Category: Asia

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” →

International Women’s Day: A plea to end conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence  

Posted on by cswpress in Burma, Iraq, Sudan, Syria

Warning: This blog contains details some readers may find distressing. 

‘They destroyed my life; they sold and bought me like a sheep.’ 

Kofan was 14 years old when Islamic State (IS) terrorists abducted her from her village in Sinjar in northern Iraq in 2014.  

Over the subsequent decade she was sold as a sex slave multiple times, and at one point she was ‘owned’, along with six other women, by an elderly man called Abou Jaafar. The group of women were all brutally beaten and repeatedly raped while in captivity. 

Continue reading “International Women’s Day: A plea to end conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence  “ →

Indonesia’s presidential elections: How have human rights fared under Jokowi?

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, Indonesia

Indonesia’s presidential election is imminent; on 14 February President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, will step down after two terms in office and the world’s third-largest democracy and largest Muslim-majority nation will head to the polls to elect their next leader. National and local parliamentary representatives and senators will also be voted on.

The election carries with it significant implications for human rights including freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). How have religious minorities fared under Widodo’s presidency and what must be addressed by the incoming president to improve the FoRB for all in the country?

The instrumentalization of religion in politics

Jokowi is a popular figure in Indonesia, with 97% of non-Muslims voting for him in the 2019 elections, but his election promises of addressing past human rights abuses, inequalities and bolstering rights protections remained largely unrealised. Under Jokowi’s presidency, discriminatory practices and violent assaults on ethnic and religious minorities have persisted.

Continue reading “Indonesia’s presidential elections: How have human rights fared under Jokowi?” →

‘Emperor of Hindu hearts’: Narendra Modi rebranded

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, India

Millions of Hindus in India and across the world watched with pride as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the grand Ram Mandir (Ram temple) in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on 22 January.

It was a historic moment that many devotees had been waiting to witness for decades. This is the site that is believed to be the birthplace of one of the most revered Hindu deities, Ram, and the inauguration of the temple or the Pran Pratishta ceremony (the act of consecrating the idol in the temple and bringing it to life) held deep religious significance.

More than 7,000 people were invited as guests, including top Bollywood celebrities, cricketers, large business owners and about 4,000 Hindu priests. There were seas of saffron not just in Ayodhya but across the country where people gathered in smaller local temples to celebrate the occasion.

Continue reading “‘Emperor of Hindu hearts’: Narendra Modi rebranded” →
Police van and cyclist in Beijing, China

Vague definitions and arbitrary crackdowns make the struggle of China’s religious minorities that much harder

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, China

‘I have asked investigative officers, prosecutors and judges: Where can you find me a document in which a department has designated, let’s say, the Shouters as a xie jiao or a xie jiao organisation? I have asked the prosecution dozens of times in court whether there is such a thing. No one has ever said “Yes, I can find it for you” or showed me such a document.’

Chinese human rights lawyer

To be designated xie jiao is to be openly pursued and persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Under the rule of Xi Jinping the situation for almost every religion or belief community in China has deteriorated amid a worsening picture for human rights across the country, but for groups labelled xie jiao, this has been a reality for decades.

What is xie jiao?

Xie jiao – usually translated into English as ‘heterodox teachings’ or ‘evil cults’ – has been illegal in China since October 1997. It is criminalised under Article 300 of the Criminal Law, which prohibits ‘organizing/using xie jiao to undermine implementation of the law’ and carries a punishment of three to seven years imprisonment, ‘or more’.

Continue reading “Vague definitions and arbitrary crackdowns make the struggle of China’s religious minorities that much harder” →