HRC43: Oral statement during Agenda Item 4 General Debate

Agenda Item 4: General Debate

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)

Speaker: Claire Denman

Thank you Madame President,

CSW is concerned by a rise in general lawlessness in Nigeria, including violence targeting Christians in the northeast and centre. Hundreds have been killed or abducted by Boko Haram factions, or by militia comprising primarily of the Fulani ethnic group, which abducted seven staff and one student from a Christian primary school in Niger state on 1 March.

We urge the government of Nigeria to secure the release of all abductees, and ensure the armed forces are sufficiently resourced to protect vulnerable communities, and to address threats from all non-state actors.

We also urge Member States to assist Nigeria in combatting violence and extremism.

In India, CSW is concerned by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, which came into force on 10 January. The law affords citizenship to individuals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan.

However, it overlooks numerous minority groups who have taken refuge in India due to persecution based on their religion or belief, including Tamils, Ahmadiyya, Shi’a, and Rohingya Muslims, and atheists.

We call on India to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act immediately, and to strengthen efforts to combat religious intolerance and sectarianism.

We remain concerned by the continued crackdown on almost every major religious community in China. Religious groups, activists and lawyers face a host of violations, including arbitrary detention, harassment and restrictions on religious activities.

We are particularly concerned by the introduction of new administrative regulations which further extend state control over religious affairs.

We call on China to ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is fully respected, and urge Member States to take every opportunity to raise human rights concerns with China in bilateral and multilateral engagements.

Thank you.