violence – FoRB in Full

The inevitable result of Myanmar’s sham elections must not confer any legitimacy on its military regime

Posted on 15/12/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Burma

On 28 December Myanmar will begin its first general elections since its military junta seized power in a coup in February 2021.

Of course, these elections will be neither free nor fair. They will take place against a backdrop of the continued detention of at least 22,000 political prisoners, including the country’s last freely elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the deregistration of numerous political parties by the military-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC), and the relentless killing of civilians.

The outcome is guaranteed, but this can by no means be permitted to grant the regime a veneer of legitimacy on the international stage, and specifically among its neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) where it seeks it most.

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Despite government promises, ‘Total Peace’ remains elusive in Colombia today

Posted on 11/11/202512/11/2025 by cswpress in Colombia, Latin America

On 4 April Maribel Silva, Isaíd Gómez and Isaíd’s uncle, Carlos Valero obeyed the summonses of an illegal armed group operating in the Calamar Municipality of Colombia’s Guaviare Department. The next day, James Caicedo, Jesús Valero, Maryuri Hernández, Nixon Peñalosa and Oscar García did the same.

After the individuals failed to return home to their families in the hamlet of Agua Bonita in Pueblo Seco their family members reached out to representatives of the illegal armed group who had issued the summonses, but the group denied that any summonses had been issued. Later, the family members were indirectly warned that they should stop looking for their loved ones and ‘consider the case to be closed.’ 

So their families were left waiting, in the horrific uncertainty of what might have happened to them, wondering whether to sit tight, holding onto hope that their family members still might return home, or to flee the region out of fear of reprisals and for the safety and protection of the lives of the children and parents of the disappeared individuals. All eight individuals had already relocated and settled in Guaviare after being displaced from Arauca Department due to violence and severe violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the closure of churches and the targeting of Protestant pastors by illegal armed and criminal groups over the past decade. 

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A pesar de las promesas del Gobierno, la «Paz Total» sigue siendo una utopía en Colombia

Posted on 11/11/2025 by cswpress in Colombia ES, español, Latin America ES

El 4 de abril, Maribel Silva, Isaíd Gómez y el tío de este, Carlos Valero, se dirigieron a acudir a una reunioón solicitada por un grupo armado ilegal que opera en el Municipio de Calamar, Departamento de Guaviare, Colombia. Al día siguiente, James Caicedo, Jesús Valero, Maryuri Hernández, Nixon Peñalosa y Óscar García hicieron lo mismo.

Tras no regresar a sus hogares en el paraje de Agua Bonita, en Pueblo Seco, sus familiares contactaron a representantes del grupo armado ilegal que había emitido las citaciones, pero ellos negaron haberlas emitido. Posteriormente, se advirtió indirectamente a los familiares que debían dejar de buscar a sus seres queridos y «considerar el caso cerrado».

Así, sus familias quedaron en el limbo, sumidas en la terrible incertidumbre de lo que les habría ocurrido, preguntándose si debían permanecer allí, aferrándose a la esperanza de que sus familiares regresaran a casa, o huir de la región por temor a represalias y por la seguridad y protección de la vida de los hijos y padres de las personas desaparecidas. Esas mismas ocho personas y sus familias se habían reubicado y establecido en Guaviare tras ser desplazadas del Departamento de Arauca debido a la violencia y las graves violaciones a la libertad de religión o de creencias, incluyendo el cierre de iglesias y los ataques contra pastores protestantes, por parte de grupos armados y criminales ilegales durante la última década.

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India’s ‘freedom of religion’ laws have nothing to do with preventing forced conversions

Posted on 15/09/202503/10/2025 by cswpress in Asia, India

On 20 August India’s Uttarakhand state government introduced significant amendments to its controversial anti-conversion law. Building on the original 2018 legislation and an initial round of amendments made in 2022, the Freedom of Religion and Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion (Amendment) Bill, 2025, imposes harsher punishments on a range of offences.

Individuals convicted of using allurement, misrepresentation or fraud to induce conversion now face anywhere from three to ten years in prison and a minimum fine of 50,000 rupees (approximately GBP £420). If the case involves a minor, a woman, a person with a disability, or a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, these penalties are increased to five to 14 years in prison and a fine of at least 100,000 rupees (GBP £840).

‘Mass conversions’ and those involving foreign funding are punishable with seven to 14 years imprisonment and a minimum fine of 100,000 rupees, while punishments for cases involving threats, assault, human trafficking, or marriage as a pretext for conversion can extend to 20 years or life imprisonment, along with fines covering the victim’s medical and rehabilitation costs.

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Pakistan must be made to end its decades-long tolerance and encouragement of the violent persecution of the Ahmadiyya community

Posted on 29/05/2025 by cswpress in Asia, Pakistan

At 2.30pm on 16 May, Dr Sheikh Mahmood arrived at Fatima Hospital in Sargodha, Punjab Province, Pakistan and proceeded to attend to his patients as per his routine. A highly respected gastroenterologist and hepatologist, Dr Mahmood was widely known for his dedication, professional excellence and compassionate nature.

But on this day – as he walked through the corridor of the hospital that he had worked in for the past seven years – an unidentified gunman opened fire on him from behind before fleeing the scene while openly brandishing a pistol. He sustained two gunshot wounds and was immediately transferred to Civil Hospital Sargodha, where he succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind a mother, wife, two daughters and two sons.

Dr Mahmood, 58, had no known personal enmities and Sargodha police have yet to confirm the motive behind the killing, however recent developments in Pakistan give much and highly-concerning reason to believe that he was likely targeted because of his faith – that is, because he was an Ahmadi Muslim.

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