como elemento natural y fundamental de la sociedad.

Nos incorporamos a esta coalición para aportar liderazgo, capacidad diplomática y proyección regional a una agenda fundada en la dignidad humana y la soberanía de las naciones.

Este acto confirma el rumbo que trazó el Presidente @JMilei: la vida, la libertad, la propiedad privada y el imperio de la Ley orientan las decisiones de este Gobierno.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

https://t.co/GtcdmxQGQ7

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

Glad to participate in the second Joint Working Group to help protect Christian communities in Nigeria.

https://t.co/6wLFdth6SS

[Department of State @StateDept]

The United States stands with the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights.

This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government's deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.

We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options.

[Assistant Secretary Riley Barnes @StateDRL]

American workers lose when Chinese companies drive down wages by using forced labor. These additions to the UFLPA Entity List strengthen efforts to cut the heinous practice of forced labor from our supply chains, protect American workers and businesses, and ensure fair competition. #EndHumanTrafficking

[Tommy Pigott @statedeptspox]

Goods made with forced labor abroad undercut American workers, businesses, and those who play by the rules. We are taking action to block these goods from entering the U.S. by adding 43 companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List.

[Bureau of African Affairs @AsstSecStateAF]

The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming.
We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and all those affected. As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts like those yesterday. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities.
The United States remains committed to working with the Nigerian government and our partners to combat terrorism, counter violent extremism, and ensure that Christians and all Nigerians can live and practice their faith freely without fear of violence or persecution.