On the first International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, on August 22, 2019, the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights calls on all governments to take concrete action to protect members of religious minority communities from harm. UN experts recently have warned that religious minorities in a number of countries around the world continue to face violent persecution, at the hands not only of non-State actors, but also of government authorities.
UN General Assembly resolution 73/296, adopted unanimously by UN member states, established August 22 as the International Day. This action was approved after the heinous massacres of members of religious minority communities by private individuals – the attacks on of Muslim worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and of Christian worshippers at churches in Sri Lanka – in March and April 2019.
As they adopted the resolution, diplomats from Member States expressed alarm about these and other examples of violence against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief worldwide, including:
- the attack by a private individual on Jewish congregants at the Poway synagogue in San Diego, California in the U.S., coming just months after the deadly attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
- the commission of crimes against humanity and genocide by members of the Islamic State in Iraq against Yezidis;
- the commission of crimes against humanity and genocide by military and other forces in Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims;
- the execution of Sunni Kurds by authorities in Iran; and
- the arbitrary detention of over one million members of minority Muslim groups, predominately Uighurs, by the Chinese authorities.
Resolution 73/296 recalls that States are obligated to protect the human right of members of religious minorities to freedom of religion or belief, as well as their other rights. It also identifies “important first steps” for States to take, including implementing laws protecting individuals against discrimination and hate crimes; increasing interreligious, interfaith and intercultural efforts; and expanding human rights education.
Since the adoption of resolution 73/296, a few States have taken further steps to show their commitment to these actions. One welcome example is the announcement by the government of the Netherlands that it will host, in November 2019, the seventh meeting of the “Istanbul Process,” an initiative aimed at promoting greater implementation of an existing UN action plan on combatting religious intolerance in compliance with international human rights standards.
Yet notwithstanding these efforts, members of religious minority communities around the world continue to face violence, in addition to other forms of persecution, on the basis of their religion or belief. In June, the UN General Assembly held a special meeting to voice concern about the sharp increase in reports of anti-Semitic violence and abuse worldwide. In July, the UN’s Human Rights Office reported that the members of the significantly diminished population of Rohingya who remain in Myanmar continue to be subject to sexual and gender-based violence, home burnings, and other violent attacks perpetrated by or with the consent of members of the security forces.[1] Significantly, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that the government of Sri Lanka’s response to the terrorist attacks perpetrated against Christian targets in April had itself fueled rather than diminished religious tensions, particularly with regard to anti-Muslim attacks and incitement to violence by religious leaders.
Earlier this month, the UN Committee against Torture expressed concern about violent attacks perpetrated against Hindu and Christian minority communities, among others, in Bangladesh by individuals acting in cooperation with State authorities. Last week, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran released a report expressing particular concern about State-sponsored violence perpetrated against members of the Baha’i community, recalling that Iranian authorities have executed more than 200 Baha’is solely on the basis of their religious beliefs since 1979 and have arbitrarily arrested more than 1,168 Baha’is on vague charges since August 2005.[2]
On the occasion of this first-ever International Day, governments must do more than merely commemorate victims of violence committed on the basis of religion or belief. Rather, political leaders should utilize the International Day as an opportunity to specifically identify what urgent measures they are taking, domestically and internationally, to prohibit, monitor the commission of, and punish perpetrators of hate crimes motivated by religious animus; to protect religious minority communities, including at-risk individuals, places of worship, and other religious sites, from violence; to promote mutual respect and combat religious intolerance, including through education; and to act collectively to combat pervasive, systematic and ongoing violent campaigns such as those cited above. These actions, far more than words, would honor victims’ memories and could help prevent violence against at-risk communities and individuals in the future.
[1] https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24811&LangID=E
[2] A/74/188
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