Category: News

In her 2017 Easter message Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“Easter is a moment to reflect and an important time for Christians and others to gather together with families and friends.

This year, after a period of intense debate over the right future for our country, there is a sense that people are coming together and uniting behind the opportunities that lie ahead.

For at heart, this country is one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. And as we face the opportunities ahead of us – the opportunities that stem from our decision to leave the European Union and embrace the world – our shared interests, our shared ambitions, and above all our shared values can, and must, bring us together.

This Easter I think of those values that we share – values that I learnt in my own childhood, growing up in a vicarage. Values of compassion, community, citizenship. The sense of obligation we have to one another.

These are values we all hold in common, and values that are visibly lived out everyday by Christians, as well as by people of other faiths or none.

I think of those who go out of their way to visit the sick or bereaved, providing comfort and guidance to many in our country at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. I think of the sacrifices and service of aid workers who put themselves in harm’s way to bring much-needed relief in war-torn parts of the world.

We should celebrate all these contributions and others like them, and the difference they make in our society and around the world.

In doing so, we should be confident about the role that Christianity has to play in the lives of people in our country.

And we should treasure the strong tradition that we have in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech.

We must continue to ensure that people feel able to speak about their faith, and that absolutely includes their faith in Christ. We must be mindful of Christians and religious minorities around the world who do not enjoy these same freedoms, but who practise their religion in secret and often in fear.

And we must do more to stand up for the freedom of people of all religions to practice their beliefs openly and in peace and safety.

So this Easter, whatever our faith, let us come together as a nation confident in our values, and united in our commitment to fulfil the obligations that we have to one another.

Let us work together to build that brighter future we want for our country. And let us together build a stronger, fairer Britain that truly does work for everyone. And let me wish you all a very happy Easter.”

The Egyptian government has declared a three-month state of emergency, three days of mourning and increased security following yesterday’s attacks on two churches in northern Egypt.

Daesh (Islamic State) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which 44 died and scores were injured.

The first bomb exploded in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, at St. George’s Church about 60 miles north of Cairo, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78 others, according to wire reports. Hours later, a suicide bomber was stopped at the door of St. Mark’s Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, where he detonated explosives that reportedly killed at least 17 people and injured 48 others.

The head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, was at the service in Alexandria and had finished addressing the congregation before the blast, according to reports. He was unhurt. Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Egypt this month.

“These acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people,” Pope Tawadros later said through state media.

In a show of unity in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, men and women rushed to mosques to donate blood for the injured. The victims were buried in the church grounds later that evening, following autopsies.

Security forces reportedly also dismantled two explosive devices at Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta.

In a statement issued yesterday, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom lamented “the senseless and heartless brutality that can lead a person or people to indiscriminately take innocent lives, especially at the most vulnerable hour of prayer” and prayed for the families and colleagues of “members of the security services who attempted to foil the second bombing in Alexandria lost their lives in the line of duty.”

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said, “We are deeply saddened by these callous attacks on worshippers during the most important week in the Christian calendar. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones in these deplorable attacks, including the families and friends of the security agents, who lost their lives in the call of duty. The bombings underline once again the need for added vigilance and security during festive occasions, and we commend the additional security arrangements put in place to protect Christian communities and churches at this time. However, the bombings also highlight once again the urgent need to ensure accountability for all sectarian attacks, and justice for targeted communities throughout the country.”

The bombings were the latest in a series of assaults on Christians in Egypt, who make up about 10 percent of the population. A bombing in the suburbs of Cairo at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, also known as the Al Boutrosya Chapel, on Dec. 11 killed at least 25 people and wounded at least 49. The chapel is next to the St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, which is held by many as the spiritual center of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The bombing was followed by a series of murders of Coptic Christians, with IS issuing threats on a Feb. 19 video promising to rid the country of “idolaters.” Seven Copts were killed in one month.

On Feb. 23 militants reportedly stormed into the Al-Arish home of Kamel Youssef, then shot and killed him in front of his family. Two days earlier, the body of Saied Hakim, 65, was found Feb. 21 late at night in Al-Arish behind a state-run language school, where he was ambushed by masked gunmen. Hakim was shot in the head several times.

Medhat Saied, 45, Hakim’s son, was abducted and burned alive, his body found in the same place as his father’s, according to local media reports. No one has claimed responsibility for the three killings, but the consensus is that “Wilayat Sinai,” the Sinai Province branch of the Islamic State previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, killed the men in a quest to terrorize Christians and push them out of the region.

The Feb. 19 video features a recording of the suicide statement of jihadi Abu-Abdullah al-Masri, also known as Mahmoud Shafiq, 22, suspected in the December bombing of the Al Boutrosya Church. The IS speaker said the attack was “only the first.”

“There will be more operations in the near future, if God wills it, as you are our first target and our preferred target in our war,” he said. “You followers of the Cross, you traitors of all ties – know that warriors of the Islamic State are watching you, and our blessed invasion won’t be our last on you. Because what’s coming is worse and hotter than boiling oil, so wait and see, we will be victorious.”

Since Egypt’s 2013 coup, the military-run government has been involved in counter-insurgency operations in the Sinai against members of both the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups now fighting under the banner of the Islamic State. Military outposts in the Sinai have been the sites of repeated attacks by terrorist groups.

The Egyptian army has had little success making strategic counter attacks or effectively protecting members of the Coptic minority constantly under assault.

On Jan. 30, Wa’el Youssef, 35, was shot down at his small grocery store in downtown Al-Arish. The assailants reportedly shot Youssef in broad daylight in front of his wife and one of their two sons.

On Feb. 12, masked militants ambushed another Copt, Bahgat Zakher, 40, as he was driving his car through the southern outskirts of Al-Arish. A group of armed jihadis stopped Zakher then shot him in the head, neck and stomach, killing him instantly, according to local media reports.

Another Copt to meet his death at the hands of suspected jihadists in Al-Arish was Adel Shawqy, 57, a day laborer, who was shot in the head on Feb. 13.

On Feb. 16, masked men shot Gamal Girgis, 45, a Coptic schoolteacher and shoe shop owner. They ambushed Girgis while he was tending his shop. He was shot in the head and chest and died instantly, according to local media reports. The attack happened no more than 200 meters (220 yards) from a heavily defended army post.

[Reporting from CSW and Morning Star News]

By Sophia Kuby, first published on The Freedom Blog of ADF International

If the EU is serious about its commitment to peace, democracy, and human rights, it has to step up its efforts on freedom of religion or belief. This can only be done meaningfully by establishing an EU Special Representative on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

25 years ago, in the founding Treaty of the EU (the Maastricht Treaty), the EU officially decided to protect and promote human rights in the world. This included freedom of religion or belief. It is a fundamental human right protected by all the major human rights treaties.

Since 1992 however, the EU has floundered in this commitment and it took more than 20 years to take any other significant steps on religious freedom. In June 2013, the Foreign Affairs Council agreed on the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief in the world. The Guidelines read as a detailed operating manual for EU officials in Brussels and across the globe.

With the Guidelines, the EU committed to raise the issue of religious freedom through public diplomacy: through high-level contacts, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, and through regular political dialogue with third countries. In addition, the human rights country strategies, official country visits, as well as the weight of the EU’s voice at the UN, were agreed upon as important avenues to promote freedom of religion or belief.

The Guidelines demonstrate a serious commitment to freedom of religion and belief. They even make the protection of religious freedom a condition for economic and political collaboration with the EU. However, there have been no institutional adjustments to follow through with these self-imposed obligations. A first evaluation report was due in 2016 but has not yet been published and no date for publication has been announced.

The many avenues, instruments, and mechanisms that exist in the EU structures for promoting freedom of religion or belief are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the existing structures offer excellent avenues through which religious freedom can be promoted in the world. On the other hand, to mainstream, a concern for freedom of religion or belief requires a strategic use of many institutional avenues in parallel. To use a metaphor, it needs a conductor of the polyphonic orchestra that the EU is in order to strike a better and more co-ordinated tone on religious freedom. A commitment made on paper may be neglected if no one is responsible for pulling the strings together and can be held accountable for the results.

The current situation is as if all elements for an effective protection of freedom of religion or belief in the EU’s external policy were there, but there is no one to put the puzzle together in a coherent way. Without a central position that has the necessary clout to pull all the pieces together, the implementation of the obligations laid out in the Guidelines has proven and will remain, impossible.

In May 2016, at the height of the crisis in the Middle East, and following a European Parliament resolution on the systematic mass murder by ISIS, the position of a Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU was created. This was an important, albeit insufficient, development in making the EU’s commitment more concrete.

Unfortunately, the mandate is exceptionally weak. While the first ten months have allowed the Special Envoy to gain significant visibility as the representative of the EU for all religious freedom-related matters, his position is not an institutional one. He is a special advisor to the Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development. The mandate originally came with no staff nor budget, and it is limited to a one-year term.

At the close of the one-year term of this Special Envoy, and in light of the fundamental importance of freedom of religion, the EU cannot afford to ignore the growing, critical need to address religious freedom matters adequately and coherently.

Here is how the EU can act, right now, to champion the human rights that it has vowed to protect:

1. Establish a Special Representative on freedom of religion and belief as an institutional position similar to the nine existing Special Representatives. Following the EU resolution of 4 February 2016, it would be appropriate to turn the position into an EU Special Representative for Freedom of Religion or Belief, reporting directly to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Foreign Ministers’ Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). The position needs to become a central part of the EU’s foreign relations system. The work should be closely coordinated with the EU Special Representative for Human Rights in order to guarantee the essential link between religious freedom and Human Rights.
2. Properly fund the office. An EU position on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief requires the necessary clout to maneuver a complex and heavy institutional structure. It should make religious freedom a priority in the EU’s external action. This is only achievable with a well-equipped office, a serious working budget (comparable to that of other EU Special Representatives), and institutional authority.
3. Guarantee sufficient capacity. Financial and human resources would need to be allocated to effectively monitor freedom of religion or belief in third countries. The position needs to be able to conduct regular country visits, make religious freedom-related proposals within the European External Action Service (the EU’s diplomatic service) and, most importantly, issue concrete recommendations and policy actions.
4. Affirm diplomatic credibility. The position should be given the necessary standing and political weight to be able to engage in regular high-level dialogues with political decision makers, and officials at embassies, consulates, and EU missions.

This would be at last a serious effort to mainstream the concern of religious freedom, implement the Guidelines, and live up to what the EU aspires to be: a champion on the protection of human rights in the world.

Throughout March, Baha’is were arrested, jailed, sentenced to prison terms and expelled from university; homes were raided and businesses were sealed, just because they were Baha’is.  (Article first published by Human Rights Without Frontiers International)

Navid Moallem arrested in Minudasht

Based on a Bahai News report, Navid Moallem, a Baha’i resident of Minudasht in Golestan Province, was arrested on March 13, in front of his place of business, and transferred to prison.

Mr. Moallem and his wife, Kamelia Bidelian [also reported as Bideli], had previously been sentenced to one year and six-months imprisonment as part of a case named “Baha’is Arrested in Golestan Province.”

During the original court hearing, 22 Baha’is of Golestan Province who were arrested on October 17, 2012 were sentenced to a total of 193 years of imprisonment. Following their hearings at the court of appeals, it was announced that

Farah Tebyanian, Puna Sana’I, Mona Amri Hesari, Behnam Hassani, Parisa Shahidi, Mojdeh Zouhori, Parivash Shoja`i, Tina Mohabati and Hana Aqiqiyan, all from Gorgan;

Shohreh Samimi from Minudasht;

Bita Hedayati, Vesaq Sana’i and Hana Kushkabaghi from Gonbad-e Qabus

had their prison sentences reduced from 9 years to one year and nine months.

However, the one year and nine month prison sentence of Tina Mohabati was later overturned, and she was sentenced to pay a three million tuman (approx US$925) fine.

Rufeya Pakzadan, Soudabeh Mehdinezhad, Mitra Nouri, Shiva Rouhani, Houshmand Dehqan, Mariyam Dehqan and Nazi Tahqiqi, all from Gorgan,

Kamelia Bideli and Navid Moalem from Minudasht, had their sentences reduced from 6 years to 18 months.

The review court did not announce its decision on the cases of Shahnam Jadhbani from Minudasht and Shayda Qodousi from Gorgan, who were sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The Baha’is were charged with collaborating with hostile governments, effective activities to promote the goals of a sect and of anti-Islamic and anti-Shia hostile governments, and with making propaganda in favour of the Baha’i Faith and against the regime of the Islamic Republic, by participating in the ‘Ruhi program’ (Baha’i catechism) in Golestan Province. The sentencing by the court of appeals of Shahnam Jazbani (from Minudasht) and Shayda Ghoddousi (from Gorgan), who were each sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment, has yet not been communicated to them. (Source: Iran Press Watch, March 23, 2017)

Liza Tebyanian arrested in Karaj

According to a Bahai News report, Liza Tebyanian Enayati, a Baha’i resident of Karaj in Alborz Province, was arrested by security officers on Wednesday, March 14, 2017.

Bahai News reports that six security officers entered her home with a warrant, and after searching it and confiscating her personal property, including religious and non-religious books; laptops and so forth, arrested her. Her family still does not have any information about her whereabouts.

Previously, the business of her husband, Mansour Enayati, was sealed by government agents from the Office of Public Places because he is an adherent of the Baha’i religion. In September, 2016, his daughter and her husband, Ahdiyyeh Enayati and Sahba Maslahi, were arrested in Shiraz.

She was freed on bail on March 26 after being held in Raja’i Shahr prison. (Iran Press Watch, 15 March 2017 – Sen’s Daily, 26 March 2017)

Two Baha’i businesses shut by authorities in Karaj

On March 9, police and agents from the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ministry of Penal Affairs, along with a judge, went to one business in Karaj that is run by two Baha’is, Farid and Farnush Pasha’i  in the Gohardasht neighbourhood of Karaj, where they sealed the premises.

The pretext was ‘sexual contraband.’ Although the owners presented invoices of their purchases to show that the articles were not contraband, the officers were uninterested, and returned on March 10 to confiscate all the business stock. [Under Iran’s economic apartheid system, Baha’is are not permitted to provide many items of food, drink and personal services to Muslims, since Baha’is are ‘unclean.’ The rules are unwritten, or what is written is circulated confidentially, making it difficult for Baha’is to know what they may and may not sell. A broad list of market sectors closed to Baha’is was published on the blog of Sen’s Daily (See http://bit.ly/2nh4of8) in 2015, but the rules are constantly changing).

Government officers also went to a newly-opened business run by another Bahai, Arash Kazemi in the “Golshahr Metri 45” neighbourhood of Karaj. They shuttered the premises. (Source: Bahai News, March 10, 2017)

One arrest in Rey: Mrs. Sima Keyani

Sima Keyani, a Baha’i living in Rey (on the outskirts of Tehran), was arrested at her home by security forces on the morning of March 8. Her home was also searched, and a pickup truck was used to take away her religious books, along with religious images and family photographs. Her place of detention is not yet known, but it is likely she would be taken to Evin prison. (Source: Bahai News, March 8, 2017)

Haleh Gholami free on bail

Haleh Gholami, a Baha’i from Tehran who has been detained in Evin Prison since January 27, was freed on bail on March 6. She was arrested because of her activism in child protection matters, such as the care of orphans, and for participating in a charity working to suppress child labour. At the time of her arrest her home was searched by security agents who confiscated her mobile phones and tablets. (Source: Bahai News, March 7, 2017)

Two more Baha’i students expelled from universities

In separate reports dated March 4 and March 6, Bahai News reports on the expulsion of Mahsa Sha`erzadeh and Puya Azami Aqjeh.

Ms. Mahsa Sha`erzadeh, a Bahai living in Ramhormoz, in Khuzestan, was expelled from the campus of Payam-e Nour University in Rahhormoz because of her Baha’i beliefs. She was taking a bachelor’s course in Applied Chemistry, and had passed her final exams and gained 70 credits. She was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence in the city and pressured to officially withdraw from her course. She refused, but was expelled on March 1, 2017, and was given no documentation.

Mr. Puya Azami Aqjeh, a Baha’i from Tehran, was expelled from the Rudehen campus of the Free Islamic University. He was in the first semester of a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. In January 2016, he found himself barred from the final examination for the semester, and was told that he had no right to university education because he was a Baha’i. He is the sixth Baha’i student expelled from this University in recent months. (Source: Bahai News, 4 and 6 March 2017)

Baha’i home raided in Shiraz

At 8 a.m. on Friday, March 3, a number of agents from the Revolutionary Guards raided the home of Mrs. Anusha Afshar-Reza’i in Shiraz. They forced an entrance and searched her home, seizing religious books, personal and religious photographs, a laptop, mobile telephones and memory sticks. (Source: Bahai News, March 3, 2017)

Contradictory statements by Mazandaran Attorney General on the closure of 94 Baha’i businesses

According to HRANA, the news arm of Human Rights Activists in Iran, over 100 days have passed since the simultaneous closing of 94 business units belonging to Baha’is in Mazandaran. During this time, the Attorney General of Mazandaran, Assadollah Jafari, has issued contradictory statements regarding his role in the closure and sealing of the businesses of Baha’is.

Under Article 32 of the Code of Criminal Law, management and oversight of the judiciary is up to the prosecutor. Also, according to Clause 1 of Article 28 of the Law on trade, the closure of any trade unit must be done with the knowledge of trade unions (trade guilds), and the Office of Private Property is the executive liaison to the unions. The unions said that they had no knowledge of the reason for the sealing of the Baha’i Businesses in Mazandaran and they had no role in these closures. (Source: Iran Press Watch, March 3, 2017)

Keyvan Pakzadan sentenced to 5 years in prison

Keyvan Pakzadan, a Baha’i from Tehran, who was arrested as he was leaving his sister’s home on June 1, 2016, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison by Judge Moqayesseh. Judge Moqayesseh was also responsible for the sentencing of the seven ‘Yaran’ (national facilitators for the Baha’is in Iran) and more recently the artist Shahriar Cyrus, who was also given five years in prison.

At the time of his arrest, agents not only searched his home and workplace and seized some of his personal effects, they also searched through his sister and brother-in-law’s effects and seized a laptop, flash drives, contracts, a Will, receipts, signed cheques and working notes. He was held for 34 days before being released on bail. Some of his possessions and those of his sister were also returned to them. He was tried on January 22, and the sentence was handed down on February 27, on the charge of “membership of Baha’i organisations.” (Source: Bahai News, March 1, 2017)

Earlier this month the Brussels office of the Bahá’í International Community wrote to the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, urging that the European Union, as it engages Iran in a substantive conversation about human rights, “will give due regard to the nearly four-decade-long, systematic oppression of the Bahá’í community in that country and include, in its dialogue with Iran, a plan for concrete steps to remove obstacles gradually so that the Iranian Bahá’í community may contribute, on equal footing with its fellow citizens, to the advancement of their country.”

The letter began by referencing a statement signed by thirty-two Members of the European Parliament and national Parliaments calling on the Iranian authorities to end the economic oppression of the Bahá’ís.

It read

In early November 2016, over one hundred and thirty-two Bahá’í-owned businesses in cities across Iran were sealed by Iranian authorities after they were temporarily closed to observe Bahá’í holy days.

The closing of Bahá’í-owned businesses is one of the many tactics employed by the authorities to undermine the Bahá’í community, the largest non-Muslim minority in Iran, as a viable entity. Other measures of the deliberate and government led economic apartheid against the Bahá’ís include categorically denying Bahá’ís access to governmental jobs, delaying or preventing them from acquiring private job licenses, pressuring companies to dismiss Bahá’í employees, forcing banks to block Bahá’í clients’ accounts and depriving Bahá’ís from access to formal university education.

We call on the Iranian authorities to undertake an immediate review of their policies and to take immediate, visible, and substantive steps to remove the obstacles which prevent Bahá’ís from earning a living and contributing to the progress and prosperity of their country.

It was signed by

• Lars ADAKTUSSON, Member of European Parliament
• Lord ALTON, Member of House of Lords, United Kingdom
• Maria ANDERSSON WILLNER, Member of Parliament, Sweden
• Baroness BERRIDGE, Member of House of Lords, United Kingdom
• Klaus BUCHNER, Member of European Parliament
• Rt. Hon. Alistair CARMICHAEL, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Therese COMODINI CACHIA, Member of European Parliament
• Jean-Michel COUVE, Member of Parliament, France
• Nic DAKIN, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Mark DURKAN, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Asdin EL HABBASSI Member of Parliament, Austria
• Cornelia ERNST, Member of European Parliament
• Laurent FURST, Member of Parliament, France
• Michael GAHLER, Member of European Parliament
• Guy GEOFFROY, Member of Parliament, France
• Mary GLINDON, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Ana GOMES, Member of European Parliament
• Jytte GUTELAND, Member of European Parliament
• Marian HARKIN, Member of European Parliament
• Kelvin HOPKINS, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Lord HYLTON, Member of House of Lords, United Kingdom
• Dennis de JONG, Member of European Parliament
• Tunne KELAM, Member of European Parliament
• Andrew LEWER, Member of European Parliament
• Viviane LOSCHETTER, Member of Parliament, Luxembourg
• Lionnel LUCA, Member of Parliament, France
• Omid NOURIPOUR, Member of Parliament, Germany
• Anders ÖSTERBERG, Member of Parliament, Sweden
• Charles TANNOCK, Member of European Parliament
• Harry VAN BOMMEL, Member of Parliament, Netherlands
• Julie WARD, Member of European Parliament
• Baroness WHITAKER, Member of House of Lords, United Kingdom

The full text of the latest letter is as follows:

H.E. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission
Brussels, 14 March 2017

Dear High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission,

The Bahá’í International Community is pleased to share with you the attached statement signed by thirty-two Members of the European Parliament and national Parliaments calling on the Iranian authorities to end the economic oppression of the Bahá’ís.

As you know, economic apartheid of the Bahá’í community is part of a highly coordinated effort by the government of Iran to undermine the Bahá’í community’s means of survival and to destroy it as a viable entity.

In a letter addressed to you on 12 April 2016 prior to your high-level visit to Iran on 16 April 2016, we expressed our hope that during your visit, you would find ways to address the issue of human rights, including those of the Bahá’ís, in such a way that Iran’s authorities will be encouraged to take concrete and palpable measures to remedy the situation. The joint statement
you and the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif issued during that same high-level visit and the High Level Dialogue held in Brussels on 9 November 2016 provide an opportunity for Iran to demonstrate its commitment to human rights. 

While initiating a process to gradually build a relationship with Iran can no doubt be an important step in the European Union’s engagement with that country, we have yet to see any indication that closer interaction on the part of the international community with Iran leads to an appreciable change in the overall situation of the human rights of its citizens. However, we are confident in
the European Union’s commitment, as well as your own personally, to the noble cause of promoting human rights around the world and in Iran.

We trust that the European Union, as it engages Iran in a substantive conversation about human rights, will give due regard to the nearly four-decade-long, systematic oppression of the Bahá’í community in that country and include, in its dialogue with Iran, a plan for concrete steps to remove obstacles gradually so that the Iranian Bahá’í community may contribute, on equal footing with its fellow citizens, to the advancement of their country. We also hope that sound criteria will be established to measure this progress, so that Iran’s sincerity may be tested and demonstrated over time.

 

Sincerely yours,
Rachel Bayani
Representative
Bahá’í International Community – Brussels Office

Jan Figel, Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the European Union, who visited Sudan from 14-17 March, says that the exchanges he had during his visit “demonstrated readiness of Sudanese partners to engage in continuous and constructive dialogue on religious diversity in Sudan, Horn of Africa and globally”.

In a statement issued on 18 March, the EU Delegation to Sudan said that the European Envoy met with members of the National Assembly and the Government including the ministers for Foreign Affairs and Endowments and Guidance. Figel also met representatives of religious, political and civil society organisations. He gave a lecture at the Ahfad University for Women. He visited the National Human Rights Commission and Council of Islamic Fiqh, Nour Mosque, a Coptic Church and the Sufi ceremony in Omdurman.

The visit was to support cooperation in intercultural and interreligious dialogue, and to promote freedom of religion or belief and peaceful coexistence of different communities.

The Envoy discussed the constitutional amendments and their compliance with international human rights law, highlighting the importance that the legislative framework also reflects these standards. “A fair state must be organised around equal citizenship for all. Diversity enriches while uniformity weakens societies,” said Jan Figel.

The Envoy called for the pardoning of the two Sudanese pastors, sentenced along with the released Czech Missionary Peter Jasek. Also, Jan Figel was allowed to visit and meet with Dr Mudawi Ibrahim, who is in detention.

The chairman of Sudan’s Legislation and Justice Committee at the National Assembly, Ahmed El Tijani, reported in a press statement that Figel asked about the demolition of several churches. El Tijani told him that the freedom of belief is sanctioned by the Sudanese constitution, and the state does not impose any religious belief or practice on its citizens. He said the churches were demolished for land-ownership reasons, and reaffirmed that some mosques have been demolished for the same reason..

Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, seven former Sudanese dioceses moved to South Sudan leaving only two dioceses for the small Christian minority, mainly in South Kordofan and Khartoum states.

According to the Chairman of the Legislation and Justice Committee at the National Assembly, Ahmed al-Tijani, the European envoy during his meeting posed a number of questions about the demolition of some churches. Last February, there were reports that Khartoum state authorities decided to demolish 25 churches. However, the decision has been suspended.

He pointed out that churches have been established across the Sudan, adding that during religious events and holidays Muslims and Christians exchange congratulations and reach each other, creating an environment of coexistence and tolerance.

Tijani said that the meeting had been requested by the EU visiting envoy who besides religious freedom discussed also a number of human rights issues.

Figel, according to the Sudanese legislator, during the meeting touched on the role of women in politics and their representation in the executive and legislative organs in the country.

World Watch Monitor reports reliable sources saying that the Thai government is planning to cancel bail for all male asylum seekers in Bangkok. The move would require them to return to detention centres straight away.

This would include many of the estimated 11,500 Pakistani Christians who complained in 2016 that UNHCR officials in Thailand were not taking their applications seriously enough.

As far as is known, the move does not apply to male asylum seekers who have recognised refugee status, nor to women and children.

Asylum seekers with serious medical conditions also appear to be exempt so long as they can show all their medical documentation and, possibly, also a doctor’s note stating that they should not be held in a centre.

A mass return of asylum seekers to the centres could lead to overcrowding and see health levels deteriorate; they are already showing significant levels of tuberculosis, hepatitis and scabies.

Some suspect that Thailand’s aim is to put pressure on the asylum seekers to return home to Pakistan. Many may do so to avoid being further detained, but the targeting of men could make women and children more vulnerable in a system that is already facing a severe backlog. Part of the asylum seekers’ criticism of UNHCR officials was their fear that children were missing out on education while applications were being processed. “Thai schools aren’t interested in teaching our students, nor are [the children] happy there, because everything is in Thai, which they don’t understand,” parents said.

Resettlement of the asylum seekers by the UNHCR has, in the past, taken less than a year but was reported in September 2016 to be taking more than five years.

Earlier report and APPG report

In a piece written for Politics Home to mark Commonwealth Day, Baroness Berridge has highlighted how the Commonwealth provides a platform for dialogue on the role of religion in promoting peaceful societies.

“As a UK Parliamentarian and a member of the Commonwealth family, I get a thrill from seeing the billowing array of Commonwealth country flags that adorn Parliament Square on Commonwealth Day.

These 52 flags remind me of the special bond Commonwealth nations share by way of values, law, and democratic traditions, and the need, especially given today’s global uncertainty, to reaffirm this bond.  Today is Commonwealth Day, a day that affords us the opportunity to celebrate our commonalities and recognise our differences, framed around a thematic priority.  As a parliamentarian, this allows me a unique platform to unite with colleagues in collective and global work on a range issues, cementing and enabling the importance of the Commonwealth’s considerable soft power network.

The theme of peace building this year is of particular importance to me as Director of the Commonwealth Initiative on the Freedom of Religion or Belief (CIFoRB). We focus on providing effective strategies as to how best support and empower parliamentarians in the Commonwealth to engage with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights positively and to promote freedom of religion or belief—or FoRB, as we call it—around the Commonwealth.

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Promoting freedom of religion or belief is critical for this year’s theme of peace-building and social cohesion. In recent years, scholarly research into conflict situations around the world has borne out that the greater respect for freedom of religion or belief correlates in significant ways with a reduction of conflict.

To be sure, ambivalence reigns where religion is concerned. There is no doubt that religion can be a source of conflict, though it is also often pulled into circumstances of pre-existing ethnic, social, economic, and political tension. When conflicts take on a religious tone, they tend to be more intractable and deadly to innocents. Religion is often petrol thrown on an existing political and social fire.

Although religion may become involved in conflict, it can also be a source of peace and reconciliation. Religions and religious leaders can often marshal significant social, spiritual, and educational resources toward conflict reduction and resolution. Religious leaders are often at the forefront of democratization and peace-building efforts.  Commonwealth parliamentarians in Pakistan, for instance, have pointed to CIFoRB success in working toward federal and provincial regulations of madrassas, whose programmes of education have been hitherto unregistered and unregulated. These government guidelines and oversight carry the promise of making real educational reforms that can train young Pakistanis in the ways of peace, rather than stoking the fires of conflict.

Religion is not only a tool of conflict reduction and peacebuilding, but also an asset in achieving broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the Commonwealth. As the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, stated herself at the UN last month (28 February), freedom of religion or belief is a cornerstone of democratic societies. In the absence of the UK Government reiterating its commitment to FoRB during the same session (despite its manifest pledges), it is even more vital that we, as parliamentarians, united across the Commonwealth, ensure that FoRB rights are upheld and respected.

The Commonwealth allows us a platform as parliamentarians to engage safely across nations and with other commonwealth organisations, such as civil society, local governments, and business and culture to open up a dialogue about the role of religion, belief, thought and conscience in promoting respect for each other as individuals and members of a community. Engagement with this fundamental right will, as recognised by Baroness Scotland, ultimately lead to building peaceful societies.”

Baroness Berridge of the Vale of Catmose is a Conservative peer in the House of Lords

Amal Clooney today urged Iraq and the world’s nations not to let Isis “get away with genocide”, reports The Independent.

The human rights lawyer, who represents victims of Isis rapes and kidnappings, told a UN meeting that what’s “shocking” is not just the group’s brutality but the “passive” response by the world’s nations to the campaign to investigate its crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.

She urged Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send a letter to the UN Security Council so it can vote to set up an investigation into crimes by the group in Iraq where Isis once controlled about 40 per cent of the country’s territory but is now being routed by government and coalition forces.

“Justice is what the victims want…” Ms Clooney, who is the wife of actor George Clooney, said, “but justice will be forever out of reach if we allow the evidence to disappear, if mass graves are not protected, if medical evidence is lost, if witnesses can no longer be traced.”

Ms ​Clooney expressed frustration that nothing has happened since she came to the UN six months ago seeking accountability for victims of Isis.

“Killing Isis on the battlefield is not enough,” she said. “We must kill the idea behind Isis by exposing the brutality and bringing individual criminals to justice.”

Ms Clooney represents Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman captured by Isis in Iraq in 2014, who has spoken out since her release about being raped, sold as a sex slave, and praying for death while in captivity.

Ms Murad, now a goodwill ambassador for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, told the meeting that victims have patiently waited for over a year for the investigation of Isis to start “to be able to at least bury our dead”.

“Why it is taking so long?” she asked, her voice breaking with emotion. “I cannot understand why you are letting Isis get away with it, or what more you need to hear before you will act. So today, I ask the Iraqi government and the UN to establish an investigation and give all the victims of Isis the justice they deserve.

Ms ​Clooney addressed Mr Abadi saying it was initially Iraq’s idea to involve the UN and sending a letter “would silence those who doubt your commitment to bring Daesh [Isis] to justice”.

If no letter is forthcoming, she said the Security Council could act without Iraq’s consent, or it could refer the extremist group to the International Criminal Court, or the General Assembly could establish “an accountability mechanism” as it did for crimes in Syria in December. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres could also launch an investigation, she said.

“But none of this has happened,” Ms Clooney said. “Instead, mass graves in Iraq lie unprotected and un-exhumed, witnesses are fleeing and not one Isis militant has faced trial for international crimes anywhere in the world.”

She urged all countries “to stand up for justice” and demonstrate “moral leadership” to make sure that Isis is held accountable.

Britain’s UN ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the meeting he looks forward to finalising the Security Council resolution with Iraq “very, very soon”. He said the aim is to assist Iraq “with the difficult but crucial challenge of preserving the huge amount of evidence of Daesh [Isis] crimes committed on Iraqi territory.”

Watch the UN event addressed by Amal Clooney

Read the Independent article

The invitation to the UN event:

High-Level Event: “The Fight Against Impunity for Atrocities: Bringing Da’esh to Justice” 

Thursday, 9 March 2017 3:00 PM-5:00 PM, Trusteeship Council, United Nations, New York

On 19 September 2016 the foreign ministers of Belgium, Iraq and the United Kingdom co-hosted a side event during High-Level Week at the UN General Assembly to launch a campaign to bring Da’esh to justice. This campaign set out to support national and international efforts to ensure Da’esh and its followers are brought to justice; empower survivors of Da’esh crimes; and ensure that the pursuit of justice unites local, national and international communities. Six months since that first meeting, member states and civil society are invited to convene again and take stock of how efforts to bring Da’esh to justice are proceeding.

Da’esh not only represents a terrorist threat, its members have also committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. For example, in August 2016 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that atrocities perpetrated by Da’esh “have been committed in a systematic and widespread manner, targeting and seeking to destroy the Yazidi group, in whole or in part.” Tragically, atrocity crimes continue to be perpetrated by Da’esh against vulnerable civilians, most notably in Iraq and Syria.

All UN member states have a responsibility to protect populations from genocide and other mass atrocity crimes, and to hold perpetrators accountable under international law. Ensuring accountability for these crimes is among the most effective means of preventing their recurrence. This meeting is an opportunity for member states to discuss steps towards delivering justice for Da’esh’s victims. The international community must send a unified message to Da’esh that there are costs for committing atrocities.

Moderator:
 Dr. Simon Adams, Executive Director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Speakers:
 H.E. Mr. Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom
 H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Permanent Representative of Iraq
 H.E. Mr. Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, Permanent Representative of Belgium
 H.E. Mr. Michael Douglas Grant, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada
 H.E. Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sexual Violence in Conflict
 Ms. Nadia Murad, Yazidi Genocide Survivor, Human Rights Activist and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking
 Ms. Amal Clooney, Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and Legal Representative for Nadia Murad and other Yazidi survivors

8 March post:

Amal Clooney, the lawyer acting on behalf of the Yazidis in Iraq, is calling for a formal investigation into Islamic State (IS) for the crime of genocide. She told the BBC’s Fiona Bruce why she decided to represent the Yazidis – an ethnic Kurdish group – and why their cause was so important to her. View news video

Maxine de Havenon last week wrote an article in the Brown Political Review headed ISIL and the ICC: Two Women’s Crusade Against the Islamic State

She explains “The first hurdle Clooney and Murad will have to jump is getting the case recommended to the ICC in the first place. There are three types of parties that can get a trial to the ICC: any state party to the Rome Statute, the UN Security Council, or the Chief Prosecutor of court itself. However, so far none of these groups have made any effort to advocate for a case regarding any of ISIL’s members. In fact, in 2015 the chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that while she had received many calls for a formal investigation into the “crimes of unspeakable cruelty” committed by the Islamic State, the ICC had little jurisdictional power over the organization itself due to its problematic geographic location.

The unprecedented strategy of holding a terrorist, non-state actor accountable for their crimes in a court of law raises many controversial questions regarding the level of jurisdiction and punitive power the court holds, and the ICC — in its already weakened condition regarding its level of authority and effectiveness over the international community — may not step effectively up to the task.

The main measure blocking legal action comes from the fact that neither Iraq nor Syria (the two states in which ISIL holds the most authority and land) are party to the Rome Statute. This problem precludes a member state referring itself or a body within it to the ICC. It also seriously reduces the chance of a Security Council referral to the ICC because Russia, an ally of Iraq, would likely exercise its veto power as a permanent member to block its advancement. In response to these conditions, Murad and Clooney announced that they hope to sway the UN’s overall opinion in favor of a recommendation through the creation of an “ISIS Commission,” which would “put forth a proposal for the UN Security Council to send a team of investigators to Iraq to gather evidence that can later be used in international criminal court and by national prosecutors.” It has yet to be seen whether this commission will come to fruition.”

The full article

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and a young Yazidi woman who was enslaved and raped by Islamic State fighters pushed Iraq on Thursday 9 March to allow a United Nations investigation into crimes by the militant group.

Britain is drafting a United Nations Security Council resolution to establish a U.N. investigation, but Clooney said the Iraqi government needs to send a letter formally requesting the inquiry before the 15-member council can vote.

Islamic State is committing genocide against the Yazidis in Syria and Iraq to destroy the minority religious community through killings, sexual slavery and other crimes, U.N. experts reported in June last year.

Clooney, who represents Nadia Murad and other Yazidi victims of Islamic State, said that despite public support by Iraq for a U.N. investigation, the government has not yet made a request.

“We do want to see an investigation take place with the cooperation of the Iraqi authorities,” Clooney told Reuters in an interview after speaking at a United Nations event on accountability for crimes committed by Islamic State.

“But ultimately if that support is not forthcoming in terms of real action, then the U.N. has to think of other ways in which to achieve accountability,” she said.

[Reuters, 9 March]

Countries around the world are being urged to act now to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief, by a United Nations expert.

The appeal by the Special Rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed, was made at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where Mr. Shaheed has been setting out his priorities for the mandate of “freedom of religion and belief” which he took up last November.

Mr. Shaheed expressed concern about a rise in the number of incidents of incitement to hatred, hostility, discrimination or violence based on religion or belief as well as, hate crimes by extremist groups, vigilante mobs and others.

“State and non-State actors, alike, continue to impose restrictions (or limitations) and engage in targeted harassment, intimidation of, or discrimination against religious minorities, unrecognized religious communities and dissidents, who are often confronted with threats to their freedom, safety and security,” Mr. Shaheed said.

“I am particularly alarmed by continuing reports of mass atrocities and violence that threaten the very existence of religious minority communities, including some groups that have existed for over two millennia.”

Mr. Shaheed pointed to a number of mechanisms for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief that have already been developed and for which consensus among states already exists.

He said his agenda for the next three years would be focused on the implementation of state obligations to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief and for which he would seek support from member states and civil society in the coming months. The Rapporteur’s agenda also endeavours to promote literacy about what the right to freedom of religion or belief means.

He said: “increased moves by some states to impose security clampdowns as a means of responding to violence in the name of religion further compounds the corrosive conditions that already undermine the right to freedom of religion or belief.”

Mr. Shaheed stressed that policies adopted to enhance the capacity of security forces to combat terrorism by limiting fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, often have dire consequences for the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief.

He welcomed efforts being made to promote the right to freedom of religion or belief at national and international levels by Governments, parliamentarians, national human rights institutions, human rights and faith-based organizations as well as educational institutions.

“These entities,” he said, “have raised international awareness about the challenges to the realization of freedom of religion or belief, encouraged positive State actions, fostered interfaith dialogue, and created networks of government and civil society around the issue. These efforts can be harnessed to support even more effective implementation of the right to freedom of religion or belief.

“Civil society plays a useful and critical role in building bridges and trust between and among diverse stakeholders, especially given the polarized nature of debates surrounding the right to freedom of religion or belief. It is important that we continue to support cross-boundary and interdisciplinary efforts to help promote efforts to realize this right,” he said.

The Special Rapporteur looked forward to working with a range of government, civil society actors and religious or belief community leaders to foster new relationships and to strengthen existing ones with the aim of achieving a more widespread implementation of laws allowing the right to freedom of religion or belief.

Mr. Shaheed also presented a report on his predecessor’s visit to Denmark from 13 to 22 March 2016.

Read the Special Rapporteur’s report in full.

Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. The mandate holder has been invited to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

Media release from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights