we also have doctor bill ambassador brownback who we discussed earlier. and all three of them will be sharing some of their experiences working on this issue that relates to iranian human rights, what they learned this morning and now they're putting these lessons into practice. we will after the session in q&a will take questions on the audience as well. let's first begin with observations from the assistant secretary. >> thank thank you, morgan. we had a very interesting listening session this morning with representatives organized labor from around the world and from the iranian community. the rights of labor to organize are not often thought about usually as matters of international or even domestic human rights. and so i suggested to them that we have a series of working groups to plan on kinds of things we do to positively encourage the iranian government to engage effectively with its own labor people, , and to livep to its own promises. i'll just leave it there and i will turn it over to my colleague here. >> thank you, morgan. i'd like to say tha

we've got a special envoy who handles any anti-semitism issues, former governor brownback who handles religious freedom issues. working to message about how tragic and unacceptable it is for any nation to persecute any individual as a result of their religious beliefs and their duty to protect these, these practitioners of their faith in a way that preserves their security and allows them to practice their own beliefs. rachel: secretary, we've seen over christmas, you know, some horrific attack it is on christians. by the way, the most persecuted religion on the planet right now. beheadings, a village attacked and seven killed there as well as the kidnapping of the young teenager christian girl. but why are we seeing this rise in attacks? specifically for christians? >> it's difficult to know precisely what the cause of these increases are. we can begin to identify them. they're different in different places, but, rachel, as you've seen too around the world a respect for religious faith is something that governments have a responsibility to do. i've talked at some length about china a

and please join me in welcoming sam brownback. [applause] >> thanks, nina. pri that's right greatly. a measure to be pack at hudson. you find this interesting. more something than most. i was on the phone this morning with the prime minister of sudan. which was not a normal thing for me, 20-25 years ago when we were fighting the bashear regime and they were state sponsoring terrorism that the out experienced unfortunately first hand, but i think it does show that if you keep after an issue and you're on the right side you can win and you will win. and that i'm very hopeful. it is one of the sources and places of great hope in the world today. we hope things continue to move forward in the right direction. also want to thank hudson institute for hosting the vice president and the secretary of state mike pompeo at different times to speak here in hudson regarding china. i think those have been wonderful speeches. i looked at both of those, and i think they offer a template on issues of china and u.s. policy towards china. this administration has been really th

it is my deep privilege to introduce the ambassador at large from the state department sam brownback who will be giving the keynote address in just a moment ago i have known the ambassador for about 25 years when he was in the senate working together including suda sudan. so i am very pleased in this position and someone who has been empowered under this administration and through congress and really is the face of religious freedom as a priority and foreign policy and to organize and innovate hundreds or thousands from all over the world who are deeply invested in religious freedoms the czar survivors of religious persecution from across the globe please join me to welcome sam brownback. [applause] >> i appreciate that greatly it's a pleasure to be back at hudson and to be on the phone with the prime minister of sudan that is not normal thing 25 years ago fighting the regime state-sponsored terrorism that united states experienced firsthand but it shows if you keep after then you can win and you will win. and for those of great hope in the world the hope things continue to move forw

pompeo followed by a session with three cohosts of today's event and international religious freedom sam brownback deputy director for the iran action group might spell and assistant secretary for democracy human rights and labor robert estero. during the listening session we have this morning we heard from members of the iranian diaspora but how we can continue to stand with the iranian people by sharing stories, supporting their voices in championing their rights. today we will share what we heard from them and we will dig deeper into the issue. we will also have an opportunity to hear from three survivors who have first-hand experience of the iranian regime oppression. i would like to introduce assistant secretary for democracy human rights and labor robert estero. as he previously served a six year term as commissioner of the u.s. commission on civil rights. he has worked on a 15 year interfaith dialogue in united states and in the middle east. he is a passion for the people of iran and defending their rights. my friend tom -- a row. [applause] >> good morning everybody and not the half of the

take you, very much ambassador brownback, and nina for introducing. thank you to all of you and you are c-span viewers for being with us here today at hudson for this afternoon panel discussion on xinjiang and u.s. policy response. the institute launched this program of seminars not xinjiang in early 2017 to help challenge i think what can be best described as the u.s. post-9/11 political complacency over what the chinese communist party claim is its own war on terrorism in the vast northwestern territory of the prc empire known as xinjiang. that u.s. reappraisal was urgently needed then and, in fact, it's been long overdue for decades the uighur muslim people that suffer from institutionalized oppression and discrimination in their own homeland which they call east turkestan. in august 2016 the installation of01 the wall make clear that beijing would be wrapping up its efforts to subjugate the uighur and of the peoples of east turkestan. secretary jim was already known for his harsh policies in tibet and that his command over the last three years xin