Tag: Human rights

Indian court provides ‘minor relief’ from ban on Christianity

October 21, 2015 India Chhattisgarh, Human rights, India, Raipur, Religious freedom, Vishva Hindu Parishad

The high court of Chhattisgarh state in central India has asked the state government to ensure that anti-Christian resolutions passed by village councils will not infringe religious freedom. A Christian organization challenging the local resolutions said the court order is “only a minor relief.” In July 2014, the village of . . . Read More

Asia Bibi put in solitary cell

October 16, 2015 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Human rights, Islamabad, Multan, Pakistan, Prisons, Punjab, Salmaan Taseer

Jailed Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi was moved into solitary confinement in the Multan Women’s Prison last week, following “genuine threats” to her life by angry supporters of Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws. “She could be killed by any inmate or even a prison guard, so we have to be careful,” a . . . Read More

SE Asia rights groups sign religion charter

October 6, 2015 Human rights, Minorities, New York, Religious freedom, Southeast Asia

Almost 70 religious and human rights groups met with UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, last week for a conference committed to improving religious freedoms in Southeast Asia. The two-day event – the first of its kind – was co-organised by the Asian Forum for . . . Read More

New initiative encourages FoRB in the Commonwealth

September 28, 2015 Commonwealth, Human rights, Minorities, Religious freedom, UK

A new freedom of religion initiative to encourage Commonwealth parliamentarians to speak out about the issue will launch on 1 October in the UK. The Commonwealth Initiative for the Freedom of Religion or Belief (CIFORB) will be based at the University of Birmingham’s Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding . . . Read More

‘Scandalous’ choice of Saudi for UN rights panel

September 24, 2015 Saudi Arabia Arabian Peninsula, Churches, Human rights, Religious freedom, Saudi Arabia, UN

Critics are accusing the UN of handing a key human rights role to the country with ‘arguably the worst record in the world when it comes to religious freedom’, writes the Independent. The appointment to the Human Rights Council of Saudi ambassador to Geneva, Faisal bin Hassan Trad, was uncovered . . . Read More

Another Mexican Protestant suffers

September 16, 2015 Mexico Catholics, Chiapas, Exile, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Human rights, Lauro Pérez Núñez, Mexico, Oaxaca, Protestants, Puebla

A Mexican Protestant recently detained for the third time by local authorities has now seen his three children banned from attending the local school and his home cut off from the village’s water and electricity services. His crime? Attending an Evangelical church. The state Ombudsman in Oaxaca has publicly condemned . . . Read More

Boko Haram captives ‘lack skills’ to challenge orders

September 16, 2015 Nigeria Boko Haram, Education, Human rights, Islamic extremism, Kidnapping, Nigeria, Quran

A Nigerian wants to roll out counter-radicalisation initiatives to help young people, in case of kidnap, to resist the pressure to carry out orders from jihadists. In a BBC interview, Dr Fatima Akilu, head of the Nigerian government’s Countering Violent Extremism Programme, said she found the ability of former captives . . . Read More

Vietnam releases Christian activists

August 17, 2015 Vietnam Communism, Human rights, Nguyen Van Oai, Protestants, Religious freedom, Vietnam

Vietnamese authorities have released Catholic blogger Paulus Le Van Son and Protestant activist Nguyen Van Oai, says Asia News. Both served four-year prison terms for ‘trying to overthrow the legitimate government’. The final entries in Van Son’s blog were about prayer vigils, but Reporters Without Borders said at the time . . . Read More

Obama visit puts Ethiopia’s record in spotlight

July 28, 2015 Ethiopia Addis Ababa, African Union, Amhara, Bahir Dar, Barack Obama, Churches, Ethiopia, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Human rights, Mahibere Kidusan, Pentecostals, Protestants

n Ethiopians walk past a poster of US President Barack Obama in Addis Ababa on 27 July. gettyimages.com U.S. President Barak Obama is visiting Ethiopia on 27 and 28 July, providing an opportunity for America to prod its ally on its human-rights record, which gets low marks from world capitals. . . . Read More

Belgium rescues Aleppo Christians from Syria

July 8, 2015 Syria Aleppo, Chaldeans, Human rights, Lebanon, Middle East, Refugees, Syria, Yazidis

Some 240 people, mainly Christians, have been brought out of Syria’s second city of Aleppo and taken to Belgium, the government in Brussels says. All the families had fled their homes and were at risk of repeated human rights abuse, a spokesman told the BBC. Civil society groups helped take . . . Read More

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