Commission on Human Rights
Fifty-seventh session
19^th March - 27^th April 2001

Item 11 - Civil and political rights, including the questions of   (e) Religious intolerance

Mr Chairman,

I am speaking on behalf of Anti-Slavery International and I would like to call the special attention of the Commission to the growing restrictions on religious freedom in Asia. These are not confined to any particular religion, but occur frequently when the majority religion attempts to oppress and dominate minority religions through direct involvement of State authorities or through fundamentalist groups condoned by the State.

We wish to express our special concern regarding the situation in Laos. Recent developments suggest active persecution toward Christians choosing to worship in churches which do not have state approval. Those Christian believers have been subjected to detention, destruction of churches, restriction of freedom of movement, forced relocations, and other intimidation aimed at forcing them to recant their faith. The Lao Human Rights Group reported that, while a number of Church leaders and believers imprisoned in 1999 had been released in the course of the year 2000, new arrests have subsequently taken place and currently at least 25 church-goers are jailed in Laos. They have been accused to be enemies of the state and have been forced to sign documents to relinquish their faith. Some are detained for "illegal religious activities", while others have been arrested on the pretext of other illegal acts. Detention is usually taking place in appalling conditions: prisoners are kept in stocks and are deprived of food for days at a time. Christian families have also been forcibly relocated among non-Christian villages.

Since 1999, the Lao authorities forcibly closed down at least 50 churches. One church in Savannakhet province was confiscated by the authorities last year and is now being used as local government offices. Three church leaders who tried to demand compensation were arrested and are reportedly still in detention. Three others were jailed because they kept gathering in their homes after their church was confiscated.

In December 2000, only eight churches in Savannakhet province received permission to perform Christmas celebrations. More people were arrested for participating in Christmas services after having forcibly signed a statement giving up their faith.

Similarly, in Vietnam, only state-sponsored religious organisations are authorised. Independent religious activities are prohibited and their followers routinely harassed and imprisoned. Last February, thousands of Christians demonstrating against religious persecutions in the Central Highlands were brutally repressed by the army. We are also concerned about the situation of Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam under house arrest without charge since 1982.

In Myanmar, the Government continues to monitor the activities of members of all religions, including Buddhism, in part because the clergy and congregation members have in the past become politically active. Moreover, government authorities coercively promote Buddhism over other religions, particularly among members of ethnic minorities. In Chin State, Christian Chins are facing harassment. Several hundred Chins fled to Guam in 2000 seeking refuge in the United States. Many of them complained of religious discrimination as a ground to their claims.

Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State have particularly been discriminated against on the basis of their religion. They have been denied citizenship, and in many instances their land was confiscated to make it available to new Buddhist settlers, a programme engineered by the State authorities. Muslims have been compelled to provide forced labour to build new settlements as well as Buddhist pagodas.

Societal attitudes have also shown widespread prejudice against Muslims in Myanmar and the government contributes to instigate anti-Muslim violence. Communal riots between Buddhists and Muslims took place in Sittwe during February 2001 that left at least ten people dead.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban militia which controls most of the country has recently created international outrage by its highly-publicised destruction of the 2,000 year old Buddha statues in Bamiyan, as well as the annihilation of collections of non-Muslim religious artifacts in the Kabul museum. The Taliban has also perpetrated widespread violations of human rights through aggressive imposition of their interpretation of the Sharia law.

Mr Chairman,

At the beginning of the new millenium, religion remains a deeply relevant and central aspect of human life and behaviour. Religious activities provide a spiritual dimension in life and society and determine values in relationships and decisions. The right to religious freedom lies at the core of human rights, and greater attention should be paid to this significant right.

We would therefore urge the Commission and the Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance to raise these issues with the governments involved and to pursue all possible measures to eradicate these prejudicial practices.

Thank you Mr Chairman.