Marijuana: the other “pandemic” in Europe
Marijuana: the other “pandemic” in Europe

At a time the main focus of all the sectors of the society is on the COVID pandemic, there is another insidious problem developing covertly: the drug. If the pandemic has undoubtedly an impact on the health, the economy, and the society at large, it has also affected the availability and through the confinement of the use of the different drugs. And this is a real concern for the EMCDDA (1) but also for the other international institutions such as UNODC (2) and WHO (3).

Aware of these problems and to ensure the youth, parents, and public will not be deprived of vital information on the harmful effects of drug use, the Foundation for a Drug Free Europe (4) and its teams of volunteers of the hundred Say No To Drugs associations and groups existing in some twenty European countries,  continued their actions of prevention education about drugs.

Indeed, wearing their turquoise tee-shirts and using the requested outdoors protections (masks, gloves, etc.) for distributions, the volunteers were found either outdoors in streets or parks, or behind a booth, handing-out their booklets The Truth About Drugs (5), or proposing a display of booklets to shopkeepers. Meanwhile, other volunteers were organizing educative series of lectures online on: what are drugs, their actions, etc. followed by discussion. They were rather successful.

Where do we stand at in Europe?

At the European level, The EMCDDA in a series of rapid studies, has also reported on the impact of COVID-19 on drug use and associated problems, help-seeking, service provision and the operation of the drug market.

In the last European Drug Report 2020 statistics EMCDDA reported an increasing amount of seizures being: 40% Herbal cannabis, 29% Cannabis resin (668 tonnes), 2% Cannabis plant, 10% Cocaine and crack, 6% Amphetamines, 5% Heroin, 3% MDMA, and 6% Other substances.

For Cannabis, from surveys of the general European population, it is estimated that around 1 % of adults are daily or almost daily cannabis users. The majority of these (60 %) are under 35 and around three quarters are male. Cannabis is always the world’s most popular illegal drug with the highest level of availability. The Chinese called it “the drug that takes away the mind”.

The number and quantity of cocaine seizures are now the highest ever reported, with over 181 tonnes of the drug seized in 2018. Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands are key countries for the interception of large quantities. Cocaine is now playing a more important role in the European drug problem. The cocaine market also appears an important driver for drug-related violence.  

Regarding heroin and other opioids, 1,3 millions of people are high-risk opioid users and opioids are found in 82% of the fatal overdoses. After cannabis and cocaine, heroin is the third most common substance involved in drug-related acute toxicity presentations monitored by Euro-DEN Plus in 2018.

Is there a solution?

The first point should be the application by the governments (6) of the article 33 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Then, fighting the drug scourge can be achieved by education of the youth and by prevention, spreading the message on the truth about drugs from the streets to the working place via the classrooms and everywhere. Indeed, empowering the youth with facts on what drugs are and what they do, is giving them the choice to decide to live a drug free life and reach their goals in a safe and sane society.

References

1-EMCDDA: European Monitoring Center on Drugs and Drug Addiction. Find more on https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/13238/TD0420439ENN.pdf European Report 2020 – Key Issues.

2-UNODC: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, located in Vienna (Austria).

“Know more, care more. Addressing the world drug problem requires responses that are based on facts, solidarity and compassion.”  Ms. Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director

3-WHO: World Health Organisation; its main objective is “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.

4-FDFE: Established in 2004, a non-profit NGO, with an operating office located in Brussels. Visit: www.fdfe.eu Part of the European Commission Transparency Register.

5-The website www.DrugFreeWorld.org, partnering with FDFE is providing the 14 The Truth About Drugs prevention booklets in 17 languages, a DVD of testimonies and an Educator Guide.

Regions request  support from the EU and demand to have a voice in Brussels, with “Sign it Europe”
Regions request support from the EU and demand to have a voice in Brussels, with “Sign it Europe”

“The initiative was started by the Seklers of Transylvania, though it concerns not only them but many other national regions of the EU”, says their website.

The minority regions of the European Union feel forgotten by the executive authorities. Aid from European funds overlooks these territories, whose linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and religious differences contribute to the diversity of the community. The Sign It Europe initiative aims to get the support needed for Brussels to support these regions financially.

The success and strength of the European Union is based on the union of its territories, including their different national, ethnic, cultural, religious or linguistic characteristics. While in the case of the major countries these differences are taken into account, the surrounding regions, which do not have administrative powers, are forgotten by the institutions on a daily basis.

The EU must ensure the proper economic development of these regions, preventing their economic backwardness, maintaining their development, and preserving the conditions for economic, social, and territorial cohesion. To this end, it must provide all territories with the same opportunities to access its funds, as well as caring for and preserving the specific characteristics of each people, maintaining the development of the EU and its cultural diversity.

PROTECT THE THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD MINORITY NATIONS OF THE EU!

www.signiteurope.com

The Sign It Europe initiative was created with the aim of helping European minority regions to access EU funds, preserving Europe’s ethnic diversity, and to establish a specific funding system for territorial development policy that is direct, exclusive and accessible to regional territories. A campaign of signatures with which to demonstrate in Brussels, the EU’s headquarters, the importance of this issue.

“The initiative is not about protecting minorities. We Europeans are a group of communities of people and nations living in different countries. We represent the majorities that make up each country, which has been able to maintain themselves over time. Now is the time to join the regional territories to have influence in Europe, it is the time to act. Our voices have to be heard in Brussels,” said the organization’s sources.

This campaign, which has a deadline of 7 November 2020, will enable the EU to actively contribute to supporting cultural and linguistic diversity, providing the necessary financial support to the different territories, for the full development of their own language, culture, folklore, and identity within their own country.

“By signing our Citizens’ Initiative you will help European nations to build and preserve the different cultures that make them up. If we succeed in reaching the required signature from EU countries, the European Commission will take the appropriate steps to implement this support. Together, with everyone’s support, we will achieve the conservation and preservation of the essence of Europe and all its territories,” they have said.

Visit www.signiteurope.com to sign the petition.

IMG 5399
From Afghanistan to France: Islamism attacks schools and kills teachers
From Afghanistan to France: Islamism attacks schools and kills teachers

On 17 October, a teacher at a middle school in a town northwest of Paris was beheaded on the street outside of his school. He was assassinated for facilitating a discussion with his students about caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad during his civic education class, which is in conformity with the National Education curriculum. Police shot his killer to death sometime later that same day. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the killing an “Islamist terrorist attack”, as it appears that the killer was carrying out a sort of fatwa launched against this teacher on social media.

On Saturday 24 October, a suicide bomber attacked the Kawsar-e Danish centre in Kabul. The death toll was estimated at 24 and the number of wounded at 54, According to officials, many of the victims were teenage students between 15 and 26 years old.

In 2019, UNICEF declared that “attacks on schools in Afghanistan tripled between 2017 and 2018, surging from 68 to 192”. The UN agency added that “an estimated 3.7 million children between the ages of 7 and 17 – nearly half of all school-aged children in the country – are out of school in Afghanistan”, with 60% of them being girls. Schools and girls’ education are clearly priority targets on the agenda of Islamist terrorists.

Teachers are increasingly vulnerable to death, injuries and abduction, not only in Afghanistan but also in other Muslim majority countries torn by conflicts with Islamist extremist groups.

Afghanistan, France and others: different countries, same battle

School education is targeted, including in democratic countries, by extremist Islamist ideology regardless of whether it is done in non-violent or violent ways.

Their objective in democracies is to intimidate teachers so that they self-censure and keep silent about numerous points of their political ideology and governance, including: extra-judicial killing, homophobia, gender-based segregation and discrimination, an inferior status of women and non-Muslim people, discrimination, and so on.

Their objective concerning educational programmes is to obstruct their implementation on a number of issues such as: teaching about the holocaust and anti-Semitism, the theory of evolution, the study of the human body, swimming lessons, and the like.

Their objective is to reach Muslim school children with their extremist Islamist teachings through various channels and mould them into active opponents to points of the curriculum that they disagree with.

Finally, the ‘ideologisation’ and takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood of associations addressing anti-Muslim sentiments and hate speech in democratic countries is an essential component of this strategy.

Islamism is a political ideology, not a new Muslim movement

Islamism is a political ideology and must be treated as such. Radical Islamists are not teaching an alternative theology, like the Tabligh Jamaat followers or the Sufis. They aspire to take power in Muslim-majority countries where populations are peacefully practicing and teaching Sunni, Shia and other forms of Islam. In other countries, they try to undermine and manipulate their political, educational and cultural institutions, their societal weaknesses, vulnerable groups within their societies and their generous freedoms. Their objective is to divide and fracture societies with the intent of inciting community-based violence. Chaos is the fertile ground on which they can prosper.

The battle against Islamism in France and other democratic countries must not be against Islam as a religion or against Muslims as their co-religionists in Muslim majority countries are the main victims of this ideology. An increasing number of Muslim leaders and institutions oppose Islamism in France individually and collectively, such as the Conference of the Imams in France and the Union of the Mosques in France. The French state must provide them with full assistance and must combat Islamism as a political movement on every battlefield with the appropriate weapons and partners.

Trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of enslavement is a worldwide problem, COMECE
Trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of enslavement is a worldwide problem, COMECE
Statement of the Secretary General of COMECE on the eve of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day Trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of enslavement are a worldwide problem that needs to be taken seriously by the international community. It represents one of the most dramatic manifestations of the commercialization of the other, a crime that disfigures both the victims as well as those who carry it out, and a source of shame for humanitythat our authorities and societies must no longer tolerate, as Pope Francis has emphasized.
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On the eve of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day (18 October), I would like to make a call to the EU and its members states to continue their work and prioritize their fight against trafficking in human beings in order to prevent the crime, prosecute and punish their perpetrators and protect and support the victims, in particular women and children. The engagement of all layers and actors in society in this fight is needed, too. In this regard, the Catholic Church adopted in 2018 its Pastoral Orientation on Human Trafficking, which draw also from the longstanding practical experience of many international Catholic NGOs working in the field. Engagement in structured collaborations with public institutions and civil society organizations will guarantee more effective and longer-lasting results.
France: The “Law Against Separatism” Targets “Cults” as well as Islam
France: The “Law Against Separatism” Targets “Cults” as well as Islam

Anti-cultism is back in France. Media around the world have covered President Macron’s announcement of a new law against “separatism,” explaining it as a measure against radical Islam. It is surely true that Islam is targeted but, not for the first time, a law introduced to fight Islamic radical groups is then used against other religious movements. The Russian law against extremism is an obvious example.

The “general concept” of the law has been unveiled by the French Minister of Internal Affairs, Gérald Darmanin, on Twitter, as it is now increasingly common on world politics. We publish the document tweeted by Darmanin, to make it more easily accessible.

The draft announces the “end of home schooling” in general, “except in cases justified by medical conditions.” Obviously, this provision will target a number of Christian communities and not the Muslims only.

The draft also explains that places of worship will be put under increasing surveillance and “preserved […] from the diffusion of ideas and statements hostile to the laws of the Republic.” Again, the law cannot target Muslims only for obvious constitutional reasons. What about a priest or pastor criticizing abortion or same-sex marriage, which are part of the laws of the French Republic, but also claiming that certain “laws of the Republic” penalize the poor and the immigrants?

Hidden in a law ostensibly aimed at Islamic radicalization is a provision that allows religious and other associations to be dissolved (the Russian word “liquidated” is not used, but the substance is very much the same) in case of  “attacks on personal dignity” and “use of psychological or physical pressures.”

When reading this, and considering the French anti-cult tradition, I immediately suspected that the provision will be used against groups labeled as “cults,” and “psychological pressures” is reminiscent of the old idea of “brainwashing.” In Darmanin’s tweet the Minister of Citizenship, Marlène Schiappa, was copied.

On October 10, Schiappa gave an interview to Le Parisien confirming that “we will use the same measures against the cults and against radical Islam.” Last year, the official French anti-cult mission MIVILUDES was moved from being an independent structure under the Prime Minister to becoming a part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ anti-radicalization system. Anti-cultists protested that this may lead to the demise of the MIVILUDES, but Schiappa now explains that with the new law it will be reinforced and move from mere “analysis” to a more active role. The former politician and anti-cult activist Georges Fenech and the president of the largest French anti-cult organization, UNADFI, Joséphine Lindgren-Cesbron, will become members of the MIVILUDES. Anti-cult propaganda will be further promoted. Among the main aims indicated by Schiappa is identifying the “cults” that could be legally dissolved and banned because of “attacks on personal dignity” and “use of psychological or physical pressures.”

Much in the new draft law is constitutionally problematic, not to mention possible interventions of the European Court of Human Rights. These developments confirm, however, that anti-cultism is alive and well in France and that, as in happened in other countries, what is introduced as “a law against radical Islam” may end up targeting a wide variety of religious organizations.

Source: https://www.cesnur.org/2020/law-against-separatism-in-france.htm

Council of Europe report assesses compliance with data protection principles
Council of Europe report assesses compliance with data protection principles

Strasbourg – A report published today by the Council of Europe identifies a number of shortcomings in the protection of privacy and personal data in some of the legal and technical measures adopted by governments to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the 55 African, Latin-American and European countries which have joined the data protection “Convention 108”.

The report “Digital solutions to fight COVID-19” provides an analysis of the impact on the rights to privacy and data protection of the legislative framework and policies adopted by governments as well as an in-depth and technical review of digital contact tracing applications and monitoring tools.

It calls on governments to ensure transparency of digital solutions in order to ensure respect of the rights to privacy and data protection. It also regrets that in spite of numerous calls for coordination and interoperability of digital solutions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have individually implemented widely diverging systems, thereby limiting the efficiency of the measures taken.

Whilst aiming to assess how the measures adopted comply with the data protection convention, the report also contains recommendations on how to ensure the efficiency and resilience of the data protection framework.

In most countries, governments adopted emergency measures that gave governments extensive powers, usually only for a limited period of time.

The report identifies shortcomings in a number of countries concerning compliance with the principles of “Convention 108” with regard to issues such as the requirement for a legal basis of the measures adopted, their proportionality and aspects such as their justification by public interest and the consent of the data subject for data processing.

A particularly challenging aspect is the limitation of the purposes for data processing – the report points out that in some countries the boundaries between healthcare and police enforcement purposes have been sometimes blurred. The report also points to data protection risks related to the security, storage and sharing of data, which has led to the withdrawal of certain measures in some countries.

When examining compliance with the principle of privacy by design, the report notes that out of 55 Parties to “Convention 108”, 26 jurisdictions have chosen a de-centralised approach for proximity and contact tracing apps whilst 14 have chosen a centralised approach. 5 countries have decided not to use apps at all.

The report contains the findings of a survey among the states Parties to “Convention 108” on the use of digital solutions to control the dissemination of the virus. Out of the 47 respondents participating in the survey, 36 use apps for contact tracing or proximity alerts (77%), 20 for self-diagnosis (43%), 11 for quarantine enforcement (23%) and 8 for mapping travel patterns (17%). Only two countries used apps for crowd control and another two for immunity passports.

Finally, the report welcomes that 20 countries participating in the survey have published the apps source codes, a measure that can contribute to building the trust of users and to make the apps effective. To further strengthen this trust, the reports recommends involving civil society and the general public in the development of digital solutions and transparency measures.

***

The Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, also known as “Convention 108”, is the only legally binding instrument on the protection of privacy and data protection open to any country in the world. Adopted in 1981, the treaty was updated in 2018 by an amending protocol, not yet in force, ensuring that its data protection principles are still adapted to today´s tools and practices, and strengthening its follow up mechanism. So far, 55 countries have ratified “Convention 108” and many others have used it as a model for new data protection legislation throughout the world. Eight countries have already ratified the updated “Convention 108+” and another 34 have signed it but not yet ratified it.

Photo by Frederic Köberl on Unsplash

Venice Commission concerned by risk of paralysis of Ombudsman in Poland
Venice Commission concerned by risk of paralysis of Ombudsman in Poland

Strasbourg, 12.10.2020 – The Venice Commission made the following statement: “The term of office of the current Polish Human Rights Commissioner expired on 9 September 2020. While the successor has not yet been elected, on 17 September some MPs requested the Constitutional Court to declare unconstitutional the provision of the Human Rights Commissioner Law stating that the outgoing Commissioner performs his duties until the incumbent assumes the position.

The Ombudsman is an important element in a State based on democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and good administration.

The Venice Commission recalls that continuity in office is of outmost importance. A situation where the institution of the Human Rights Commissioner is prevented from functioning fully and effectively pending the election by parliament of a new Commissioner would have a significant adverse effect on the protection of the rights of the Polish citizens and of all people living in Poland.

The Principles on the protection and promotion of the Ombudsman institution (“the Venice Principles” ) state clearly that States shall refrain from taking any action aiming at or resulting in the suppression of the Ombudsman institution or in any hurdles to its effective functioning, and shall effectively protect it from any such threats”.

The Venice Principles were endorsed by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 2 May 2019, by the Parliamentary Assembly on 2 October 2019 and by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on 30 October 2019.

The European Commission for Democracy through Law – better known as the Venice Commission as it meets in Venice – is the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional matters.

MEP Lidia Pereira leads call to Charles Michel on Belarus
MEP Lidia Pereira leads call to Charles Michel on Belarus

#WithBelarus: Young Parliamentarians call for Tsikhanouskaya to address European Council

Brussels. Young parliamentarians and youth-political organizations from across Europe have today published an open letter to European Council President Charles Michel urging him to invite the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, to address this week’s meeting of the European Council. The initiative is being spearheaded by the President of the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) Lidia Pereira MEP.

withBelarus yepp campaign
WithBelarus is the campaign being run by YEPP parliamentarians from across Europe in support of the people of Belarus. YEPP is the youth organization of the European People’s Party that brings together 63 center-right youth political organizations from 39 countries across Europe

Dear President Charles Michel,

In August of this year, following the Belarusian Presidential election, the Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP) launched a campaign called #WithBelarus to show our support for the people of Belarus and send them a clear message of European solidarity. This campaign has drawn support from our member organizations and young parliamentarians from across Europe. As you are aware, the situation in Belarus has continued to escalate and protestors continue to risk their own safety by taking to the streets to make their voices heard.

Each day protestors are being arrested and tortured for opposing the Lukashenko regime and this fight will not end until their demand for democratic change is met. In light of this, we see it as imperative to invite the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, to address the upcoming meeting of the European Council. As Belarusian issues are European issues, it is crucial that the true voice of the Belarusian people is heard at the highest level of European politics. Inviting Ms. Tsikhanouskaya to address the meeting would be a clear statement showing that the European Union stands with the people of Belarus in their fight for a future that is democratic and free.

Yours sincerely:

  1. Lidia Pereira MEP, YEPP President, PSD, (Portugal)
  2. Siegfried Muresan, EPP Vice-President, PNL (Romania)
  3. Eva Maydell MEPGERB (Bulgaria)
  4. Sven Simon MEPCDU (Germany)
  5. Roberta Metsola MEPPN (Malta)
  6. Christophe Hansen MEPCSV (Luxembourg)
  7. Maria Walsh MEPFine Gael (Ireland)
  8. François-Xavier Bellamy MEP, LR (France)
  9. Stelios Kympouropoulos MEP, New Democracy (Greece)
  10. Tomáš Zdechovský MEP, KDU-ČSL (Czechia)
  11. Karlo Ressler MEPHDZ (Croatia)
  12. Isabel Benjumea MEPPartido Popular (Spain)
  13. Lukas Mandl MEPVolkspartei (Austria)
  14. Magdalena Adamowicz MEPIndependent (Poland)
  15. Arba Kokalari MEP, Moderaterna (Sweden)
  16. Neale Richmond MPFine Gael (Ireland)
  17. Kostas Kyranakis MP, New Democracy (Greece)
  18. Christos Dermentzopoulos MP, New Democracy (Greece)
  19. Evangelos Liakos MPNew Democracy (Greece)
  20. Yiannis Melas MP, New Democracy (Greece)
  21. Tasos Chatzivasileiou MPNew Democracy (Greece)
  22. Mara Mares MP, YEPP Vice President, PNL, (Romania) 
  23. Alexandre Poco, PSD (Portugal)
  24. Sofia Matos MP, PSD (Portugal)
  25. Andre Neves MP, PSD (Portugal)
  26. Margarida Balseiro Lopes MP, PSD (Portugal)
  27. Duarte Marques MP, PSD (Portugal)
  28. Barry Ward Senator, Fine Gael (Ireland)
  29. Pierre-Henri Dumont MP, LR (France)
  30. Diego Gago Bugarin MP, on behalf of young parliamentarians from Partido Popular (Spain)
  31. Pawel Kowal MPPO (Poland)
  32. Martina Kaufmann MPÖVP (Austria)
  33. Stijn De Roo MP, CD&V (Belgium)
  34. Maaike de rudder MP, CD&V (Belgium)
  35. Brecht Warnez MP, CD&V (Belgium)
  36. Orry Van de Wauwer MP, CD&V (Belgium)
  37. Nawal Farih MP, CD&V (Belgium)
  38. TLDM, Moldova
  39. KrFU, Norway
  40. KDU, Sweden
  41. JONGCD&V, Belgium
  42. JeunesCDH, Belgium
  43. YFG, Ireland
  44. JG SVP, Italy
  45. ONNED, Greece
  46. FIG, Italy
  47. JSD, Portugal
  48. NNGG, Spain
  49. MUF, Sweden
  50. TNL, Romania
World Community must take steps to ensure repealing of laws mandating death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy
World Community must take steps to ensure repealing of laws mandating death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy

This World Day Against Death Penalty The International Community must take immediate steps to ensure states repeal laws which mandate the death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy

As the World Day Against Death Penalty approaches over 10 countries still have the death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy.

Sixteen organisations, from different faiths and none, have submitted a letter to all UN member states urging them to take immediate steps to address this and to protect fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to adopt, leave or change their religion or belief.

In the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia,  the Republic of Maldives, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, several states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Federal Republic of Somalia, United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Yemen[1] the courts can sentence an individual to death if they leave the state religion or express a dissenting opinion about the religion.

The death penalty, even when not applied, is used to pressure individuals to recant and to not practice publicly. One ex-Muslim described the laws as being a constant, “sword over our throats.” The UN Secretary General has noted this concern saying that even where a moratorium is in place the laws have, “a chilling effect on the legitimate exercise of human rights.”[2]

The death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy has also been shown to incite violence by non-state actors against those who leave or question the religion. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief has said, “where domestic laws provide for the death penalty for religious offence, it is more likely that the existence of such laws will encourage vigilante mobs or zealots to murder those alleged to have violated those laws.” The most recent example was in July 2020, when a man shot dead Tahir Ahmed Naseem, who was on trial for blasphemy in Pakistan.

The hope is that this effort will increase the pressure on countries to repeal their laws on the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy following Sudan’s repeal this year, and further expedite countries’ full compliance with international human rights standards including the freedom of expression, and the right to adopt, leave or change religion or belief.


[1] Global Legal Research Directorate Staff; Goitom, Hanibal. Laws Criminalizing Apostasy, 1 June 2014, www.loc.gov/law/help/apostasy/index.php. Some regions in Northern Nigeria also have the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy.

[2] UN Human Rights Council, Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, Capital punishment and the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, A/HRC/42/28 (28 August 2019), available from undocs.org/en/A/HRC/42/28.

Event in Brussels on LGBTQI rights highlights elevated risk during pandemic times
Event in Brussels on LGBTQI rights highlights elevated risk during pandemic times

LGBTQI activists raise alarm over an increase in hate speech and violence and propose strategies to strengthen protections by improving funding mechanisms.

LGBTQI people around the world, an already marginalized group, have been subjected to an increase in risk and violence largely due to responses towards and misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, said panelists of a conference held by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

At this Brussels-based event, panelists from Poland, Bangladesh, and Iraq reported that political and religious leaders have been using LGBTQI people as a scapegoat for the pandemic and building on existing narratives of LGTBQI people as a threat. Additionally, measures such as quarantines to combat the pandemic increased risk, as LGBTQI people were stuck in abusive homes or kicked out of temporary housing.

The LGBTQI activists speaking also spotlighted country-specific concerns.

In Poland, a Catholic majority country, Julia Maciocha, the Director of Warsaw Pride, highlighted the discrepancy between the outspokenly anti-LGBTQI agenda of the government and the general public’s sentiments, citing the finding that about 50% of Polish people support same-sex marriage.

Moreover, state-sanctioned hostility towards LGBTQI people in Poland is at odds with many of the commitments and values of the EU, which has led to controversies such as the so-called ‘LGBT-free zones’. In July 2020, the European Commission rejected applications from six Polish towns to ‘twin’ with other EU cities because these towns had declared themselves ‘LGBT free’. Consequently, they didn’t receive the funding for this exchange programme. A month later, the Polish Justice Minister announced that the government would provide financial support to these towns and decried the EU’s actions as ‘illegal and unauthorized.

Amir Ashour, the Founder and Executive Director for IraQueer stated that in Iraq, a Muslim majority country, LGBTQI people live with the constant fear of violence, torture, or even death. He also highlighted an issue essential to the discussion of risk, which is that when LGBTQI people flee to Western countries, they are often forced to ‘prove’ their sexual orientation or gender identity during the refugee determination process.

An activist from Bangladesh, who remained anonymous for safety reasons, explained that in Bangladesh, a Muslim majority country, homosexuality is still criminalized by a law inherited from British colonialism. After the 2016 highly publicized murder of Xulhaz Mannan, the founder of the first Bengali LGBT magazine, the movement was forced underground. Since then, social media platforms have been essential for LGBTQI activists to mobilize in a safe way.

Belgium is ranked as the second-best country regarding LGBTQI rights in Europe by ILGA Europe, but the lived experience of the LGBTQI community varies widely depending on which ‘letter’ one identifies with. For example, intersex children are still operated on at birth because, legally, parents need to register a child’s sex with their birth certificate. Despite numerous legal protections in Belgium, many individuals still experience violence and discrimination, but do not always report to the police.

Globally, LGBTQI activists face many hostilities, including online threats and smear campaigns. Fear is a constant reality: fear of increasing political and legal persecution; fear that loved ones may be attacked either because they identify as LGBTQI or are associated with advocacy work; fear for LGBTQI people who are struggling with depression and may commit suicide; and fear of persecution and violence by the state or religious fanatics. Activism comes at an immense personal cost.

Strategies for increasing rights by improving funding mechanisms

Providing accessible avenues of funding for small NGO’s and grassroots initiatives in challenging political and social environments is an essential step forward in protecting and advancing LGBTQI rights worldwide. Funding is often an issue, but the situation has become especially dire for many activists since governments and donors are not giving as much due to the pandemic. One of the many reasons funding is so essential is that activists often cannot find paid work due to their role as human rights defenders and so, without funding, these movements may become unsustainable.

Currently, application processes for funding are typically very time-consuming and complicated for activists on the ground, often requiring experts to complete them which is an added expense. These applications take precious human resources away from their actual work. It is in everyone’s best interest to balance the need for transparency and accountability on the one hand, and the need for accessibility on the other.

At the end of the event, there was a call for increased intersectionality during any decision-making process about the LGBTQI community ranging from funding mechanisms to policymaking. Tailoring a programme to fit the needs of one ‘letter’ is insufficient, because each member of the community will have different needs. Other factors such as an individual’s race, ability, age, etc must also be considered. Without taking them into account and planning accordingly, well-intentioned legislation and policies will continue to exclude already marginalized members of minority groups.

Discrimination of Serb minority in Croatia: A case raised at the U.N. in Geneva
Discrimination of Serb minority in Croatia: A case raised at the U.N. in Geneva

At the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a case of discrimination based on ethnicity in Croatia was submitted to their delegation.

25 years after the end of Croatia’s war for independence from Serbia, many Serbs living in Croatia report ongoing discriminatory treatment in court by the judiciary.

One such example is the case of Mr. Dalibor Močević, a Croatian citizen of Serbian descent, who has been fighting for decades in Croatian courts regarding property rights issues and, recently, a child custody case.

Mr. Močević was married to Ms. Ž. Šimunović from Našice from 1 January 2003 to 26 August 2006. One of the reasons for their divorce was that his ex-wife struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues. They have a son, I.M., who was born in February 2007.

On 17 June 2008, the Municipal Court in Našice ruled that I.M. was to be entrusted to the care of his mother. Mr. Močević was unable to get shared custody or even visiting rights from the court. He strongly believes that this decision was motivated by prejudices related to his Serb background.

In January 2010, the Našice Municipal Court granted custody of I.M. to his maternal grandparents, who lived at the same address. This was upon the request of the Center for Social Welfare of Našice due to concerns about his mother’s struggles with alcoholism and psychiatric issues. Mr. Močević was not informed that such legal proceedings were taking place despite his address being known by the court. Again, he asserts that the court’s negligence to notify him is because of his Serb origin. He has experienced this prejudice before during a case in property rights after the independence of Croatia from Serbia in 1991.

In January 2011, the Municipal Court of Našice restored the custody of I.M. to his mother and allowed his father visitation once a month for 10-12 hours a time in Našice. Mr. Močević appealed the decision, referring to his broader rights as a father under the national Family Law.

On 10 March 2011, the Osijek County Court overturned the first instance ruling and remanded the case for retrial. The County Court ruled that the disputed decision was taken in violation of the right to a fair trial because the child’s father was not allowed to participate. Mr. Dalibor Močević requested that his ex-wife undergo a psychiatric examination because he claimed that their son was experiencing chronic stress with her. Instead, the court ordered a psychiatric examination of Mr. Močević, who had no history of mental illness or any dependencies. Mr. Močević attributes this to anti-Serb sentiments.

In 2017, Mr. Močević’s ex-wife abandoned their son and left Croatia for an unknown destination. A year later she was extradited from Austria where she had been homeless, mentally unstable and alcoholic. In early 2019, the Municipal court in Đakovo initiated new proceedings concerning the custody rights of I.M. Although his mother had abandoned him, the family court judge Ankica Wolf denied Mr. Močević’s request for custody.

All challenges Mr. Močević brought to the Supreme Court of Croatia for his exclusion from these proceedings by both the judge and the president of the court in Đakovo, as well as the transfer of their case to another court were either rejected or left undecided.

Their child has been living for over 10 years now in a state of mental anguish. Mr. Močević is convinced that judges are refusing to grant him custody of his son because he is of Serb descent.

In 2018, the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe (CoE), expressed alarm over the rise of right-wing extremism and anti-Serb hostility in its fifth report about Croatia, the first of the seven Western Balkans countries to join the EU.

In line with the ECRI’s findings, Mr. Močević insists that he has been repeatedly denied justice because of his Serb origin. His lawyer has shared that this is not unique to Mr. Močević’s case, as other Serbs in Croatia have been discriminated against due to various personal or institutional collusions between a handful of judges, political figures, and extreme nationalists.

523 NGOs requests the UN to set country reviews latest by 2021
523 NGOs requests the UN to set country reviews latest by 2021

523 NGOs wrote to the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urge them to schedule country reviews no later than 2021

The joint civil society letter attracted over 500 civil society signatories, demonstrating the importance of this issue for civil society groups.

The letter has been sent to each of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies and to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  

To the attention of the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies and the Human Rights Treaties Branch of the OHCHR

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, write to you concerning the functioning of the UN Treaty Bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the work of the Treaty Bodies, with the postponement, cancellation and scaling-down o nearly all sessions scheduled for 2020. Since July 2020, most of the Treaty Bodies have me virtually and limited their activities, rescheduling all the reviews of states parties planned. Th effects of the pandemic have been exacerbated by the financial crisis that the OHCHR and the UN are undergoing. This is an unprecedented situation which requires exceptional efforts from all stakeholders to overcome it. Appreciating the significant efforts of Treaty Body members to continue many activities, we remain concerned that the challenges and constraints analyzed very well by the Treaty Bodies’ Working Group on COVID-19 still apply.

The 28th August letter of the High Commissioner to Member States recommended that all sessions until the end of the year will take place online, while some will be cancelled. Although we understand that the current situation has created enormous challenges, we are seriously concerned by the increasing backlog and protection gap due to the fact that the Treaty Bodies are not reviewing States. We are also concerned that there is lack of clarity as to what work they will be able to carry out in the coming months.

We urge the Treaty Bodies and their Secretariats to schedule State reviews no later than 2021, and OHCHR to prioritise resources and tools for this. We recommend anticipating risks and possible scenarios with clear mitigation and contingency plans that are public and proactively communicated to civil society. Should the pandemic further prevent the scheduling of physical sessions of the Treaty Bodies in 2021, we consider that a pragmatic approach should be taken which allows online State reviews on a temporary and exceptional basis.

Learning from the experiences of the past months, the Treaty Bodies should define the conditions for online State reviews and be supported by the OHCHR and the other UN departments accordingly to allow such reviews to take place online or in a hybrid mode. Moreover the webcast is essential in the specific context of online public sessions and must be reliable. 

The letter is available in English, French, Spanish and Russian.

https://www.facebook.com/UNTBNet/

Home schooling will be “strictly limited”, Macron announced
Home schooling will be “strictly limited”, Macron announced

Accompanied by six ministers, Emmanuel Macron gave a speech on Friday, October 2, detailing his action plan to fight against “Separatism”, a term used by the President of the Republic in the public debate following the attack at the Paris Police Prefecture in October 2019 to target the practice of an Islam that breaks with social and political rules.

The executive plans to finalize its bill by mid-October so that it is presented to the Council of Ministers in early December, then discussed in Parliament in the first half of 2021. Here are the main measures concerning education.
Read also Find Emmanuel Macron’s announcements on secularism and “separatism”

Home instruction will be “strictly limited”

Emmanuel Macron announced, Friday, October 2, that home schooling will be, from the start of the 2021 school year, “Strictly limited, in particular to health requirements”, and that it will therefore become compulsory within the school from the age of 3. ” It is a necessity. I made a decision, undoubtedly one of the most radical since the laws of 1882 and those ensuring the school mix between boys and girls in 1969 ”, underlined the Head of State during this speech on the separatisms which he delivered at Mureaux (Yvelines).

“Today, more than 50,000 children are educated at home, a figure that is increasing every year”, said the head of state. “Every week, rectors find cases of children totally outside the system. “ The president spoke of parents of students who refuse to put their children in music lessons or in the swimming pool, and it is then, according to him, “Deschooling”. In February 2020, the Minister of Education mentioned “From 2,000 to 3,000 situations involving young people that could pose a problem and are closely monitored”. At the time, he claimed that the “Half” of home-educated children were educated for medical reasons.

“These children do not go to CNED [Centre national d’enseignement à distance] but in structures not declared at all ”, continued Mr. Macron. “Walls, almost no windows, women in niqabs who welcome them, prayers, certain classes, this is their teaching”, he said. “Every month, prefects close “schools” often administered by religious extremists ”, he added.

The number of children following home schooling has been rising sharply for several years, even if it still only concerns a low ratio of students (around 0.5%), compared to 12.4 million. children in public and private education. At the start of the 2019 school year, home instruction concerned 41,000 children, and 35,000 in 2018, the Ministry of Education said. Since the introduction of the 3-year instruction obligation at the start of the 2019 school year, inspections have been stepped up, the number of inspectors providing them increased, and their training strengthened.

Emmanuel Macron also confirmed that the devices for optional courses in foreign languages ​​provided by teachers appointed by the governments of other countries (ELCO) would be removed, in accordance with what he announced last February. The calendar, at the time, was set for the start of the 2020 school year. These devices were initially intended to allow children of family reunification to maintain a link with their country of origin – and to facilitate their eventual return.

These ELCOs, which were the subject of contracts with Algeria, Morocco and Turkey, offer courses taught by teachers who are sometimes non-French speaking and without national education control, he recalled. About 80,000 children attend them outside of school time. These establishments have for years harbored suspicions of religious proselytism, criticism of the content taught as much as of the recruitment of teachers, the responsibility of the countries of origin.

Reinforced supervision for schools outside the contract

Finally, non-contract schools which are “More controlled thanks to the Gatel law will be the subject of an even reinforced framework”, assured Emmanuel Macron, insisting on the need to “Carry out administrative closures when they are necessary”.

Some 1,700 non-contract private establishments currently enroll around 85,000 children (50,000 in the first stage, 35,000 in the second). Contrary to popular belief, only a third of these establishments are denominational, the rest being divided between so-called alternative schools (of the Montessori type, which are growing rapidly) and others, which are secular.

These establishments, which do not receive any public money and are free to recruit, may be exempt from school programs but must have transmitted to their students, at the end of their schooling, the same ” common ground “ than that available to their comrades in the public and private sectors under contract.

Two avenues are put forward to strengthen their control: better monitor the educational content of lessons, sometimes described as incomplete or even non-existent during the most problematic inspections, and better control the source of funding for these schools.

Jaswant Singh Khalra was remembered at the Human Rights Council
Jaswant Singh Khalra was remembered at the Human Rights Council
Jaswant Singh Khalra HRC 45

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the death of Jaswant Singh Kharla CAP Freedom of Conscience, United Sikhs, Khalra Mission Organization and the author of the book The Valiant – Jaswant Singh Khalra  Gurmeet Kaur made a statement to the UN during the 45th session of the Human Rights Council.

According to the president of CAP LC,

“it is time for the truth to be revealed and for the families of the victims to know the truth about the fate of their loved one” and continued saying that “it is the duty of the Indian authorities to shed light on this crime against humanity”. (Their full statement can be seen here)

Jaswant Singh Kharla’s crime is to have uncovered, according to his book

“thousands of state-enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, custodial killings, and mass cremations of the Sikhs under government’s orders, which constitute the Sikh genocide”.

After its discovery Jaswant Singh Kharla  took as his mission to stop the “government’s tyranny” by exposing and “holding it accountable through legal means”. 

On January 16, 1995, he made public evidence of 3,100 illegal cremations of disappeared persons in just three crematoria from one out of the then thirteen districts in Punjab. He estimated there were a total of 25,000 cremations of disappeared persons throughout the state.

On September 6, 1995, Jaswant Singh Khalra  himself was abducted in broad daylight, tortured in illegal custody for 52 days before being shot dead; his body dismembered and dumped into the very canal that was used to dispose other bodies that he had set out to find.

Author Gurmeet Kaur who wrote The Valiant – Jaswant Singh Khalra said:

“Twenty-five years later, we hope the government will not obstruct efforts to document the gravity of the state-sponsored genocide before nature takes its course and the aging witnesses and parents of the disappeared die”.

UN experts call for urgent action to remedy “alarming” human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir
UN experts call for urgent action to remedy “alarming” human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir

GENEVA (4 August 2020) – A year after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, UN human rights experts* today called on India and the international community to take urgent action to address the alarming human rights situation in the territory.

“Urgent action is needed,” the experts said. “If India will not take any genuine and immediate steps to resolve the situation, meet their obligations to investigate historic and recent cases of human rights violations and prevent future violations, then the international community should step up.”

Since the Indian Parliament revoked the constitutionally mandated status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019, “the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free fall,” the experts said. “We are particularly concerned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many protestors are still in detention and Internet restrictions remain in place.”

It has been almost a year since several UN experts wrote to the Government and publicly called on India to end the crackdown on freedom of expression, access to information and peaceful protests which followed the 05 August 2019 announcement. The experts have also raised concerns with the Indian government about alleged arbitrary detention and torture and ill-treatment  to which the Government recently replied, as well as the criminalization of journalists covering the situation and the detention and deteriorating health of a high profile human rights lawyer.

“We have yet to receive any reply to three of the four letters,” the experts said.

The October 2019 closure of the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission, which had been one of the few ways victims of human rights violations could seek remedy, is particularly concerning. Furthermore, no information was provided to the public about what would happen to the ongoing cases the body had been investigating, including hundreds of suspected enforced disappearances dating from as far back as 1989. Allegations regarding thousands of unmarked and some mass graves sites have also not yet been properly investigated.

“Decades on, families are still waiting in anguish and now there is a stream of new alleged rights violations,” the experts said. “With no State Human Rights Commission and internet restrictions, the avenues for reporting are further reduced.”

In 2011, India extended an open invitation to Special Rapporteurs to visit, but has several requests pending. “We call on India to schedule pending visits as a matter of urgency, particularly of the experts dealing with torture and disappearances,” they said.

Iraqi Religious Authorities Adopt Interfaith Statement on Victims of ISIL
Iraqi Religious Authorities Adopt Interfaith Statement on Victims of ISIL

United Nations Under-Secretary-General (USG) and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and Special Adviser (SA) and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL in Iraq, Karim A. A. Khan Q.C., commended religious leaders for endorsing  an Interfaith Statement on the Victims of ISIL.

The Statement followed extensive engagement with religious authorities by UNITAD which continued during USG Dieng’s visit to Iraq between 1–6 March. The statement is the first time Iraqi religious leaders have formally endorsed a common statement on the need for justice and the rights of victims and survivors of ISIL. USG Dieng and SA Khan applauded its adoption by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Hassan al-Taha Chairman of the Iraq Jurisprudence Council, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbala’i, His Holiness Baba Sheikh Khurto Hajji Ismail Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Leader, and His Beatitude Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

In the Statement, religious leaders repudiate and condemn the violence of ISIL as completely contrary to their respective faiths. It also underscores that members of all religions across Iraq have been impacted by the crimes of Da’esh, and that all survivors must be supported in their efforts to continue their lives within their communities. The Statement also recognizes the many acts of heroism in which members of their respective communities rose up in defense of those from other religious and ethnic backgrounds.

USG Dieng and SA Khan were particularly pleased that the religious leaders spoke with one voice in acknowledging the tremendous suffering members of their communities had endured as a result of sexual and gender-based violence and in underlining their commitment to ensure that survivors of such crimes are fully supported and do not suffer from any form of stigmatization. Noting the particular suffering endured by children impacted by the crimes of ISIL, the religious leaders recognized that such children are blameless and should benefit from love and kindness.

The critical importance of ensuring that ISIL members are held individually responsible for crimes committed, through fair trials in a court of law, as well as the investigation of cases of those disappeared and abducted by ISIL, is further underlined in the Statement. In this regard, all religious authorities expressed their strong collective support for the work of UNITAD.

USG Dieng and SA Khan emphasized that the collective endorsement of this statement reflected the religious leaders’ joint effort in advancing accountability for crimes committed by ISIL and prioritizing the need for justice and accountability – as well as empathy and solidarity for all victims. They stressed the crucial role religious leaders can play in fostering a peaceful and inclusive society and noted their essential role in ensuring effective support to the survivors of ISIL, countering violent ideology, mistrust and fear, and in bringing people together on the common ground of humanity.

SA Khan stated “This Statement constitutes an extremely important moment, representing as it does, a coming together of leaders from the Christian, Sunni, Shia and Yazidi communities, around universal values represented and promoted by their respective faiths. Justice for the victims of ISIL, support for survivors and an emphasis on inclusion and support in preference to exclusion, stigmatization and derision are important elements to ensure support for survivors – whether men, women or children. I am particularly grateful to the religious leaders for reiterating their unequivocal support for UNITAD and its mandate to vindicate the rights of victims and survivors to justice.”

USG Dieng stated “This Interfaith Statement constitutes a strong symbol of unity and a renewed call to deepen efforts to address concerns from all citizens of Iraq in their quest for a future together and in peace. It also represents a strong endorsement from these religious communities of the imperative to hold ISIL members responsible for their crimes”.

Reflecting his engagement with religious authorities across Iraq during the visit, as well as the statement made by Sheikh Ahmed Hasan al-Taha upon signature, USG Dieng further noted that efforts were also needed to ensure that accountability is delivered for all crimes committed against members of all communities in Iraq. He noted that such work would serve to strengthen the basis for stable and peaceful relations across Iraq, and that in his capacity as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, he will continue to engage with national governments, UN partners and other actors to promote justice for all victims as well as recognition of their suffering.

Upon endorsing the Statement during a meeting with USG Dieng and SA Khan on 6 March, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbala’i described the meeting as “an historic day” and he called upon other religious communities to also endorse the Statement. In the same vein, Cardinal Sako proposed a follow-up conference to broaden the endorsement for the Statement by other religious communities and build upon it.

USG Dieng and SA Khan noted that the adoption of the Statement represented the beginning of a process of further engagement with other religious leaders in Iraq and both emphasized that the statement remains open for signature and that any and all faith leaders who wish to sign or endorse the Statement and implement the principles reflected within it are welcome to do so.

Iraq: ISIL’s acts of terror ‘divorced from the values of all faiths’
Iraq: ISIL’s acts of terror ‘divorced from the values of all faiths’

Religious leaders from communities across Iraq called for greater “healing and reconciliation” during a UN-organized event on Thursday, reaffirming their commitment to support survivors of crimes perpetrated by ISIL terrorist fighters.

Key signatories of a landmark Interfaith Statement on the Victims and Survivors of ISIL – representing Islam, the Christian church and other faiths – joined the discussion online, held under the auspices of the UN Special Adviser who also heads up the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh / ISIL (UNITAD) and co-hosted by the international coalition, Religions for Peace, which consists of 90 national and six regional Interreligious Councils.

The event was made possible by the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, headed up by Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser, Adama Dieng.

Mr Dieng said it was and honour to be accompanied by religious representatives “whose tireless work, days after day, is making a difference in the lives of all Iraqis. Their leading efforts for justice, peace and reconciliation constitutes an example for all society to follow.”

Many still vulnerable: Dieng

He noted that many of the challenges for peace in Iraq did not start with the emergence of ISIL nor have they ended with its military defeat: “Many communities still feel vulnerable and consider that not enough is being done to protect not only their linguistic, religious or cultural heritage, but their very physical integrity. Addressing long-term grievances is one the most effective ways of prioritizing prevention of human rights violations, including atrocity crimes.”

He noted that Iraqi society has experienced “the tremendous cost of not addressing long-term grievances. It must therefore work to build and strengthen an inclusive society, where diversity is not perceived as a flaw but as an asset.

The prevention of genocide chief said he was convinced that Thursday’s Interfaith Statement on Victims and Survivors of ISIL constitutes “an essential step in this direction, in line with the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes. I am proud to support it and commit my Office’s assistance in ensuring its full implementation.”

The participants condemned ISIL’s ideologically-driven acts of terror as being “contrary to the core principles of our religious faiths as well as the fundamental values of humanity”.

“What can religion be if not for peace?”, UNITAD Head, Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC said to the meeting.

Attacks ‘far from over’

The UNITAD chief, expressed gratitude to Iraq religious leaders for their courage “in these difficult times” as they together support survivors and victims of ISIL. 

Stressing that as ISIL attacks are “far from over” across the world, he exhorted representatives of all religions to denounce the group’s ideology as alien to religious values and those of all humanity. 

According to Mr. Khan, the only way to respond to groups like ISIL, is for religious leaders to support each other and each other’s communities.

“Whenever people seek to weigh the worth of humans by their own belief, there should be alarm”, flagged the Special Advisor, adding that everyone must “start to implement a zero tolerance to intolerance.”

No religion spared

All religions across Iraq have been impacted by ISIL atrocities, the signatories said, as they underlined the importance of supporting survivors within their own communities.

“In showing ISIL crimes are divorced from the values of all faiths, Iraqi religious leaders have exposed crimes of ISIL”, upheld the UNITAD chief.
 
At the same time, the participants also noted that their brutality had prompted “acts of heroism” in which religious communities rose up in defence of those from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.

The most vulnerable

In recognizing the “tremendous suffering” endured by victims of sexual and gender-based violence, the signatories underscored their commitment to ensuring that those individuals are “fully supported” and do not suffer from stigmatization.

And for the “innocent children of God” impacted by ISIL, they stressed that “whatever pain these children have suffered, they are blameless” and called on the terrorists to return every child they have abducted to their rightful families.

Delivering justice

Justice will only be delivered for ISIL victims by ensuring that those who fought in its name, are held responsible for their actions, and that people forced to flee the violence, can return home safely.

To this end, they underscored their “strong collective support” for UNITAD’s work while stressed the importance of exposing ISIL’s offenses in a court of law.

“Investigating the cases of disappeared persons and those abducted” not only delivers justice for victims but also promotes “understanding of the severity and scale” of the violence and prevents “future revisionism”, maintained the signatories.

In closing, they highlighted their “common commitment” and “collective stamina” to promote “justice, tolerance, reconciliation and forgiveness” as the most effective way to combat ISIL’s crimes in Iraq.

This also serves as “a key step in preventing the re-emergence” of any similar terrorist ideology or groups, said the religious leaders. 

USCIRF Expresses Outrage at the Killing of U.S. Citizen Over Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan
USCIRF Expresses Outrage at the Killing of U.S. Citizen Over Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today mourns the death of Tahir Ahmad Naseem, a U.S. citizen who was shot in a courtroom in Peshawar, Pakistan on July 29, 2020. The assailant claimed to have shot Naseem because he had belonged to the Ahmadiyya faith.

“Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are indefensible to begin with but it is outrageous beyond belief that the Pakistani government was incapable of keeping an individual from being murdered within a court of law for his faith, and a U.S. citizen, nonetheless,” USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore stated. “Pakistan must protect religious minorities, including individuals accused of blasphemy, in order to prevent such unimaginable tragedies. The authorities must take immediate action to bring Mr. Nassem’s killer to justice.”

Tahir Ahmad Naseem was arrested two years ago and charged with blasphemy under the Pakistan Penal Code. Blasphemy cases in Pakistan are extremely controversial and have led to riots and vigilante justice. As highlighted in a USCIRF policy update about Pakistan’s blasphemy law, USCIRF is aware of nearly 80 individuals imprisoned on blasphemy charges, half of whom face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

“As USCIRF has noted countless times, Pakistan’s blasphemy law inflames interreligious tensions and too often leads to violence,” noted USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava. “We urge the State Department to enter into a binding agreement with the Pakistani government that includes the repeal of blasphemy provisions in the Pakistan Penal Code.”

In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the State Department redesignate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, in part because of the “systematic enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws,” which often target religious minority communities. In a recent policy update, USCIRF provided an overview of key issues that should be included in any binding agreement between the governments of the United States and Pakistan.

Yemen: Statement by the Spokesperson on the release of members of the Baha’i community
Yemen: Statement by the Spokesperson on the release of members of the Baha’i community

The European Union welcomes the release of members of the Baha’i community by the movement Ansar Allah after their prolonged detention. One of those detained had been imprisoned since 2013 and was sentenced to death. The EU and its Member States have consistently advocated for the immediate release of all detained individuals.

The spread of coronavirus in Yemen and appalling conditions in detention facilities throughout the country made their release even more urgent. This gesture is a step in the right direction, contributing to building confidence and bringing the resumption of the peace process in Yemen closer. We commend the efforts of the UN, notably the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, in securing the release of the members of the Baha’i community, as well as the generous facilitation of the Ethiopian government.

Nobody should be persecuted on the basis of their belief or political affiliations. The EU recalls that freedom of thought, conscience and religion, are fundamental rights which must be guaranteed under all circumstances according to article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Yemen has signed up to and ratified.

The EU calls on all parties to replicate such gestures throughout the whole country and put an end to the conflict by engaging with the efforts of the UN Special Envoy.

New report on the Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims
New report on the Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims

The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has launched a new report entitled: ‘Suffocation of the Faithful: Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and the rise of International extremism’

It is the first of its kind to be written by the APPG in response to the worrying increase of persecution against Ahmadi Muslims and other religious communities in Pakistan.

A number of religious communities including Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus, Christian and Shias have long been victims of persecution in Pakistan due to its discriminatory laws. The laws have stifled freedom of religion, promoted state-sponsored persecution and acted as a catalyst for violent extremism in Pakistan.

As a result, religious communities are denied fundamental human rights to practice their faith and engage in society without fear of harassment, discrimination or violence.

The effects of such persecution are not limited to Pakistan alone, as anti-Ahmadi hate has also surfaced in the UK. The most extreme example of this was the brutal murder in Glasgow of Ahmadi shopkeeper Asad Shah in 2016, who was killed on grounds of faith.

There has also been a worrying development of hate preachers coming to the UK and the rise in hate speech on satellite television, the internet and social media that is feeding intolerance and extremism.

Read the report