During Ramadan, Chinese Communist Party officials were embedded in the homes of Uyghurs to prevent them from fasting and praying during this holy month for Muslims. On July 5th, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Chairman Daniel Mark used information exclusively reported by the RFA Uyghur Service to protest this action in its press release: “The Chinese government has taken unprecedented steps to trample on the religious freedom of Uyghur Muslims particularly during Ramadan. Chinese Communist Party officials were assigned to live in the homes of Uyghur families in Xinjiang to prevent them from fasting and praying. This new level of control is yet another example of the Chinese government’s unacceptable repression of Uyghur Muslims. We call on Beijing to abide by its international human rights commitments and cease its harassment of religious communities.”