Tag: Human rights

World Council of Churches condemns persecution of other religions

April 9, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Berlin, Germany, Human rights, Islamic extremism, Kurds, Religious freedom, Syria, Turkey

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, has condemned efforts to incite violence against people who practise other faiths as “abhorrent and ungodly”. “Freedom of religion is as much about Christian minorities in Muslim countries as it is about followers of Islam . . . Read More

Eritrea: Newlyweds among 32 Christians arrested in fresh crackdown

March 28, 2018 Eritrea Asmara, Eritrea, Human rights, Religious freedom

Eritrean police have arrested 32 Christians in the capital, Asmara, this month, including a newlywed couple and ten of their guests. Twenty were arrested on Sunday, 25 March, all of whom remain in detention. The newly married man and two of his guests are being held in a prison north of . . . Read More

Bangladesh set to further ‘thwart’ freedom of expression

March 23, 2018 Bangladesh Bangladesh, Blasphemy, Human rights, Islamic extremism, Minorities, Pope Francis, Religious freedom, Terrorism

Traffic in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Bangladesh is considering the introduction of a new law that would further limit freedom of expression and belief in the country, a senior Bangladeshi journalist warns. The Digital Security Act, a draft of which has been approved by the government, will include a section that “criminalizes online content regarded as defamatory . . . Read More

Laos government agrees to religious freedom education

March 23, 2018 Laos Buddhist nationalism, Human rights, Laos, Luang Prabang, Phongsaly, Religious freedom, Savannakhet, Southeast Asia

Vat That Khao, the Reclining Buddha, in Vientiane. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The government in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos has agreed to sponsor religious-freedom education in the country. The US-based Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) will roll out a series of seminars focusing on “religious freedom as a human right, Lao government policy on religious activity and encouraging dialogue between . . . Read More

5 years on, what has Pope Francis done for religious freedom?

March 19, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Azhar, Asia Bibi, Boko Haram, Egypt, Havana, Human rights, Iraq, Latin America, Minorities, Myanmar, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis, Religious freedom, Syria, Turkey

Pope Francis greets people during his inauguration on 19 March 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis, the son of Italian migrants, appeared on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica five years ago to be introduced as the first Latin American pontiff. Below, World Watch Monitor looks at a few of the highlights of his tenure so far, and his impact on freedom of religion . . . Read More

UN ‘failing’ Eritrea’s detained Christians

March 16, 2018 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Asmara, East Africa, Eritrea, Human rights, Pentecostals, Religious freedom

Eritrea’s human rights record was again in the spotlight at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this week. Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her opening remarks that over 100 people were arrested in Eritrea in 2017 for practising religions not officially recognised by the state. . . . Read More

UN told to renew mandate of Iran Special Rapporteur on human rights

March 15, 2018 Iran Children, Human rights, Iran, Minorities, Religious freedom, Torture, UN, Women

Asma Jahangir, Member of the International Fact-Finding Mission during the press conference presen's its findings on the implications Israeli settlements have upon the human rights of the Palestinian people. 31 Juanary 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferré

Forty-six Iranian and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for the renewal of the mandate of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. The NGOs addressed a joint letter to all diplomatic missions attending the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the US-based . . . Read More

Hmong Christians hospitalised after mob attack in Vietnam’s northwest

March 15, 2018 Vietnam Catholics, Central Highlands, Hmong, Human rights, Vietnam

Four Vietnamese Christian families – 24 people in all – have been attacked by a mob led by the village chief, local sources have revealed to World Watch Monitor. Four people were hospitalised for eight days after the 1 March attack, with injuries to their heads and arms. All four families are . . . Read More

Pakistan Senate seeks same sentences for blasphemy offenders and those who falsely accuse

March 13, 2018 Pakistan Blasphemy, Elections, Human rights, Islamic extremism, Kidnapping, Marriage, Pakistan, Patras Masih, Sajid Masih, Sharia, Women

In November there were widespread anti-blasphemy protests in Islamabad and other cities in reaction to proposed changes to an election law. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Pakistan’s Senate Special Committee on Human Rights has recommended that those who falsely accuse someone of blasphemy should receive the same punishment as those convicted of blasphemy. The Committee also said registration of a blasphemy case should include a minimum of two witnesses who support the charges. Right-wing political parties . . . Read More

Religious freedom learning platform launched at UN

March 7, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Ahmed Shaheed, Human rights, Jan Figel, Religious freedom, Switzerland, UN

A new website to help promote understanding of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) was launched yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, at the 37th session of the Human Rights Council. The Sweden-based FoRB Learning Platform provides downloadable resources in 13 different languages, including quick guides to religious rights, movie clips, theological . . . Read More

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