HRC 61 Written Statement : Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, Torture, Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention, and Religious Coercion of Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

HRC 61 Written Statement : Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, Torture, Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention, and Religious Coercion of Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

Human Right Without Frontiers, International Support for Human Rights and CAP Liberté de Conscience has submitted a joint written statement to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-first session addressing the grave and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief perpetrated against members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) in Egypt. Since March 2025, Egyptian authorities have detained numerous peaceful adherents of this religious minority solely for expressing their beliefs and possessing religious materials, subjecting them to arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance lasting over a month, torture, and prolonged pre-trial detention exceeding ten months without trial. The statement documents severe violations including electric shocks, beatings, denial of legal counsel, inhumane prison conditions, and crucially, organized religious coercion through visits by Al-Azhar-affiliated sheikhs explicitly aimed at forcing detainees to renounce their faith. CAP Liberté de Conscience calls upon the Egyptian Government to immediately and unconditionally release all detained AROPL members, investigate torture and enforced disappearances by security forces, end the misuse of pre-trial detention, guarantee fair-trial rights and access to legal representation, and cease all forms of religious coercion in violation of Egypt’s international human rights obligations.

Religious Persecution and Human Rights: UN Report Examines Torture and Religious Freedom

Religious Persecution and Human Rights: UN Report Examines Torture and Religious Freedom

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.”

Egypt’s Human Rights Landscape: Insights from the 48th Universal Periodic Review

Egypt’s Human Rights Landscape: Insights from the 48th Universal Periodic Review

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.

Peaceful Protest in Geneva for Religious Freedom and Solidarity with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

Peaceful Protest in Geneva for Religious Freedom and Solidarity with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

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.

57th Session Human Rights Council Hears Alarming Report on Persecution of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light  in Jordan

57th Session Human Rights Council Hears Alarming Report on Persecution of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Jordan

During the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting there was a discussion, about the challenges Ahmadi Religion of Peace members are enduring in Jordan due to persecution issues discussed in a report presented there recently by Christine Mirre, director CAP Freedom of Conscience who emphasized the difficult situation of six Ahmadis currently undergoing trial over accusations of “heresy,” which poses a serious threat, to their basic human rights.

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