April 14, 2003

NEW YORK - Religious intolerance and discrimination on the basis of religion, with special emphasis on the situation in Pakistan and that country's blasphemy laws, was highlighted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the current (59th) session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) in a joint oral intervention submitted on 11 April with other organizations under Agenda Item 11: Civil and Political rights: Religious intolerance.

"In some countries," states the intervention, "religious discrimination is inscribed in laws and imbedded in societal structures." The example given is Pakistan's blasphemy laws 295 B and C, whose violation brings severe punishment, including the death penalty. "This has resulted over the years in religious intolerance and violence against Christians, Hindus and members of the Ahmadiye community, the imposition of discriminatory and repressive laws against religious minorities and extremist attacks against religious minorities, especially Christians," the intervention affirms.

The laws in their present form are "a source of victimization and persecution of the minorities in Pakistan" who are often falsely accused, the intervention continues. Even though vaguely defined, blasphemy carries a mandatory death sentence when against the prophet. As a result, "many of the accused are killed, in some cases even before they are brought to trial." Furthermore, "it has become virtually impossible to get a fair hearing" for those charged under these laws in the prevalent environment of intolerance and of pressure exercised on the judiciary, the intervention states.

The joint oral intervention calls on the government of Pakistan to "repeal all discriminatory laws, including the blasphemy laws"; "ratify the human rights treaties that it has not yet ratified"; "invite the [UN] special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to visit Pakistan"; and "take even stronger measures to protect the lives, property, respect and honour of minorities."

The full text of the intervention is available on delivery on our website at: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/pakistan-03.html

World Council of Churches