Category: Asia

‘In handcuffs, without paper or pen, I rely on others to convey my safety’ – a call for the release of Elder Zhang Chunlei

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, China

Zhang Chunlei has been detained by the Chinese authorities since 16 March 2021. An elder of Love (Ren’ai) Reformed Church in Guiyang in Guizhou Province, his detention began when he visited a police station in Guiyang to ask about ten Christians from his church who had been taken away during a police raid on a privately rented property where they were holding a retreat.

Upon his inquiry, police officers raided Zhang’s home, and those of several other church members, subsequently accusing him and three others of ‘illegally operating as an association’. Chen Jianguo, Li Jinzhi and Li Lin were released several days later on 20 March, but Zhang has remained in detention ever since.

Presumably by design, Zhang’s case has proven typically hard to disentangle over the past three years, with the charges against him changing on multiple occasions. On 28 March 2021 reports emerged that he had been criminally detained – meaning that any time he spent in detention from that date on would count towards any jail term if he was convicted – at this point on suspicion of ‘fraud’.

Continue reading “‘In handcuffs, without paper or pen, I rely on others to convey my safety’ – a call for the release of Elder Zhang Chunlei” →

India’s Muslims voted for justice and equality, but this remains a distant future

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, India

India is home to more than two hundred million Muslims, one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. However, in a crowd of close to 1.5 billion people, even this large community is reduced to a minority, accounting for just 14% of the population. In recent years, the community has been constantly reminded of this fact, having to fight to prove that they are equals and that they deserve the same rights as the Hindu majority.

Although the majority of India’s Muslims are native to the country, with a very small number of them having emigrated there from the Arab world, most Muslims today would agree that they are not made to feel equal to other Indian citizens.

Their plight has deteriorated significantly since India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Muslims treated largely as second-class citizens by a government that has embraced a dangerous Hindu nationalist rhetoric.

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Ten long years: Reflections on the Supreme Court ruling that promised much for Pakistan’s religious minorities

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, Pakistan

On 19 June 2014, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, under the leadership of the then Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, made a historic ruling that significantly advanced the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities in the country. This judgment was a pivotal moment in the country’s legal and human rights history, reflecting a commitment to upholding the principles of equality and non-discrimination enshrined within the Constitution of Pakistan.

Since its inception, Pakistan has grappled with issues surrounding the rights and protection of religious minorities. Despite the vision of its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who advocated for a secular and inclusive Pakistan, the reality for religious minorities has often been marred by persecution, discrimination, violence, and marginalisation. Incidents of blasphemy accusations, mob attacks, forced conversions, desecration of places of worship, and targeted violence have highlighted the urgent need for robust legal safeguards and proactive measures.

The 2014 judgment stemmed from a Suo motu notice taken by the Supreme Court following the Peshawar church bombing in September 2013, which resulted in the tragic loss of over 80 lives. This incident underscored the vulnerability of religious minorities and the need for the state to ensure their protection.

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Reflections on my beloved India in an election year

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, India

India is currently holding general elections in seven phases which are due to run from 19 April to 1 June 2024. CSW’s India Researcher, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, lives in Tamil Nadu state in the south of the country. Here she offers some reflections on what is at stake for the future of the nation.

A day before my state Tamil Nadu went to elections, I was browsing social media when I noticed an image posted by an old friend of mine who studied with me in a Christian school. The image was of a women dressed in a white sari who represented an Indian Hindu. Around her were four other men – a Christian, a communist, a Muslim and a member of the Dravidian political party – all with weapons in their hand trying to stab a visibly scared Hindu woman. The caption said ‘vote wisely’ – an apparent warning message to all the Hindus in his friend list that they are in danger and they need to vote for the party that claims to protect them.

I was quite surprised. Yes, I know thousands of radical Hindus in India genuinely believe that their religion is under threat. But to see someone who I knew, who had his whole education in a Christian school and still remained a Hindu, actually succumb to the false narrative that Hinduism is under threat – that was surprising. In the last few years, I have sadly come across many other Hindu friends and acquaintances who have come to believe that.

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The world must honour the memory of Cao Shunli by standing up for human rights defenders in China

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, China

Ten years ago today, Cao Shunli died in a military hospital in Beijing.

A prominent human rights activist, Ms Cao fought injustice in China for over a decade prior to her passing at the age of 53. In 2002, she was fired from a government job after she raised concerns about corruption in her department. Over the next 12 years she became a vocal advocate for human rights and anti-corruption, her work often specifically focused on the mistreatment of human rights defenders and petitioners (citizens who petition authorities for the redress of their grievances) by the Chinese authorities.

As is the case for so many others like her in China, Ms Cao’s work frequently put her at odd with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She was regularly subjected to arbitrary detention, house arrest and enforced disappearance, and served two stints in the country’s notorious labour camps for a total of 27 months.

Continue reading “The world must honour the memory of Cao Shunli by standing up for human rights defenders in China” →