Skip to content

A Bipartisan Win for Religious Freedom | Opinion

In a remarkable show of bipartisan cooperation, last week, the Senate unanimously reauthorized the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The reauthorization, included within a bill to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, makes permanent a landmark piece of legislation used to target gross violators of internationally recognized human rights. The act has been a vital tool in advancing religious freedom worldwide. Now that the president has signed it, it should be vigorously enforced, including in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the passage of the Global Magnitsky Act in 2016, targeted financial and immigration sanctions have been increasingly used for the protection of human rights and in the fight against corruption. Targeted sanctions have the benefit of holding the worst human rights violators accountable for their actions while not being as broad or blunt as country-wide sanctions. Targeted sanctions tell violators they are no longer welcome to do business with the United States. Countries around the world are seeing the benefit of these sanctions. Global Magnitsky Acts have been adopted in Canada, the U.K., the EU and most recently Australia, among others,“ writes Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for ADF International.

Read the full article in Newsweek.

Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only.

Bestellen Sie unser kostenfreies Impact Magazin!

Unterstützen Sie unsere Arbeit!

Ihre Spende hilft:

Die Kosten für die juristische Verteidigung von grundlegenden Freiheiten zu decken.

family icon

Hunderte von Mandanten rechtlich zu unterstützen.

Den Einsatz für gerechte Gesetze, Urteile und Entscheidungen weltweit zu ermöglichen.

Bleiben Sie informiert

Melden Sie sich für unseren Newsletter an

*“ zeigt erforderliche Felder an

Dieses Feld dient zur Validierung und sollte nicht verändert werden.
Name*

Adah

Adah had to flee her home after being threatened by her family for her conversion and obtained a protective order in another state.

Pastor Ezekiel

Pastor Ezekiel was captured and tortured by unidentified men for two weeks in February 2024, and then handed over to the police, who released him.

David

David was captured and tortured by unidentified men for two weeks in February 2024, and then handed over to the police, who charged him with kidnapping and obtained a conviction without a lawyer in 3 days. In July, the High Court in Northern Nigeria overturned his wrongful conviction. He is now free.

Naomi

Naomi had to flee her home after being threatened by her family for her conversion, and obtained a protective order in another state.

Rhoda Jatau

Nigerian Christian mother of 5, Rhoda Jatau, has been acquitted after being imprisoned for 19-months for allegedly sharing a video on WhatsApp.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

In March 2020, a dangerous mob burned down his house and the Hisbah religious police, an official authority in charge of enforcing Sharia law, arrested Yahaya. Shortly after, the young man was convicted in a Sharia court for his alleged “blasphemy” and sentenced to death by hanging. His Supreme Court appeal has the potential to overturn Sharia-based blasphemy laws in Northern Nigeria.