France, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka fail to live up to International Human Rights Standards
Feb 12, 2008
At the request of the United Nations, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has released reports on religious freedom in France, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as part of the Universal Periodic Review of United Nations member states.
The report on France focused on a 2004 law that banned “conspicuous religious symbols” in public schools. The Becket Fund is advising three Sikh students who were expelled for refusing to remove their turbans. The case is expected to advance to the European Court of Human Rights before it is resolved.
The report on Pakistan highlighted harsh anti-blasphemy laws in the Penal Code. It also warned against further deterioration of the rule of law following the October 2007 declaration of emergency rule.
“Pakistan’s legal restrictions on religious freedom present serious human rights concernsbecause of their overbreadth, their normative social effects, and their potential effects oninternational norms,” said the Becket Fund in the Pakistan report.
The Becket Fund also submitted a report on Sri Lanka, where anti-conversion legislation has been proposed and proselytism is already outlawed. The report encouraged the UN Human Rights Council to pressure the Sri Lankan government to address these infractions of international agreements, according to the ICCPR and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a newly created process at the United Nations by which the human rights records of all UN member states will regularly be examined through a common review process. The Becket Fund previously submitted a report to the UPR on religious freedom in India.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is an NGO with special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Read the full text of the Becket Fund's reports on France, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
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