Tag: Human rights

Pakistani Christians call for ‘fair’ blasphemy inquiries

March 30, 2017 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Human rights, Minorities, Pakistan, Quran

Christians call for fairer treatment in blasphemy inquiries, like the case of Asia Bibi.

Pakistani Christians are calling for fairer investigations into alleged blasphemy cases, after a Muslim man caught burning pages of the Quran was quickly acquitted, UCANews reports. After the man was beaten up and handed over to the authorities, the police found that he had been ‘mentally instable’ when he caused . . . Read More

Sudan: Justice criticises NISS intelligence agency

March 3, 2017 Sudan Abdulmonem Abdumawla, Hassan Taour, Human rights, Minorities, NISS, Peter Yen, Petr Jašek, Sudan, Yat Michael

Sudan’s Deputy Chief Justice has denounced “ongoing arbitrary arrests” by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). “The security apparatus should not be left to do whatever it wants,” said Justice Abdulmajid Idris, who also criticised long periods of detention without trial. The NISS has been involved in the arrest . . . Read More

Iranian rights groups decry treatment of Christians

November 30, 2016 Iran Apostasy, Converts, Human rights, Religious freedom, Youcef Nadarkhani

Iranian and European human rights and religious rights organisations have urged the international community to use new opportunities for trade with Iran to hold the government there to account over its treatment of Christian converts. Nineteen NGOs, including Middle East Concern, Article 18, Impact Iran and Justice for Iran, issued . . . Read More

UN urges Vietnam to stop ‘torture’ of Christian

June 6, 2016 Vietnam Communism, Human rights, Nguyen Cong Chinh, Torture, Vietnam, Women

The UN has criticised Vietnam’s “repeated arrest and torture” of a female Christian activist whose husband, a pastor, is in jail “for peaceful religious activities”. Tran Thi Hong was targeted for “informing the international community of human rights violations against her husband”, says a statement from the UN High Commissioner . . . Read More

Vietnam Christian woman’s ‘intolerable’ harassment

May 18, 2016 Vietnam Human rights, Nguyen Cong Chinh, Religion Law, Religious freedom, Torture, Vietnam, Women

The harassment of a Vietnamese Christian human rights activist, whose husband, pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence, has become “intolerable” . Tran Thi Hong was recently questioned by the authorities about interviews with the foreign press, her “unauthorized, unapproved and illegal” Lutheran faith and her . . . Read More

The UN is about to take a very close look at Sudan’s treatment of Christians

May 4, 2016 Bahri, Converts, Darfur, Hassan Taour, Human rights, International Criminal Court, Kuwa Shamal, Mariam Ibrahim, NISS, Omar al-Bashir, Religious freedom, Sharia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sunni, Telal Rata, UN

What is happening? The UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights is scheduled to hold a 3 1/2-hour hearing in Geneva on Wednesday, 4 May, at which UN member nations will examine the state of human rights in Sudan. It promises to be an interesting meeting. Sudan’s president, . . . Read More

Canada’s religious freedom conundrum

February 24, 2016 Andrew Bennett, Canada, Human rights, Religious freedom, USA

Should Western democracies make the defence of religious freedom around the world a separate, fenced-off part of their foreign policy? Or is it better simply to include that concern under the general heading of human rights? These are the questions asked by , as it watches with interest the developments . . . Read More

Uncertain future for Canada religious freedom post

February 17, 2016 Andrew Bennett, Canada, Europe, Human rights, Islamic State, Lord Alton, Minorities, Religious freedom, UK

Canada’s ambassador for religious freedom has had his contract extended for another month, but the post may still be abolished. Andrew Bennett became Canada’s first ambassador for religious freedom when he was appointed three years ago, but Canada’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, Stéphane Dion, said religious freedom should not be . . . Read More

Vietnam: appeal for lawyers’ release

January 12, 2016 Vietnam Communism, Hanoi, Human rights, Nguyen Van Dai, Vietnam

Human rights groups have called for the release of Vietnamese Christian lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and his colleague, Le Thu Ha. The lawyers were arrested in Hanoi on 16 December and accused of propaganda against the state, punishable by up to 20 years in jail. “We appeal to the Vietnamese . . . Read More

Christian lawyers call for Chinese colleagues’ release

October 29, 2015 China China, Human rights, Zhang Kai, Zhejiang

Justice Michael F. Saldanha speaking at the Advocates Asia conference in New Delhi on 22 October.World Watch Monitor Advocates Asia, a forum of Christian lawyers in 20 Asian countries, has urged the Chinese government to release “immediately and unconditionally” human rights lawyers and activists detained since early July. The . . . Read More

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