News

Earlier this month, in an official statement reported by Al-Arabiya (and many more), the Church’s Patriarch Kirill said “Russia took a responsible decision to use military forces to protect the Syrian people from the woes brought on by the tyranny of terrorists.” 

The Patriarch cited the suffering of Christians in the region, the kidnapping of clerics and the destruction of churches, adding that Muslims “are suffering no less.” 

A senior Muslim cleric also backed the military intervention, saying Syrians are “practically our neighbours.” “We fully back the use of a contingent of Russian armed forces in the battle against international terrorism,” said Talgat Tadzhuddin, head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, in comments to RIA Novosti state news agency. 

A council representing Russia’s main religions — Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism — will release a joint statement on Russia’s role in Syria that will “support the decision that was taken by our government,” said Orthodox spokesman Chaplin.   More 

These statements have been cited by various bloggers – Raymond Ibrahim on Frontpage Mag contrasts Putin’s support for persecuted Christians with Obama’s siding with “Christian-murdering ‘freedom fighters'”.  More  

David Hearst on Huffington Post offers a detailed analysis of Russian Middle East policy, arguing that “The fact that Russia is making the same mistake as Bush and Blair did, 14 years later – down to using the same words – is proof of how dangerous it is to frame the fight in a Muslim country in religious terms.”  More  

While the Society for Humanism (SOCH) Nepal thanked the Constitution Assembly of Nepal for endorsing a secular constitution, “which is the key to protecting the rights and dignity of all minority groups of the nation,” and stated “Now, the Nepali constitution guarantees the right to accept any religion or leave as per the consent of individual,” (More) a piece published by Lapido Media offers a different perspective: “Recent polls indicate that the Nepali people who are mostly Hindu remain deeply suspicious of secularism – translated as dharmanirpekshata – literally dharma-neutrality. This is in no small part because the word dharma has multiple meanings in the dharmic-traditions which include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism… The new constitution is unclear about a number of important issues. There are vague sub-clauses like the one that defines ‘secular’ to mean ‘the protection of religion and culture being practised since ancient times, and religious and cultural freedom’. And, while the state now formally allows for religious freedom and the fundamental right to choose one’s religion, it bars people from converting ‘a person of one religion to another religion’.”  More   

Nepal’s parliament last month overwhelmingly approved the new constitution, which sees Nepal divided into seven provinces. It has angered minority ethnic groups who fear discrimination and sparked protests in which 40 died. Hindu groups had also been demonstrating, demanding that Nepal be declared a Hindu state.

At a two-day conference held in Bangkok, and the first of its kind, faith-based and other groups committed to working to enhance the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Southeast Asia.

For the first time, approximately 70 human rights defenders, members of religious groups, rights groups, UN agencies and representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Rights of Women and Children, National Human Rights Institutions and other government agencies from across the region gathered together to discuss key pressing concerns regarding the right to freedom of religion or belief in Southeast Asia with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom on Religion or Belief, Heiner Bielefeldt.

The event was co-organized by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUMASIA), the ICJ, and Boat People SOS (BPSOS) from 30 September to 1 October 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand.

During the event, participants were able to deepen their understanding on the right to freedom of religion or belief under international law and standards, and how religious freedom and other human rights should be interpreted and applied in a complementary manner.

“Many people suffer complex violations of their human rights, for example in the intersection of religious minority status, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or indigenous origin,” said Heiner Bielefeldt.

The two-day conference also successfully provided a multi-stakeholder platform for the participants to share challenges and best practices, as well as brainstorm ideas on addressing violations related to state control and regulation of religion, and extreme interpretations of religion.

“The politicization of religion undermines freedom of religion or belief, not only to the detriment of minorities, but also of followers of majority religions who do not wish to see their faith be turned into a tool of political power gambling,” added the Special Rapporteur.

Notable suggestions raised by the group on addressing identified obstacles to the free practice of religion or belief included the need for reforms, such as the repeal of blasphemy laws and mandatory registrations, and the importance of dialogue between groups of the same faith, as well as those of different religions.

“We need more cooperation across boundaries, including between faith-based and secular civil society organization,” stressed the expert.

Participants at the conference also recognised the opportunity presented before them in advancing freedom of religion or belief in the region and committed to working to enhance this right by reaffirming:

• Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which declares: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
• Freedom of religion or belief is an inalienable, non-derogable human right, encompassing the right to hold or not to hold any faith or belief, to change belief, and to be free from coercion and to manifest religion or belief.
• For freedom of religion or belief to be fully enjoyed, other human rights must also be respected, particularly the principle of non-discrimination and freedoms of expression, assembly, association, education, and movement.

The participants also committed to:

• Defend and promote freedom of religion or belief as a universal, inalienable and nonderogable human right, as set out in the Universal Declaration, in international law and declarations, and in the work of national, regional, and global institutions
• Defend and promote freedom of religion or belief for all persons, as individuals and in community with others, through their work and respective institutions by sharing information and mobilizing effective responses.
• Work toward the nondiscriminatory realization of freedom of religion or belief in recognition of multiple and intersectional discriminations and vulnerabilities, including, among other grounds, on grounds of ethnicity, indigenous identity, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, and disabilities.
• Enhance global and regional cooperation by working across geographical, national, racial, ethnic, political and religious boundaries.
• Advocate for accountability and remedies for individuals and communities suffering from violence, persecution, discrimination, harassment, marginalization or other abuses of human rights because of their religion or belief.
• Express and act in solidarity with individuals and communities suffering from violence, persecution, discrimination, harassment, marginalization or other abuses of human rights because of their religion or belief.

The Conference Declaration was based on the Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the New York Resolution for Freedom of Religion or Belief of the International Panel of Parliaments for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFORB).

The Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion, University of Birmingham, has announced the establishment of the Commonwealth Initiative for the Freedom of Religion or Belief (CIFORB) with effect from 1 October 2015.

The Initiative has been funded by a generous contribution from the Templeton World Charitable Foundation and will establish a team of researchers and other professional staff based in Birmingham and in Westminster to support Commonwealth parliamentarians in their advocacy of freedom of religion or belief (FORB) and interventions in the area. Enshrined most prominently in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, FORB is a central principle of international law:

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

CIFORB’s work will benefit citizens across the Commonwealth and beyond by modelling, supporting and developing effective advocacy strategies for parliamentarians to use to advance religious freedom globally. It will have lasting and enduring impact in the attainment of a fairer, safer global society where FORB is rightly cherished, and this will be a fitting tribute to the legacy of Sir John Templeton and his commitment to building a more peaceable and tolerant world.

Among other activities, the CIFORB team will:

• Create, collate and disseminate internationally-excellent research on FORB and strategies for upholding and extending this freedom. CIFORB’s research will seek to understand the many different international perspectives on this issue, identify good practice and enable parliamentarians to act as effective advocates for those (particularly religious and non-religious minorities) whose freedom has been compromised;
• Host training events for parliamentarians, their senior advisors and emerging young leaders with an interest in human rights, religious affairs and foreign affairs on the significance of FORB and strategic approaches to FORB advocacy.
• Establish a high-level Commonwealth Commission which will work in strategically-significant nations to support and encourage parliamentary activity and help parliamentarians to maximise their opportunities to speak out authoritatively.

The team will be led by Baroness Berridge in Westminster, who will join the University of Birmingham’s staff, and Dr Andrew Davies in Birmingham. Professor Francis Davis (Birmingham) and Professor Monica Duffy Toft (Oxford) are the Initiative’s senior advisors and the project team are supported by an internationally-eminent advisory board, chaired by Professor Malcolm Evans (Bristol) and comprising UK and Commonwealth parliamentarians, academics and community leaders.

With Saturday marking the third anniversary of his arrest, and days after Parliamentarians appealed on his behalf – and days before President Rouhani addresses the UN General Assembly – Middle East Concern reports that the prospects for Saeed Abedini have considerably worsened.

A family member was able to visit Saeed yesterday at Rajaei Shahr Prison, and learned that new charges may be brought against him. Since Saeed was imprisoned, the government has repeatedly said that his eight-year sentence could be extended.

On Tuesday (22nd September) intelligence officers interrogated Saeed. He told family members the interrogators abused him verbally and physically. During interrogation officers repeatedly used a taser gun.

The interrogators said Saeed will face new charges. They claimed he has connections with anti-government groups and has made statements and taken actions against the government. Saeed denies these allegations. He has consistently asserted, during interrogations and at trial, that he poses no threat to the government and was in Iran to help with the building of a government-approved orphanage.

This development comes as Iran’s President Rouhani is about to address the UN General Assembly in New York next week. This Saturday, the third anniversary of Saeed’s imprisonment, there are due to be hundreds of prayer vigils around the world for Saeed and his family.

Last weekend, Saeed’s wife Naghmeh spoke to more than 100 Parliamentarians from nearly 50 countries at a gathering hosted by the International Panel of Parliamentarians. Following Naghmeh’s presentation, 67 Parliamentarians signed a letter to the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament calling for Pastor Saeed’s release.

The signatories of the letter came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

The letter begins:

As the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, we write as a network of parliamentarians from diverse political, religious and geographical backgrounds to express grave concerns about limitations on freedom of religion or belief in your country. We are alarmed by ongoing reports of violations of this fundamental freedom for religious minorities, including Christians and the Bahá’ís. We respectfully ask you to ensure that all individuals in Iran, be they Muslim, Christian, Bahá’í, Atheist, Zoroastrian, Jew or from another faith, can fully enjoy freedom of religion or belief without fear of violence or discrimination.

We are particularly concerned about Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has been jailed for nearly three years. We understand he has been held in intolerable conditions for merely peacefully exercising his faith in private homes. We specifically request the release of Mr. Abedini, as well as other Christians…

These 67 Parliamentarians raised their voices for Pastor Saeed and other religious minorities persecuted in Iran, speaking directly to their counterpart in the Iranian Parliament. Several members of Parliaments also committed to leading efforts in their own countries to pressure Iran to release Pastor Saeed.

In 2009 Saeed had been warned about his involvement with house churches and so had focused on humanitarian activities during subsequent visits to Iran. Saeed was detained in 2012, while visiting his parents and conducting humanitarian aid work, and in January 2013 he was convicted on charges relating to anti-state activities (derived from his involvement with house fellowships) and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment. Saeed has joint Iranian-US citizenship; his wife Naghmeh and their two children are in the US.

 

Cognizant that severe violations of freedom of religion or belief continue to occur around the world, perpetrated by states, state proxies, and non-state actors;

Taking note of studies indicating an increase in restrictions on the free practice of religion or belief, with the majority of the global population living in countries where their freedom to peacefully practice their faith could be or is restricted;

Whereas in response to these violations, a group of parliamentarians gathered in Oxford, England, in June 2014 to discuss ways to confront the abuses;

Recalling that at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, parliamentarians from around the world gathered in November 2014 to pledge to advance religious freedom for all and launched the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief;

Reaffirming the Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief signed in Oslo that commits parliamentarians to support Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right of individuals to hold or not to hold any faith or belief, to change belief, to be free from coercion to adopt a different belief, and to peacefully practice the faith of their choice alone or in community with others;

Welcoming the creation of panels in domestic parliaments since the Oslo meeting, including in Brazil, Norway, and Pakistan, and existing bipartisan caucuses in Canada, the European Parliament, the United Kingdom, and the United States;

Taking note of and welcoming the creation of the International Contact Group for Freedom of Religion or Belief networking likeminded governments committed to advancing freedom of religion or belief around the world;

Appreciating the critically important work of civil society organizations, religious leaders, and individuals in academia who are endeavoring to advance freedom of religion or belief with their communities of influence and societies at large;

Now, in New York, on 19 September 2015, the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief commit to pursue efforts that:

• Advocate for individuals suffering from persecution because of their religious or other forms of belief and urge greater respect for freedom of religion or belief
• Strengthen and promote freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief as a universal, established and non-derogable human right, as set out in the Universal Declaration, in international customary law and treaties, and in the work of national, regional, and global agencies and political bodies
• Enhance global cooperation by working across geographical, political, and religious lines to mobilize effective responses through regular communications, sharing of information, and endeavoring to meet annually
• Expand the network of parliaments focused on freedom of religion or belief around the world by supporting the creation of new parliamentary platforms or groups that support Article 18 and that are politically and religiously diverse
• Build capacity among parliamentarians committed to advancing religious freedom, both for those in stable countries and those in countries with problematic records on freedom of religion or belief, so as to equip parliamentarians to advocate for change at home and abroad
• Increase the number of governments and international institutions responding to the growing crisis of persecution of believer and non-believers and encourage the commitment of increased resources to ensure greater respect for this fundamental freedom; and
• Build stronger linkages between members of parliament and civil society organizations, religious leaders, and members of academia so as to find more impactful ways to advance freedom of religion or belief globally.

Signed by Parliamentarians in attendance at the September, 2015 conference in New York, “Multinational Efforts to Strengthen Freedom of Religion or Belief“.

PDF version of the Resolution, complete with signatures

International Development Select Committee, Oral evidence, Tuesday 15 September 2015

Q38 Fiona Bruce: How can we ensure that minority religious and ethnic groups, who are fleeing persecution from radical forces such as ISIS, are not left behind?

If I can set this in context by relaying some concerns from the region, reports from the camp areas say that the current systems fail to protect these minority groups. One of the reasons is that refugee camps in the Middle East are run by the UN, which tends to group refugee communities together, rather than taking into account racial, ethnic or religious tensions. As a result, there are tensions experienced by refugee minorities, both Christian and Muslim. They have faced persecution and violence even within the camps and, subsequently, often, they have chosen to settle outside the camps and outside the reach of UN aid.

This is concerning, particularly if we are looking to select perhaps most of those 20,000 from within the camps, although I am encouraged to hear that you have said that they will not all be from within the camps this morning. How can we ensure that these people are not further disadvantaged in the way that we approach this crisis?

Justine Greening: You have set out some of the challenges that the UN agencies face in being able not only to provide the life‑saving support and assistance to people, but to do that in a way that is appropriate and, critically, keeps them safe and does not put them in a different kind of risk to the one they have just tried to escape from. When I was in Iraq last summer, in Irbil, I went to a church where many of the Christians who had been displaced had gone to, to be kept safe.

The key is to have all of this very clearly in mind as we work with agencies and for us to be very clear that our assistance should be based on need. It also absolutely needs to reflect on the clear risks that particular groups might face, and sometimes that is because of their religion. We are going to come on to discuss the global goals. One of the reflections that I have on that is that this “leave no one behind” concept more broadly is a central part of that, but, explicitly within that, the recognition that religion can be one of the reasons why people are discriminated against.

NEW YORK  19 September – In the face of rising religious persecution of people on the grounds of faith or belief, parliamentarians from almost 50 countries concluded an unprecedented summit discussing ways to advance freedom of religion or belief for all.

Focused on concrete actions, the gathering resulted in the issuance of advocacy letters to the President of Burma, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, and the Speaker of Iran’s parliament. In addition, the parliamentarians signed the New York Resolution for Freedom of Religion or Belief, committing them to renewed action to promote this fundamental right.

The event was co-sponsored by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB), a network launched last year in response to the rising crisis of religious or belief-based persecution, both by terrorist groups and authoritarian governments. IPPFoRB is an alliance of parliamentarians committed to advancing religious freedom for all, as defined by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Other highlights included:

• Panels with leading parliamentarians and diplomats discussing how to advance freedom of religion or belief for all in the face of repression by ISIS and authoritarian governments.
• Discussions with religious leaders, including a cleric from Iran, a bishop from Nigeria, and a Buddhist leader from Japan.
• Hearing from family members of jailed believers in Iran: the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini and a relative of an imprisoned Baha’i leader.

Parliamentarians attending the meeting came from: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Burma/Myanmar; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; Costa Rica; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; European Parliament; Georgia; Germany; Honduras; India; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Jordan; Kenya; Lebanon; Lithuania; Malawi; Malaysia; Mexico; Netherlands; Nigeria; Norway; Pakistan; Paraguay; Peru; Senegal; Serbia; South Africa; Sudan; Taiwan; Tunisia; United Kingdom; Uruguay.

The International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB) is an informal network of elected
parliamentarians and legislators from around the world committed to combatting religious persecution and advancing
freedom of religion or belief, as defined by Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration for Human Rights.

Read a report on the summit

The Phnom Penh Post reports that the Cambodian government has set a three-month deadline for Montagnards in Phnom Penh to return home or face being forcibly expelled to Vietnam by authorities, an Interior Ministry official said last week.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist in repatriating the more than 200 members of the ethnic minority in the capital to their homes in Vietnam’s central highlands before the three-month deadline expired.

Sopheak dismissed a recent Human Rights Watch report that stated the highlanders faced systematic religious and political persecution in Vietnam, saying Vietnam had “an open door”.

He said the 13 Montagnards granted provincial refugee status in March after being escorted to the capital by the UN, were not the same as the scores who came to Cambodia in their wake, who he classed as economic migrants.

“After the 13 have been recognised by the government, other Montagnards came to Cambodia and they illegally settled in Phnom Penh with assistance. I can [call this] trafficking in persons,” Sopheak said.

“Nearly 100 of them are living in the suburban area of Phnom Penh, so we have informed the UNHCR to help them to go back to their home towns within three months after [the UNHCR] receive the notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“So after three months, if those illegal immigrants have not gone back to their hometowns in Vietnam, the authorities of Cambodia will be implementing the immigration law of Cambodia. We will force them to go back by law.”

Rights groups have criticised the government – which has already deported dozens of Montagnards– for refusing to register those in the capital as asylum seekers while at the same time accepting refugees under a $A40 million resettlement deal with Australia.

Via email, Denise Coghlan, director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Cambodia, said some of the Montagnards in Phnom Penh had suffered imprisonment and beatings by Vietnamese authorities, while many had been forced to sign documents promising not to practice their Christian religion.

“Cambodia must agree to register them and assess their cases,” she said, calling the impending crackdown a breach of Cambodia’s obligations under the UN Refugee Convention.

“[The] UNHCR will surely condemn this gross violation of the Refugee Convention.”

Wan-Hea Lee, country representative for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, added: “I have no doubt that, given the relative care being given to those refugees being brought from Nauru, the government fully understands its international obligations to provide individual consideration to all persons claiming asylum.” The UNHCR did not respond by press time.

VIETNAM & CAMBODIA: NO SANCTUARY FOR DEGAR CHRISTIANS

by Elizabeth Kendal (Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin)

When France ruled as the colonial power in Vietnam (1895-1954) it referred to Vietnam’s indigenous hills tribes as ‘Montagnards’, i.e. mountaineers. At that time, some three million Montagnards, belonging to numerous tribes, lived in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region. While the hill tribes refer to themselves collectively as ‘Degar’ (sons of the mountains), the Vietnamese refer to them as ‘moi’ (savages). Long persecuted by the Vietnamese who covet their lands, the anti-Communist Degar fought alongside the Americans during the Vietnam War at the cost of some 200,000 Degar lives. When the Americans withdrew in 1975 and the Communists won the war, the Degar were left to face the repercussions. After decades of systematic political and religious repression and violent persecution, only a few hundred thousand predominantly Christian Degar remain. Forged in suffering, Degar Christianity is deeply infused with nationalist aspirations and a desire for justice and liberty – all traits the paranoid and controlling Communist regime in Hanoi regards as subversive. The persecution is relentless and fuelled by racial and religious hatred.

Vietnamese state-run media vilify Degar Christianity as ‘reactionary’, a ‘tool of hostile forces’ and a threat to social cohesion and national security. They even claim it is not Christian at all, but ‘ta dao’ (evil way) religion. Persecution includes old-school communist tactics such as campaigns of extreme violence and public shaming in kangaroo courts to force Christians to renounce their faith. Refusal to renounce faith can result in imprisonment where beatings and torture are routine. A Human Rights Watch report from March 2011 entitled, ‘Montagnard Christians: A Case Study in Religious Repression’, contains several pages of citations from state-run media in which communist authorities boast of persuading Christian families to repent of their reactionary ways and renounce their faith. For example, ‘Bao Gia Lai reports [July 2010] that 97 households in the villages of Tok and Roh, Chu Se district, “voluntarily abandon ‘Dega Protestantism'” and ‘Bao Gia Lai [Oct 2010]: In Chu Drang-Nay Droh commune, some 567 households related to Dega Protestantism have committed to “renouncing” the religion.’ Now a new HRW report published in June 2015 entitled ‘Persecuting “Evil Way” Religion: Abuses Against Montagnards in Vietnam’, confirms that the campaign of violence, torture and forced renunciations of faith continues to this day.

In October 2014 Vietnamese state-run media reported that 1758 people in Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Kon Tum Provinces had been identified as participating in ‘evil way’ religion in 10 districts, adding that 39 leaders were in hiding while participants continue to gather for prayers in private homes. At the same time the Cambodia Daily was reporting that Degar Christians were fleeing into Cambodia’s north-eastern Ratanakkiri Province, seeking asylum in Cambodia and claiming to be fleeing increased religious and political persecution. In early May 2015 the Cambodian government deployed a further
1000 troops to the border to prevent persecuted Degar Christians from crossing into Cambodia. Because Vietnam does not want the international embarrassment of being labelled a human rights abuser, it has long requested Cambodia not recognise Degar Christians as refugees. Instead it wants them rejected as illegal migrants and repatriated. Cambodia complies to protect its close relationship with the regime in Hanoi. The West, meanwhile, ignores it all to protect its economic and geo-strategic interests in the region.

On Friday 11 September the Cambodian government gave the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) three months to repatriate some 200 Degar asylum seekers now living in Phnom Penh, adding that if the UNHCR cannot ‘repatriate those illegal Montagnards within three months’ then ‘we will implement our immigration law and do it ourselves’. Cambodia suggested the UNHCR could alternatively ‘find a third country for them to resettle’. Vietnam has indicated that it is ‘ready to receive’ the Montagnards and has assured the UNHCR that ‘it will not discriminate against or punish them’. But as noted by the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, Phil Robertson, Vietnam’s assurances cannot be trusted, for Degar believers have been lured back before only to be arrested and tortured on arrival. Head of the Jesuit Refugee Service, Denise Coghlan, is appealing for the UNHCR to protect the refugees and demand that Cambodia register their cases. As she notes, many of the refugees have already ‘suffered imprisonment, beatings [in Vietnam]. Many have been asked with force to sign that they will not practise their religion.’ Phil Robertson (HRW) lambasted the Cambodian government, saying, ‘It’s outrageous that Cambodia thinks it can just force the Montagnards back into harm’s way in Vietnam and no one will do anything about it.’ But in reality, the persecution of Degar Christians in Vietnam and the repatriation of Degar Christian refugees in Cambodia continues year after year precisely because nobody ever does anything about it.

‘Our people have lost all hope because no one cares for us any more,’ lamented the president of the US-based Degar Foundation, Kok Ksor, in December 2014. ‘Even the US government doesn’t do anything for us. Everyone wants to ignore us because our people are so few and our land so small. Everyone wants to help Vietnam – and we are in the way – because everyone wants to stop China’s expansion. No one wants to say that Vietnam does anything bad,’ he said.

In the face of rising religious persecution of people on the grounds of faith or belief, on September 18-19, over 100 parliamentarians from almost 50 countries will assemble in New York City to discuss ways to advance freedom of religion or belief.

The event is cosponsored by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPP FoRB), a network launched last year in response to the rising crisis of religious or belief based persecution, both by terrorist groups and authoritarian governments. The IPP is an alliance of parliamentarians committed to advancing religious freedom for all, as defined by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Those attending from the UK include the Bishop of Leeds, Lord David Alton, Stephen Timms MP and Baroness Berridge.

“On the eve of the UN General Assembly, I am very pleased so many parliamentarians will be travelling to New York to discuss how to protect freedom of religion or belief for all,” said IPP Steering Group member Abid Raja (MP, Norway). “The migration crisis facing Europe is fuelled in part by religious extremism and persecution. It is positive that what we launched at the Nobel Peace Centre last year continues to grow, as the problems continue to grow as well.”

“There is a global crisis for freedom of religion or belief,” said IPP Steering Group member Baroness Elizabeth Berridge (UK). “An international problem requires an international response. Our meetings in New York will bring together parliamentarians, diplomats, civil society and religious leaders to devise strategies to defend this fundamental right. Collective action is needed now more than ever.”

The meeting is open to civil society and members of the media on Friday and Saturday morning.

Highlights will include:

• Panels with leading parliamentarians and diplomats on Friday morning about how to advance freedom of religion or belief for all in the face of repression by ISIS and authoritarian governments
• A discussion with religious leaders, including a cleric from Iran, a bishop from Nigeria, and a Buddhist leader from Japan on Friday morning
• Hearing from family members of jailed believers in Iran on Saturday morning: the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini and a relative of an imprisoned Baha’i leader
• The signing on Saturday morning of the New York Resolution on Freedom of Religion or Belief by 100 parliamentarians, committing them to renewed action to promote this fundamental right

Parliamentarians attending the meeting will come from: Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Burma/Myanmar; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; Costa Rica; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Georgia; Germany; Honduras; India; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Jordan; Kenya; Lebanon; Lithuania; Malawi; Malaysia; Mexico; Nepal; Netherlands; Nigeria; Norway; Pakistan; Panama; Peru; Senegal; Serbia; Solomon Islands; South Africa; South Sudan; Sudan; Taiwan; Tunisia; Turkey; United Kingdom; Uruguay.