- Members of the United States Senate introduce resolution recognizing importance of religious freedom and condemning violators.
- ADF International supporting legal defence of the persecuted across the globe, including in Nigeria, Nicaragua and Pakistan.
WASHINGTON, DC (1 March 2024) Yesterday, members of the United States Senate introduced a resolution “recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental right, expressing support for international religious freedom as a cornerstone of United States foreign policy, and expressing concern over increased threats to and attacks on religious freedom around the world.”
The bipartisan resolution, led by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), James Lankford (R-OK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), calls for the U.S. to “leverage all diplomatic and sanctions tools available to the United States Government to hold religious freedom violators accountable for their actions”.
In response to the resolution, Kristen Waggoner, President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, stated: “Serious violations of religious freedom have been on the rise worldwide for many years, which is why we at Alliance Defending Freedom are proud to support this vital resolution. No one should be punished or prosecuted for their faith, but in too many countries worldwide, sharing one’s faith can lead to violence and imprisonment. The United States has always been a beacon for our first freedom, and the promotion of international religious freedom is one of the key spots of bipartisan agreement. We need the U.S. to continue to stand on a bipartisan basis for those defending the right to religious freedom around the world, and to hold accountable those countries and actors who commit the worst violations of religious freedom abroad.”
Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International, stated, “We are grateful to the members of the U.S. Congress who are using their influence to stand up for the religious freedom rights of all people across the globe. The International Religious Freedom Resolution is a critical step forward in holding countries accountable for violating individuals’ and communities’ God-given right to worship and live out their faith freely. ADF International is committed to providing the strongest legal defence for the persecuted Church, and we will continue to seek justice for those who are unjustly punished for their faith.”
Religious freedom violations across the globe
The Senate resolution introduced today highlights that religious minorities and people of faith face “harassment, intimidation, violence, and imprisonment from state and non-state actors around the world”. The resolution specifically points to unjust religious freedom violations in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Nicaragua, amongst other countries.
The resolution also calls attention to blasphemy laws in Nigeria, where recent reports show over 7,000 Christians were killed for their faith last year, with at least 200 Christians murdered by militants in Plateau State, Nigeria, this past Christmas. The resolution states “the government’s enforcement of blasphemy laws embedded in Nigeria’s criminal and Shari’a codes results in the arbitrary detainment and imprisonment of those who express their religious identity,”.
ADF International is supporting the legal defence of Nigerian musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim who was sentenced to death by hanging for sharing song lyrics that were deemed “blasphemous” on WhatsApp. Yahaya is appealing his case to the Supreme Court of Nigeria seeking to overturn the death penalty blasphemy laws in Nigeria. ADF International is also supporting the defence of Rhoda Jatau, a Christian and mother of five from Nigeria, who is recently out on bail following time in prison for allegedly sharing a video on WhatsApp condemning the lynching of Nigerian Christian Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu.
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More InformationIn addition to Nigeria, the resolution highlights Nicaragua, where “the government arbitrarily detains and exiles religious clerics and leaders” who advocate for the right to religious freedom and “criticize the government’s persecution of the Roman Catholic Church”. ADF International is supporting the legal defence of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for preaching on human rights violations perpetrated by the Nicaraguan government. Bishop Álvarez, exiled from Nicaragua for his religious convictions, is now safe at the Vatican. Despite his liberation, his case continues before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in hopes of achieving justice for the bishop and setting a positive precedent for others facing similar trials in Nicaragua.
Pakistan is also spotlighted in the resolution, which notes that religious minorities in Pakistan “face killings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions, and sexual violence for their religious identities”. In Pakistan, ADF International allied lawyers are engaged in supporting women and girls suffering from forced marriage in light of a recurring issue where women and girls, often Christian, are forced to convert to Islam for their marriage to be validated by a Sharia court. ADF International has highlighted the testimonies of survivors in a recently released mini-documentary.
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More InformationInternational intervention
Governing bodies and religious freedom advocates from across the globe have continued to speak out against the violations perpetrated against religious minorities in Nigeria.
Earlier this year, members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to move forward with H. Res. 82, a House resolution calling for greater U.S. action in response to the religious freedom crisis in Nigeria. The House resolution, which can be read in full here, calls on the U.S. Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) on their list of worst religious freedom offenders for “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” while also highlighting religious prisoners of conscience and the egregious blasphemy laws in Nigeria.
Just last week, U.S. Congress Members voted to move forward with H. Res. 82, a House resolution calling for greater U.S. action in response to the religious freedom crisis in Nigeria. The House resolution, which can be read in full here, calls on the U.S. Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) on their list of worst religious freedom offenders for “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” while also highlighting religious prisoners of conscience and the egregious blasphemy laws in Nigeria.
The U.S. State Department released its annual religious freedom watchlist earlier this year, leaving Nigeria off the list for the third year in a row. ADF International, together with other human rights organizations and experts, has long urged the State Department to put Nigeria back on the CPC list. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called the removal of Nigeria’s CPC designation by the State Department “appalling” and “inexplicable”. Furthermore, the USCIRF recommended the State Department place Nigeria on the CPC list in its most recent Annual Report.
