European Court Faults Russia For Dissolving Pentecostal Church

In Biblical Centre of the Chuvash Republic v. Russia, (ECHR 1st Section, June 12, 2014), the European Court of Human Rights in a Chamber Judgment held that Russia violated Art. 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) interpreted in light of Art. 11 (freedom of assembly and association) when it ordered dissolution of a Pentecostal religious organization.  In a press release, the Court summarized the facts:

The applicant is a Russian religious organisation, the Biblical Centre of the Evangelical (Pentecostal) Christians of the Chuvash Republic. Belonging to the Pentecostal movement of the Christian faith, it was registered as a religious organisation in November 1991, founding a Biblical college and Sunday school in 1996. However, following inspections of the Biblical Centre in April and May 2007, the domestic courts ruled against the applicant organisation in two sets of administrative proceedings for allowing the Centre to conduct educational activities without authorisation and for violating sanitary rules and hygienic requirements. On that basis, the Supreme Court upheld the prosecuting authorities’ claim to dissolve the applicant organisation in August 2007 and, following the dismissal of the organisation’s appeal in October 2007, it was dissolved with immediate effect.

In its decision, the Court held:

the domestic authorities have not shown that the dissolution, which undermined the very substance of the applicant organisation’s rights to freedom of religion and association, was the only option for the fulfilment of the aims they pursued.

An ACLJ press release reports on the decision.

House Holds Religious Freedom Hearing on "Countries of Particular Concern"

On May 22, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations held a hearing on " Protecting Religious Freedom: U.S. Efforts to Hold Accountable Countries of Particular Concern." The committee's website has a video archive of the full hearing as well as transcripts of the statements of the four witnesses.

Nigeria's National Conference Adopts Recommendations On Religion

In Nigeria, The National Conference has been meeting since March 17. The National Conference grew out of a recommendation from a 13-member Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue. The Conference is considering the reports of its 20 committees on different critical national issues. The Daily Times of Nigeria reports on yesterday's consideration of the report from the Committee on Religion. The National Conference adopted the Committee's recommendation that the government should no longer use public funds to sponsor any program, particularly religious pilgrimages.  Instead the top religious bodies in the country should handle all matters relating to pilgrimages through Pilgrims Commissions managed under a law to be passed by the National Assembly.

The Conference has not yet passed on another recommendation of the Committee on Religion-- the proposed creation of a Religious Equity Commission authorized to advocate, and to enforce constitutional religious rights such as freedom of religion and freedom to acquire land for religious purposes.

 While many applauded the work of the Committee on Religion, others criticized it for avoiding the issue of mission schools and the issue of regulating the location of worship centers.

Neo-Pagan Religion Gets Formal Recognition In Siberian Republic

The Moscow Times reported yesterday that after 18 years of trying, the neo-pagan faith Aar Aiyy has finally received formal recognition as a "religious organization" in the Siberian Russian Republic of Sakha. Russia's Law On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations sets out the procedure for obtaining recognition.  Under Russian law, religious organizations have greater rights than unrecognized religious groups.

Report on Human Rights In Pakistan Issued

Last week, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (an independent non-governmental organization) issued its 2013 annual report on the state of human rights in the country (full text). In a lengthy chapter on "Freedom of thought, conscience and religion", the Commission said in part:

Pakistan’s record in protecting members of its religious and sectarian minorities from faith-based violence and discrimination has been far from impressive in recent years. In fact, the year under review saw continuation of the recent trend of violence and impunity that seemed to reinforce each other. The growing problems for the minorities came from extremist militant groups seeking to justify violence and brutalities in the name of religion. Secondly, the challenges came from the local factors; and finally, from the government’s failure to protect members of minority religions and sects from faith-based violence or to confront hate speech, intimidation or intolerance. This year also nothing was done to weed out discrimination against non-Muslim citizens written into law or to introduce safeguards widely acknowledged to be needed in order to prevent abuse of the blasphemy law

The Commission made 5 recommendations in this area:

1. Unless serious steps are taken to stop sustained hate campaigns against members of religious and sectarian minority groups and unless those fanning hate speech are brought to justice, the bloodletting in the name of religious faith cannot be stopped.....

2. The blasphemy law is in urgent need of reform to prevent its abuse by extremists and opportunists.... The systematic and organised intimidation of judges in cases of blasphemy or desecration of scripture undermines administration of justice.... 

3. There is considerable evidence that those involved in faith-based violence have penetrated law enforcement agencies..... [T]hese elements should be urgently identified and weeded out....

4. Codification of personal law for Hindus and Sikhs should be a priority.....

5. Nothing has caused as great frustration and desperation among Pakistan’s minority religious faiths as incidents of forced conversion and lack of action against the perpetrators. The state should introduce a mechanism to ensure that the girls in question and their families get justice without having to suffer harassment and threats from rowdy crowds in courts and powerful politicians patronising this repulsive trampling of rights.

USCIRF Issues 2014 Annual Report

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday issued its 2014 Annual Report (full text). Its press release describes highlights of the report. Here are excerpts:

[The Report] recommended that the State Department add eight more nations to its list of “countries of particular concern,” defined under law as countries where particularly severe violations of religious freedom are tolerated or perpetrated: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. USCIRF also recommended that the following eight countries be re-designated as “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. 

This year’s report, the 15th since the Commission’s creation in 1998, documents religious freedom violations in 33 countries and makes country-specific policy recommendations. The report also examines U.S. international religious freedom policy over the past decade and a half, reviewing what IRFA requires, assessing the record on implementing its provisions, and recommending ways to strengthen U.S. engagement on and promotion of religious freedom.....

Along with recommending CPC designations, USCIRF also announced the placement of 10 countries on its 2014 “Tier 2” list, a USCIRF designation for governments that engage in or tolerate violations that are serious, but which are not CPC-level violators. USCIRF urged increased U.S. government attention to these countries, which include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, and Turkey.

The USCIRF report also highlights religious freedom concerns in countries/regions that do not meet the Tier 1 (CPC) or Tier 2 threshold, but should also be the focus of concern, including Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, and Western Europe.

The 200 page report also includes lists of prisoners in various countries held for their religious beliefs or views, or on blasphemy charges. Commissioner William Shaw (at pg. 165) dissented from the decision to make Turkey a Tier 2 country, as well as dissenting from the 15 year IFRA review chapter in the report.

European Court Chamber Decision Says Hungary's Church Law Violates Human Rights Convention

In Magyar Keresztény Mennonita Egyház and Others v. Hungary, (ECHR, April 8, 2014), the European Court of Human Rights, in a 5-2 chamber judgment, held that Hungary's 2011 Church Act violates the European Convention on Human Rights.  This excerpt from a press release by the Court  summarizes the majority decision:

As a result of the new Church Act, the applicant communities had lost their status as churches eligible for privileges, subsidies and donations. While the Hungarian Government argued that the Constitutional Court’s decision on the Act had remedied their grievances, the applicant communities found that they could not regain their former status unimpaired. In the Court’s view, it was important that the applicant communities had been recognised as churches at the time when Hungary adhered to the European Convention on Human Rights, and they had remained so until 2011. The Court recognised the Hungarian Government’s legitimate concern as to problems related to a large number of churches formerly registered in the country, some of which abused State subsidies without conducting any genuine religious activities. However, the Government had not demonstrated that the problem it perceived could not be tackled with less drastic solutions, such as judicial control or the dissolution of churches proven to be of abusive character.

Concerning the possibility open to the applicant communities of re-registration as fully incorporated churches, the Court noted that the decision whether or not to grant recognition lay with Parliament, an eminently political body. The Court considered that a situation in which religious communities were reduced to courting political parties for their favourable votes was irreconcilable with the State’s duty of neutrality in this field.... 

The withdrawal of benefits following the new Church Act in Hungary had only concerned certain denominations, including the applicant communities, as they did not fulfill certain criteria put in place by the legislator, notably as to the minimum membership and the duration of their existence. Referring to a report by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (“Venice Commission”) on the Church Act, the Court agreed with the report’s finding that it was an excessive requirement for a religious entity to have existed as an association internationally for at least 100 years or in Hungary for at least 20 years.... 

The Court concluded ...  that the measure imposed by the Church Act had not been “necessary in a democratic society”. There had accordingly been a violation of Article 11 [freedom of assembly and association] read in the light of Article 9 [freedom of thought, conscience and religion].

The decision is not final since the parties may still request review by the Grand Chamber of the Court. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]

UN Rapporteur On Religious Freedom Issues Preliminary Findings On Kazakhstan

Yesterday, Heiner Bielefeld, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief issued his Preliminary Findings as he ended his eleven day visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. (Press release).  His report emphasized the religious pluralism in Kazakhstan, and recommended an end to mandatory registration of religious communities.  He said in part:

Non-registered communities must be able to operate free from discrimination and free from fear of intimidation. Thresholds for registration at different levels (local, regional and national) should be defined in such a way that minorities can fully operate throughout the country. The requirement of registering missionary activities as well as the practice of licensing the import and distribution of religious literature should also be generally overhauled.

House Committee Holds Hearing On Persecution of Religious Communities In Vietnam

A video is now available online of the March 26 hearing by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on  Persecution of Religious and Indigenous Communities in Vietnam. The hearing Witness List included USCIRF Commissioner Eric P. Schwartz (written testimony), Father Phan Van Loi (Co-Founder of the Association of Former Vietnamese Prisoners of Conscience), Sub-dignitary Nguyen Bach Phung (Clergy member of an independent Cao Dai Sect); Yunie Hong (Director of Policy Advocacy, Hmong National Development), and Rong Nay (Executive Director, Montagnard Human Rights Organization).

North Korea Releases Australian Christian Missionary After He Signs Apology

According to yesterday's International Business Times, the North Korean government has released 75-year old missionary John Short after he signed a confession asking forgiveness for his "insult to the Korean people on February 16" when he distributed Korean-language Christian Bible tracts at a Buddhist temple. Short, an Australian, lives in Hong Kong. The North Korean Central News Agency said that the government decided to expel him "in full consideration of his age." (See prior related posting.)

North Korea Detains Christian Missionary For Distributing Gospel Tracts

London's The Telegraph reported yesterday that North Korea has detained a 75-year old Christian missionary for distributing Korean language gospel tracts that he had written. He could face up to 15 years in prison for his actions. The missionary, John Short, is an Australian who lives with his family in Hong Kong and is a member of The Gospel Hall brethren. This was his second trip to North Korea. Short's wife told the press: "We're faith missionaries and he believed that we should care and not just talk but do something… Ultimately, we're in God's hands and that's how we look at it."

UN Commission Finds Severe Human Rights Abuses, Including Religious Persecution, In North Korea

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced yesterday the release of the report of a commission of inquiry on human rights abuses in North Korea. The 36-page report of the commission dated Feb. 7 (full text) says:

24. The commission finds that systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  In many instances, the violations found entailed crimes against humanity based on State policies....

The report includes findings on religious persecution by North Korea:

31. The State considers the spread of Christianity a particularly serious threat, since it challenges ideologically the official personality cult and provides a platform for social and political organization and interaction outside the realm of the State. Apart from the few organized State-controlled churches, Christians are prohibited from practising their religion and are persecuted. People caught practising Christianity are subject to severe punishments in violation of the right to freedom of religion and the prohibition of religious discrimination.

The 36-page report is documented by 354 pages of detailed findings (full text). More background and reactions are reported by CBS News.

Malaysian Court Dismisses Prosecutions Against Shias On Technical Grounds

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that in Malaysia, Shia Muslims are heartened by the dismissal on technical grounds of a prosecution against 3 men for violating a local fatwa requiring Malaysians to follow Sunni teachings. The fatwa, issued in 2012 by the Perak state fatwa council, is similar to ones adopted in 11 of the country's 14 states after the National Fatwa Council issued a similar ruling in 1996. The 3 men were charged with possessing books and other items relating to Shia Islam, but a Sharia Lower Court judge ruled that two of the charges against the defendants were unclear. Two other Shias were released on similar grounds several weeks ago. However over the last year there have been a growing number of cases against Shias and practitioners of other minority religions.

Uzbekistan Issues Decree Regulating Religious Materials

Forum 18 (Feb. 12) and Ferghana (Jan. 28) report on a decree issued recently by the government of Uzbekistan that creates a formal legal basis for its restrictions on religious materials.  Supplementing the 1998 Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief (full text of 1998 law .pdf file), the decree titled “Measures to improve order in the production, import and distribution of religious materials,” was signed by the Prime Minister on Jan. 20 and came into formal effect on Jan. 27. It allows distribution of religious materials only at commercial points of sale equipped with cash registers. Advance permission is needed to import religious materials. No more than 3 copies of even approved publications may be imported for personal use.  The production, storage or distribution of materials intended to encourage people to change their beliefs or which "distort religious canons" are prohibited.

Obama Emphasizes International Religious Freedom At National Prayer Breakfast

This morning, President Obama spoke at the 62nd annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel. As reported on the White House blog, the First Lady, the Vice President and many legislators, officials and clergy also attended.  In his remarks (full text), the President devoted extensive time to issues of religious freedom around the world, saying in part:

We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt to justify hatred and persecution against other people just because of who they are, or how they pray or who they love.  Old tensions are stoked, fueling conflicts along religious lines, as we’ve seen in the Central African Republic recently.... 

Our faith teaches us that in the face of suffering, we can’t stand idly by.....[F]reedom of religion matters to our national security.... [T]here are times when we work with governments that don’t always meet our highest standards, but they’re working with us on core interests.... At the same time, we also deeply believe that it’s in our interest, even with our partners, sometimes with our friends, to stand up for universal human rights.  So promoting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy.....  

It is not always comfortable to do, but it is right.  When I meet with Chinese leaders ... I stress that realizing China’s potential rests on upholding universal rights, including for Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims....

When I meet with the President of Burma...  I’ve said that Burma’s return to the international community depends on respecting basic freedoms, including for Christians and Muslims.  I’ve pledged our support to the people of Nigeria, who deserve to worship in their churches and mosques in peace, free from terror.  I’ve put the weight of my office behind the efforts to protect the people of Sudan and South Sudan, including religious minorities.

As we support Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in direct talks, we’ve made clear that lasting peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths.... 

More broadly, I’ve made the case that no society can truly succeed unless it guarantees the rights of all its peoples, including religious minorities, whether they’re Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, or Baha’i in Iran, or Coptic Christians in Egypt.  And in Syria, it means ensuring a place for all people -- Alawites and Sunni, Shia and Christian.

Going forward, we will keep standing for religious freedom around the world.  And that includes, by the way, opposing blasphemy and defamation of religion measures, which are promoted sometimes as an expression of religion, but, in fact, all too often can be used to suppress religious minorities.... We continue to stand for the rights of all people to practice their faiths in peace and in freedom.  And we will continue to stand against the ugly tide of anti-Semitism that rears it's ugly head all too often.  I look forward to nominating our next ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to help lead these efforts....

And finally, as we build the future we seek, let us never forget those who are persecuted today, among them Americans of faith.  We pray for Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who’s been held in North Korea for 15 months, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.... Kenneth Bae deserves to be free....

We pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini.  He’s been held in Iran for more than 18 months, sentenced to eight years in prison on charges relating to his Christian beliefs.... [W]e call on the Iranian government to release Pastor Abedini so he can return to the loving arms of his wife and children in Idaho.... And as we pray for all prisoners of conscience, whatever their faiths, wherever they’re held....

C-Span has a video of the full 90 minutes of speakers at today's National Prayer Breakfast. Time has a brief summary of highlights.

Report Surveys Levels of Governmental and Social Hostility Toward Religion Worldwide

The Pew Research Center yesterday issued its latest in a series of reports on "the extent to which governments and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices." Titled Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High, the 90-page report analyzes both social hostility toward religion and government restrictions on religion. The Report found:

The share of countries with a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion reached a six-year peak in 2012.... A third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012,.... The share of countries with a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion stayed roughly the same in the latest year studied. About three-in-ten countries in the world (29%) had a high or very high level of government restrictions in 2012....

Report On Freedom of Religion or Belief Prisoners Issued

On Dec. 21, Human Rights Without Frontiers International released its Freedom of Religion or Belief & Blasphemy Prisoners List 2013. The report documents prisoners in 24 countries being held for violation of laws restricting worship, proselytizing, conversion or conscientious objection.  Nine countries hold prisoners on blasphemy or defamation of religion charges. The countries with the most freedom of religion or belief prisoners are China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea and South Korea. The offending countries are all in Asia, northern Africa, the Middle East or are countries of the Former Soviet Union.

House Subcommittees Hold Hearing On Iran's Detention of American Pastor

On Dec.12, two subcommittees of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee held a joint hearing on "Iran’s Persecution of American Pastor Abedini Worsens."  The text of prepared statements and videos of the entire hearing are available on the Committee's website.

White House Promotes Its International Human Rights Agenda

The NGO Human Rights First convened its second-annual "Human Rights Summit: American Ideals. Universal Values" on Dec. 4 and 5. Among the speakers at the event held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. was President Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan E. Rice. Her wide-ranging speech (full text) included only two specific references to U.S. concerns about religious freedom or religious conflict.  She condemned the Chinese for denying fundamental freedoms to ethnic and religious minorities such as Tibetans and Uighurs.  She also called for national reconciliation in Bahrain, discouraging actions that sharpen religious divisions there.

On Wednesday, the White House issued a Fact Sheet providing further details on the Administration's international human rights agenda, including a section on religious freedom initiatives:

The Department of State manages approximately $10 million in foreign assistance programs to promote religious freedom, which includes current efforts to remove discriminatory and hateful material from Middle Eastern textbooks, promote greater awareness of intolerance and the plight of religious minorities globally, and hold discussions with the Pakistan government, civil society, and the religious community on issues such as curriculum reform in the public and madrassa education systems.  The State Department also implements programs to support the Human Rights Council resolution on combatting discrimination and religious intolerance, while protecting the freedoms of religion and expression.  The program assists governments in training local officials on cultural awareness regarding religious minorities and on enforcing non-discrimination laws.....  

... U.S. officials press foreign governments at all levels to advance religious freedom, including through advocacy on specific cases, such as the case of Saeed Abedini - an Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in Iran - and Rimsha Masih - a Christian child accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. 

...[T]he United States has developed a strategy that encourages U.S. government officials to develop and deepen their relationships with religious leaders and faith communities as they carry out their foreign policy responsibilities....