CSW condemns defamation of religion resolution

CSW today co-signed a statement calling on governments to vote against the “Combating Defamation of Religions” resolution currently tabled at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC).

The statement, entitled: “Joint NGO Statement on Danger of U.N. “Defamation of Religions’ Campaign”, has also been signed by 186 other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from more than 50 countries around the world, including Freedom House, the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

CSW has grave concerns that this resolution, only the most recent of a number of similar texts, can be used by states to silence the legitimate criticism of their actions by human rights defenders.

The statement urges governments to vote against the tabled resolution which has been passed annually by the HRC, and its predecessor the Human Rights Commission, since 1999. It has also been passed annually by the General Assembly since 2005.

The resolution comes at a critical time for the United Nations as it prepares for the “Durban Review Conference” in Geneva in April. The conference is a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa. There are concerns that the Review Conference will be used to further legitimise a “defamation of religion” agenda, championed by the 57 member states that make up the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

CSW’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said: “We are concerned that the motivation behind these annual resolutions on defamation of religion, and the aspiration to push this agenda at international conferences is not driven by a desire to protect religious believers. Rather, we believe these resolutions can be used to protect states from the legitimate criticism of human rights defenders. They may also be used to justify blasphemy, anti-conversion and apostasy laws. CSW therefore urges member states to reject such texts and to seek the protection of religious believers through existing international human rights law.”

Note to Editors:

• A similar resolution was passed by the General Assembly in December 2008 by a margin of 86-53, with 42 states abstaining.
• The Durban Review Conference is due to take place in Geneva from the 20-24 April 2009. Its official site can be found here.
• An NGO-run conference, “The Geneva Summit” will meet on the 19 April to discuss pressing human rights concerns in the run-up to the Durban Review Conference. Its official site can be found here.
• For the full text of the statement signed by the NGOs with their names, please contact CSW’s press office.

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