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.
Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (24.09.2023) – Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Algeria met today with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, during his official visit to Algeria from 16 to 26 September 2023.
CAP Liberté de Conscience and Human Rights Without Frontiers are deeply concerned about the situation of over 100 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light detained for 90 days as of 23 August at the Edirne Migration Center in Turkey, for exercising their legal right to claim asylum.
Amnesty International wrote to Punjab’s Chief Minister on 21 May 2026 warning of escalating persecution against Ahmadis ahead of Eid ul-Adha. IHRC documented the demolition of minarets in Jamalpur under mob pressure. CAP LC and IHRC welcome Amnesty’s intervention, noting that Pakistan’s GSP+ reapplication must account for these documented violations of religious freedom.
On the occasion of the 84th Session of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) in Geneva, CAP Liberté de Conscience participated in a pre-session meeting held at Palais Wilson. This consultation with CAT experts took place prior to the official review of Pakistan, offering a platform to present our joint report with the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC).
On March 5, 2026, CAP LC and the IHRC submitted a joint report to the UN Committee Against Torture regarding Pakistan’s compliance with the Convention. The document highlights the systemic persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, arguing that state discrimination creates an environment facilitating torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Key cases include the custodial death of Dr. Tahir Mahmood, the life imprisonment of Mubarak Ahmad Sani for religious devotion, and escalating targeted killings. The submission urges the Committee to demand investigations, the repeal of discriminatory blasphemy laws, and immediate protection for detainees, emphasizing the state’s failure to prevent violence against this minority.
The condemnation by the High Court Bar Association at Larkana calls on authorities to criminally punish Ahmadiyya religious practices in Pakistan. This analysis explains how the text and the provisions it enforces violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and reaffirms States’ obligations to ensure freedom of religion or belief for all.
The report “How freedom of religion or belief relates to death and honouring the deceased” (A/HRC/61/50) was published on 7 January 2026 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The document was authored by Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and submitted to the Council’s sixty-first session pursuant to resolution 58/5.
