The NGO CAP Liberté de Conscience has formally responded to the call for input issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the “Experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. The call, detailed here, seeks to gather information for a comprehensive report to be presented at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council in March 2026.

CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), an international non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations, has jointly submitted a report for the 52nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, focusing on Denmark. This expert analysis was prepared in collaboration with Mr. Bashy Quraishy, Secretary General of the European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion (EMISCO), and Mr. Gregory Christensen, Leader of Youth for Human Rights – Denmark. Both experts are members of the Advisory Board of the Danish Institute for Human Rights and bring decades of experience in human rights, anti-discrimination, and minority integration work within Denmark and the European Union.

A group of experts on children submitted a contribution on behalf of CAP Liberté de Conscience to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in response to its public call for contributions on draft general comment No. 27 (2025) on the right of children to access justice and effective remedy. The call for contributions is available on the OHCHR website.

At the 59th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, CAP Liberté de Conscience submitted a written statement detailing ongoing human rights violations in Sudan, emphasizing the urgent need for international attention and action. The statement highlights the severe impact of the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other actors on civilians, including thousands killed or injured and nearly 12 million displaced persons, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis.

CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC) has submitted a detailed report in response to the public consultation launched by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the draft of General Comment No. 27 on children’s right to access to justice and to an effective remedy. The call for submissions, available at the OHCHR website, seeks perspectives on improving mechanisms to ensure that children can access justice effectively and receive appropriate remedies for violations of their rights. The contributors addresses systemic challenges in France and proposes concrete recommendations to safeguard children’s rights in judicial and social protection settings.

On Wednesday 18 June 2025, a side event on “The Ongoing Genocide in Sudan and The Intervention of International Actors” was hosted by the Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP Freedom of Conscience), and co-hosted by Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), coinciding with the 59th session of the Human Rights Council.

I speak today on behalf of victims of violence committed by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan and their foreign backers.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, thousands of civilians have been killed or injured with almost 12 million people who have fled their homes. The RSF has launched repeated attacks on displacement camps, forcing civilians to flee again.

During the 82nd session of the Committee Against Torture (CAT)[i], France’s record on police practices and detention conditions faced pointed scrutiny. Omnium des Libertés (ODL) recent report submitted to the Committee[ii] provided testimony-driven evidence highlighting abuses by French law enforcement and violations of detainees’ fundamental rights. In this context, the Committee used its platform to seek clarity and accountability from France, reinforcing the utility and urgency of independent civil society reporting.

Key Findings from Human Rights Organization Report As France gets ready to respond to the Committee Against Torture (CAT) on its human rights record during the 82nd session, a report by an international human rights organization raises concerns about the activities of French police. The report notes severe violations of the fundamental rights of individuals during police raids and detention, with more emphasis on the treatment of spiritual minorities.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief has called for contributions from  all over the world on the topic of religious freedom for migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs)  and refugees. This initiative is aimed at the increasing problems faced by people and communities who have been forced  to leave their homes on account of religious persecution. The Special Rapporteur’s report provides a general  picture of systemic violations of religious freedom affecting primarily vulnerable populations such as asylum seekers and IDPs.

In the  report “Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Prohibition of  Torture”, the UN Special  Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea looks at how religious persecution is linked with human  rights  violations. The study which was discussed at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council and later made  news by European Times News, focuses on how religious prejudice can lead to institutional violation.

 The focus of  the report is on the connection between coercion and religious freedom. According to European Times  News,  Ghanea said, “Not all forms of coercion reach the threshold of torture or ill-treatment,  but all forms of torture  committed on persons on the basis of their religion or belief constitute coercion.”

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.

The Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP Liberté de Conscience), a secular international organization, has actively contributed to the 48th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group on Egypt. CAP Liberté de Conscience submitted a detailed report addressing critical issues related to freedom of religion and belief, particularly highlighting the persecution faced by the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt. This article synthesizes the key points from the stakeholders’ submissions, the UPR summary report, and CAP’s recommendations to shed light on the ongoing challenges and proposed solutions.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on 8 December 2024 after fourteen years of civil war marks a major turning point for Syria. However, it also highlights the serious violations of children’s rights during the conflict. In the light of this particularly worrying information, based on data from international reports and first-hand accounts, I have submitted a dossier to the United Nations to draw attention to these injustices and make concrete recommendations.

Of particular alarm is the situation of the Amhara people. Joint Submission 3 (JS3) reported that the Amhara, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, have been subjected to targeted attacks, displacement, and grave human rights violations. These attacks appear to be intentionally aimed at eliminating Amharas from certain regions of the country.

In a review of France’s human rights record, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has highlighted significant concerns regarding religious freedom, law enforcement practices. The 142nd session’s report (CCPR/C/FRA/CO/6) offers a critical examination of systemic challenges facing the French Republic.

The submission highlights a concerning issue: the deportation of Ahmadi asylum seekers by Sweden to Pakistan, where they face a high risk of persecution. The submission argues that Sweden’s actions in this regard contravene international law, European legal frameworks, and established UN guidelines, which recognize the extreme vulnerability of Ahmadis in Pakistan.

The report by Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) and CAP LC presented to the 142nd session of the UN Human Rights Committee paints a disturbing picture of the treatment of Romanian yoga practitioners by French authorities in the aftermath of wide-scale police raids in November 2023.

Since their implantation in Egypt in 2012, members of a new religious movement in Islam, self-named “The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light,” have been the victims of state repression, social hostility, death threats by extremist imams for being considered heretics.

In recent years, the rise of Islamophobia in Asia has emerged as a critical challenge to religious freedom and human rights across the region. This side event aims to transform dialogue into dedicated action, highlighting effective strategies and fostering international cooperation to address and mitigate Islamophobia.

In a step towards addressing minority concerns the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues has called upon civil society organizations worldwide. The appeal is for contributions to a report focusing on the role of NGOs in advocating for and safeguarding minority rights set to be presented at the UN General Assembly in 2024.

The recent report, by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has again brought attention to the human rights situation in Ethiopia specifically focusing on the hardships faced by the Amhara community.

The United Nations has restated its dedication to safeguarding freedom through a resolution approved by the Human Rights Council in its fifty session held from 26 February to 5 April 2024. This resolution, passed with support highlights the Community’s commitment, to upholding one of the essential human rights.