What is “Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience” (CAP Freedom of Conscience)?

CAP Freedom of Conscience is a secular European NGO with United Nations Consultative Status, created in 1995 and dedicated to protect the Right of Freedom of Religion and Belief.

CAP Freedom of Conscience combats all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief by alerting European and International bodies.

CAP Freedom of Conscience collects testimonies of discrimination and human rights violations affecting religious or belief communities in order to disseminate them to international bodies, and in order to raise awareness and inform them as well as to generate debate on the protection of Freedom of Religion and Belief.

CAP Freedom of Conscience also advocates for any religious or spiritual group facing discrimination to have their right to Freedom of Religion and Belief recognized.

CAP Freedom of Conscience is a member of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), European Network Of Religion and Belief (ENORB) and participate to the Civil Society Platform of Fundamental Rights created by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency DAFOH Partners in Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting

CAP LC LATEST NEWS

HRC 54 ITEM 9 Ukrainian children who were taken away against their will from the Ukrainian occupied territories to Russia

Oct 8, 2023

We, together with Human Rights Without Frontiers are deeply concerned about thousands of Ukrainian children who were taken away against their will from the Ukrainian occupied territories to Russia.

OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension 2023 discusses persecution of Ahmadi Religion members

Oct 7, 2023

Thank you, I’m Christine Mirre, From CAP Liberté de Conscience We have discovered that over one hundred members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a peaceful Muslim minority persecuted as heretics in several Muslim majority countries have been detained for over four months in Turkish immigration centers and are now being progressively released on the bases of a Turkish court decision.

CAP Freedom of Conscience Statement on France Plenary Session IV: Fundamental freedoms II

Oct 7, 2023

On behalf of UNITED SIKHS and CAP Liberté de Conscience, I address a critical issue affecting our Sikh community and the principles of religious freedom, values we all hold dear.

In recent years, France has become a focal point of concern due to its long-standing ban on Sikh turbans in state schools.

This ban, in place for two decades, violates the fundamental rights of Sikh students to express their faith by wearing turbans, under-turbans, and top-knot coverings, directly contradicting principles of human rights and religious freedom.

THE PUNJAB FEED’s ground report from France stirs European solidarity on the turban ban। SIKH TURBAN

Oct 7, 2023

We live in an era where journalism transcends boundaries and sparks positive change, and a remarkable example of this has emerged through the ground-breaking reporting by The Punjab Feed, a fresh start-up. Their insightful coverage on the Sikhs of France has ignited a wave of European solidarity for the right to turban, fostering change on an international scale.

This remarkable journey began when The Punjab Feed’s ground report shed light on the challenges faced by Sikh individuals in France due to the 2004 law prohibiting conspicuous religious symbols in state schools. The story reached the hearts of many, resonating with the fundamental principles of human rights and freedom of expression.

European nonprofit CAP Liberté de Conscience UNITED SIKHS make joint statement on France turban issue at UN Human Rights Council

Oct 7, 2023

Geneva, Sep 29 — The United Nations Human Rights Council Friday heard a joint statement by UNITED SIKHS and CAP Freedom of Conscience, a European nonprofit, regarding Sikh turban rights in France.

Both organisations collaborated on this significant endeavour as co-signatories to the oral statement presented by CAP Freedom of Conscience in Geneva, Switzerland.

The incorporation of the France turban issue in the joint statement, representing both UNITED SIKHS and CAP Freedom of Conscience, underscores the imperative nature of addressing this matter on the international stage.

Side event OSCE 2023 Addressing Anti-Religious Hate Crime in the OSCE Area

Oct 7, 2023

Anti-religious intolerance and hate crimes continues to be a concern across the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region. Such manifestations of intolerance threaten both the security of individuals and societal cohesion, as discrimination and intolerant discourse often escalate into violence and wider scale conflict. At the same time, a comprehensive security regime is also needed to fully respect, protect and fulfil freedom of religion or belief, which is specifically acknowledged as one of the fundamental principles guiding mutual relations among OSCE participating States and an integral aspect of the OSCE’s concept of security. Furthermore, participating States of the OSCE have agreed on a broad range of commitments to address racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance, including intolerance against Christians, Muslims, Jews, and members of other religions.