harassment – FoRB in Full

Even in death, Christians in India’s tribal communities are denied their rights and dignity

Posted on 08/12/2025 by cswpress in Asia, China

On 5 November the family of Gajendra Sahu, whose name has been changed for security reasons, attempted to bury him in his ancestral village of Kodekhursi, in Kanker District, in India’s Chhattisgarh State.

Gajendra had converted to Christianity three years previously. He had also given up drinking after years of alcohol addiction, but sadly passed away following a prolonged period of ill-health caused by it.

His relatives should have been permitted to lay him to rest in peace, however, because of his conversion to Christianity, residents of Kodekhursi refused to permit his burial within village boundaries, and even on his family’s own plot. Repeated requests for intervention from the authorities proved unsuccessful, and the family was ultimately forced to travel close to 200km – with a police escort – to the state capital Raipur where they were finally able to conduct a dignified funeral service in a Christian cemetery.

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Vietnam’s government restructuring: Streamlining or strongarming?

Posted on 27/10/202527/10/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Vietnam

In April this year the Vietnamese government formally introduced sweeping reforms during the 11th Plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee. The meeting laid the groundwork for the restructuring plan, which was later affirmed at the first Congress of the Government Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure held on 13 October.

At the April plenum, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm described the reforms as part of a long-term vision for national development, stating: ‘The restructure is a strategic decision without precedent, aimed at ensuring fast, stable, and sustainable national development, and at better serving the lives of the people.’

The reforms have been hailed by officials as a bold step toward modernisation and efficiency, but behind the rhetoric of ‘streamlining’, human rights advocates warn that these changes may deepen state control, restrict freedoms further, and marginalise vulnerable communities—most of whom are ethnic and religious minorities.

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How the education system perpetuates religious intolerance in Pakistan, and how it could be a route to change

Posted on 06/10/202506/10/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Pakistan

‘No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate.’

These oft-quoted words of Nelson Mandela have proven all too true in far too many contexts throughout human history, as indeed they do in a very literal sense in Pakistan today.

While hatred can be ‘learned’ in many ways – from one’s family, or cultural background, or even from negative experiences with the object of said hatred – in Pakistan the teaching of hatred, specifically religious intolerance, is embedded in various forms into the very fibre of the country’s education system.

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Bridging the gap: The importance of finding common ground between religious groups and secular human rights organisations

Posted on 03/09/2025 by cswpress in Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Latin America, Mexico, Nicaragua

Oppressive governments depend, in part, on two things: unity among those who support them and divisions within the communities that do not. One of the greatest challenges in addressing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in countries where that right is regularly violated is bridging divisions between different groups within the religious sector, as well as the gap that often exists between the religious sector and secular human rights and other independent civil society organisations.

Religious groups often occupy a unique position within larger independent civil society. They are networked and organised, to different extents, with members who regularly attend and participate in their activities. They often possess a dedicated physical space, where they are able to hold their activities with minimal outside interference. Some religious groups will run outward focused activities, providing social services. In many cases, religious leaders not only hold a significant decree of influence within their respective community – they may also be perceived as moral adjudicators more widely even by people who do not share their religious beliefs.

Oppressive regimes are sensitive to the danger posed to them by a socially engaged religious sector and outspoken religious leaders who are willing to work hand in hand with larger civil society in defending civil and political rights. Division, therefore, is deliberately encouraged and stoked, often by intelligence and security agencies, with the goal of neutralising or coopting organised independent civil society, including the religious sector.

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Superando la brecha: La importancia de encontrar puntos en común entre los grupos religiosos y las organizaciones seculares de derechos humanos

Posted on 03/09/2025 by cswpress in Colombia ES, Cuba ES, El Salvador ES, español, Latin America ES, Mexico ES, Nicaragua ES

Los gobiernos opresivos dependen, en parte, de dos factores: la unidad entre quienes los apoyan y las divisiones dentro de las comunidades que no las apoyan. Uno de los mayores desafíos para abordar la libertad de religión o creencias (LdRC) en países donde este derecho se viola con frecuencia, es superar las divisiones entre los diferentes grupos dentro del sector religioso, así como la brecha que a menudo existe entre el sector religioso y las organizaciones seculares de derechos humanos y otras organizaciones independientes de la sociedad civil.

En general, los grupos religiosos suelen ocupar una posición única dentro de la sociedad civil independiente. Están interconectados y organizados, en distintos grados, con miembros que asisten y participan regularmente en sus actividades. Suelen contar con un espacio físico, donde pueden realizar sus actividades con mínima interferencia externa. Algunos grupos religiosos realizan actividades orientadas al exterior, prestando servicios sociales. En muchos casos, los líderes religiosos no solo ejercen una importante influencia dentro de su respectiva comunidad, sino que también pueden ser percibidos como jueces morales de forma más amplia, incluso por personas que no comparten sus creencias religiosas.

Los regímenes opresores reconocen el peligro que representa el sector religioso comprometido socialmente y el de aquellos líderes religiosos que se oponen abiertamente al sistema, y que están dispuestos a colaborar estrechamente con la sociedad civil, para generar la defensa de los derechos civiles y políticos. Por lo tanto, las agencias de inteligencia y de seguridad del régimen, fomentan y avivan deliberadamente la división interna de los grupos religiosos, con el objetivo de neutralizar o cooptar a la sociedad civil independiente organizada.

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