United Nations 30th UPR session : The Russian Federation and Religious Freedom

UPR : The Russian Federation and Religious Freedom

As NGOs specialized in religious liberty issues, and on religion-based refugee claims,  we recognize  that Germany  has a good  record  in these  fields.  Indeed, Germany should be applauded for raising its voice on behalf of refugees within the framework  of  an  international  situation  where  too  often  xenophobia  and  anti- refugee feelings, fueled by extremist political forces, prevail.

On March 1, 2018, during the 37th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, the Coordination of the Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP LC) organized a Side Event on the denial of religious freedom in China and the case of The Church of Almighty God. The event was introduced and coordinated by Mr. Thierry Valle, the president of CAP LC. A panel of international scholars and human rights and freedom of religion experts discussed the dramatic situation of the members of The Church of Almighty God both in China, where they are severely persecuted, and in South Korea and Europe, where their requests for asylum are often denied. During the event, attendees also watched a video with testimonies of three members of The Church of Almighty God who suffered brutal persecution at the hands of the authorities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Their stories aroused profound reflection generally.

On March 1, 2018, during the 37th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, the Coordination of the Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP LC) organized a Side Event on the denial of religious freedom in China and the case of The Church of Almighty God.

Falun Gong (FLG) is a Chinese exercise and spiritual discipline emerging from Buddhist and Daoist
traditions. The practice is widely recognized as nonviolent. Its moral teachings centered on the tenets of
truth, compassion, and tolerance carry benefits to adherents and their communities. By the late 1990s, FLG
was estimated to have tens of millions of adherents in China.

The European Office for Human Rights of the Church of Scientology (EOHRCS), la Coordination des associations et des particuliers pour la liberté de conscience (CAP), and the Centre of Information and Counseling on New Spiritualities (CICNS) noted with concern a continued repressive policy towards minorities of religion or belief and new religious movements, despite recommendations made to France during its first UPR.

The UN Human Rights Committee has made our nine year wait for justice worthwhile, since the French law was passed against religious signs in public schools in 2004

The Inter-ministerial Mission of Vigilance and Fight against Sectarian Drifts (MIVILUDES), placed directly under the Prime Minister in France, has set in place a policy that directly contradicts Article 18.4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the “Covenant”) which provides

Pursuant to §10 of the General Assembly Resolution 66/167 invitation to provide input for the Secretary General’s forthcoming report on steps taken by States to combat intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization and discrimination based on religion or belief, CAP provides the following report regarding the French policy on minorities of religion or belief in France that needs to be changed to effectively implement the Resolution.

Comments on the UNHRC’s views on the violation by France of Ranjit Singh’s right to wear a turban on his ID photo

The UN Human Rights Committee has asked France to submit a report by March 15th on measures it is taking to remedy the violation of the religious freedom of 76 year old Ranjit Singh,who was asked to remove his turban for his ID photo” said Mejindarpal Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Legal Director, whois in the fore-front of a legal campaign for French Sikhs’ right to wear their turban.