cswpress

Whoever wins the general election must continue the UK’s proud tradition of standing up for human rights

Posted on 03/12/2019 by cswpress

As Britain’s political parties prepare for the upcoming general election, trade, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit, will be one of several key issues on the agenda. However, it is vital that whoever is tasked with forming a government does not side-line human rights in favour of trade.

Commitments to the promotion of internationally recognised human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) were made as the UK sought re-election to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2016. The UK is due to step down from the HRC at the end of 2019, but bilateral negotiations with states around the world post-Brexit will continue to present valuable opportunities for the UK to play a leading role in the promotion of FoRB and other human rights at a global level.

During the process of leaving the European Union (EU), the UK will seek to establish new trading relationships with countries around the world, and it is imperative that the elected government does not shy away from open and frank discussion about safeguarding human rights.

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En la línea del fuego frente a la LdRC: “El odio de toda la gente estaba presente.”

Posted on 18/11/201918/11/2019 by cswpress

En algunos países latinoamericanos, líderes religiosos frecuentemente desempeñan papeles como líderes comunitarios y defensores de los derechos humanos. Como resultado, estos líderes se enfrentan al acoso, la intimidación e incluso la violencia en las manos de actores estatales y no estatales. Durante las últimas semanas CSW ha presentado entrevistas con líderes religiosos quienes trabajan en la región para destacar sus experiencias en la primera línea frente a la libertad de religión o creencia (LdRC).

Yilber es un pastor protestante trabajando en Cuba.

“He conocido tantas amenazas en mi vida cristiana, que sinceramente es imposible enumerarlas. Es algo que quiero ilustrar y para ello no me apoyaré en generalidad alguna o ejemplos abstractos o subjetivos, sino que presentaré las marcas que arrastra mi familia desde que salimos de nuestro pueblo a desempeñar funciones pastorales.

LEE mÁS

FoRB on the Frontlines: “Everyone’s hatred was ever present”

Posted on 18/11/201918/11/2019 by cswpress

In several Latin American countries, religious leaders often take on the roles of community leader and human rights defender. As a result, these leaders often face harassment, intimidation and even violence at the hands of state and non-state actors. Over the past few weeks CSW has been presenting interviews with religious leaders working in the region to highlight their experiences on the frontlines of freedom of religion or belief.

Yilber is a Protestant pastor based in Cuba.

“I have received so many threats in my life as a Christian that there are, honestly, too many to count. This is something I want to describe, and to do this I won’t rely on generalisations or abstract, subjective examples, I will expose the scars borne by my family ever since we left our town to do pastoral work.

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En la línea de fuego frente a la LdRC: “Si puedo matar a un cura entonces puedo matar a cualquiera”

Posted on 21/10/201918/10/2019 by cswpress

En algunos países latinoamericanos, líderes religiosos frecuentemente desempeñan papeles como líderes comunitarios y defensores de los derechos humanos. Como resultado, estos líderes se enfrentan al acoso, la intimidación e incluso la violencia en las manos de actores estatales y no estatales. Durante las próximas semanas CSW presentará entrevistas con líderes religiosos quienes trabajan en la región para destacar sus experiencias en la línea de fuego frente a la libertad de religión o creencia (LdRC).

El Padre Omar Sotelo Aguilar trabaja con el Centro Católico Multimedial (CCM) en México documentando ataques contra sacerdotes.

“En los últimos años México ha sido peligroso para periodistas, sacerdotes y otros líderes religiosos. Yo soy sacerdote católico y periodista desde hace ya 25 años, así que me enfrento a un doble riesgo. Pero independientemente de ello estamos expuestos como cualquier persona.

Decidí enfocarme en mi trabajo por el ángulo periodístico, además de ser un tema que era poco visible pero muy real y crudo. El buen periodismo, como la buena incidencia política, está basado en hechos, números y documentación.

LEE MÁS

FoRB on the Frontlines: “If I can kill a priest then I can kill anyone”

Posted on 21/10/201918/10/2019 by cswpress

In several Latin American countries, religious leaders often take on the roles of community leader and human rights defender. As a result, these leaders often face harassment, intimidation and even violence at the hands of state and non-state actors. Over the next few weeks CSW will be presenting interviews with religious leaders working in the region to highlight their experiences on the frontlines of freedom of religion or belief.

Father Omar Sotelo Aguilar works in Mexico for the Catholic Multimedia Centre (CCM) documenting attacks against Catholic priests.

“In recent years Mexico has been a dangerous place for journalists, priests and other religious leaders. I have been a Catholic priest and a journalist for about 25 years now, so I face a double risk. But even without taking this into account, we are as exposed as any other person.

I decided to approach this work from a journalist’s perspective as it is an issue that was not very visible, but was a very harsh reality. Good journalism, like good advocacy, is based on facts, figures and documentation.

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