HRC43: Oral Statement during ID with Special Rapporteur on FoRB

Agenda Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief

Organisation:Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker:Claire Denman

Thank you Madame President,

The experiences of women have historically been eclipsed in analyses of violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief.

The Rapporteur’s report raises concerns regarding the legal imposition of restrictive dress codes.

We share the Rapporteur’s concerns regarding Iran, where women who protest against the country’s forced veiling laws have been arbitrarily detained and arrested.

The issue also remains of serious concern in Sudan. While the repeal of Sudan’s public order laws in December 2019 was widely welcomed, it is important to note that the repealed laws were local ones implemented in each state, and that national laws remain in effect through the 1991 Criminal Code.

It is under these national laws that religious minority women have historically been arrested, fined and given lashes on public indecency charges.

CSW calls on Sudan to honour recent commitments to freedom of religion or belief by prioritising the review and amendment of the laws contained within the Criminal Code.

CSW is also deeply concerned by recent reports that Uyghur Muslim women in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are suffering severe violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief and are forced to stop wearing the veil. A leaked document from Qaraqash in Xinjiang lists “wearing a veil” as a reason for suspicion and detention in so-called re-education camps, where women are at risk of sexual violence and other human rights violations.

The evidence demonstrates once again a clear religious element to the mass arbitrary detentions in Xinjiang.

We call on China to release all those detained in re-education camps immediately and without precondition, and to end the practice of targeting Uyghur women for wearing the veil.

Thank you