The EU has told Pakistan not to take its GSP+ status for granted because compliance with international human rights obligations is a condition for the trade preferences under the scheme. The EU has also expressed its concerns over Pakistan’s violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Pakistan signed in 2010.
The socio-judicial treatment of domestic violence in France is a cause for concern. At a time when our country, the self-proclaimed defender of human rights, is struggling to protect children and their protective parents from domestic violence, it is crucial to highlight the serious malfunctioning of our institutions. These practices, which I describe in a file submitted to the UN Committee against Torture as a form of institutionalised torture, expose the victims to a double penalty: that of the violence suffered and that of the procedures that condemn them to injustice and create new traumas.
Geneva, Switzerland—December 20, 2024: On December 20, adherents of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light from across French-speaking countries in Europe will gather in Geneva to peacefully protest the ongoing persecution of members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Jordan. This demonstration of solidarity aims to shed light on the grave injustices faced by Ahmadi communities in Muslim-majority countries and to demand accountability from Jordanian authorities for the violation of religious freedom.
On December 2, 2024, the Marseille Magistrates’ Court ordered UNADFI (Union Nationale des Associations de Défense des Familles et de l’Individu) to publish a right of reply from CAP Liberté de Conscience on its website within 48 hours, subject to a penalty of 50 euros per day of delay. UNADFI had argued that its status as an organization of public utility meant that the law did not apply to it but the judge ruled that UNADFI was not above the law.
On November 22, 2024, a horrifying incident of religious persecution unfolded in Kot Karam Bakhsh, Sialkot, revealing the systematic marginalization of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan. According to the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) incident report, approximately 150 extremists from Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), accompanied by local police, launched a coordinated attack on a 70-year-old Ahmadiyya mosque.
Hate crimes pose a significant threat to societal harmony and individual safety, necessitating urgent and effective action. The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has underscored the critical need to prosecute these crimes as distinct offenses, emphasizing their profound impact on victims and communities.
“Persecution against Ahmadis has ramped up as of late, as the IHRC has reported almost daily incidents against the minority group. Graveyards vandalism and Mosque Minarets’ demolition has been a favored tactic of the Anti-Ahmadiyya element in Pakistan for years. This shameful tactic means Ahmadis are not free from persecution even after their death.”
