As Human Rights Council elections take place at the UN General Assembly today, CSW is deeply concerned that states who repeatedly fail to protect human rights, including the rights of their own citizens should be considered for election. #HRC #UNGA

States of concern to CSW under consideration for election include China, Cuba, Mexico, Nepal, and Pakistan. Read our #thread to find out more.

China has faced heavy international criticism for its deteriorating human rights record, including extremely grave and widespread human rights violations in the Uyghur Region #China #Xinjiang

Between one and three million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other ethnic groups are believed to have been detained in ‘re-education camps’ since 2017, for varying periods of time, without charge. https://forbinfull.org/2020/04/06/no-one-is-immune-from-the-roundups-life-for-uyghurs-in-chinas-xinjiang-region/

The detentions are taking place amid a rapid and significant decrease in the level of freedom of religion or belief in China, and a broader pattern of increasing human rights abuses under Xi Jinping. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020-china-report

CSW has documented a significant rise in violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief in #Cuba in recent years. In 2019 alone CSW received 260 documented cases of #FoRB violations. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020/01/13/report/4519/article.htm

Violations include the harassment of leaders, restrictions on travel both within and outside of Cuba, arbitrary detention, the closure and demolition of places of worship, and the confiscation of religious property.

These violations are primarily perpetrated by the Office of Religious Affairs of the Cuban Communist Party, which has control over all religious groups and associations on the island and maintains a consistently antagonistic relationship with religious groups.

While the Mexican constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and other human rights to all its citizens, in practice FoRB violations are a common and widespread occurrence in certain regions across Mexico. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020-mexico-report #Mexico

The situation is exacerbated by a culture of impunity, with the Mexican govt taking insufficient action to hold perpetrators to account. In many cases state governments view FoRB violations as community issues or minor problems rather than violations of fundamental human rights.

There is little political will to address #FoRB cases, and those instructed to do so are often poorly resourced and usually lack expertise and training in human rights, including FoRB.

In #Nepal, the right to freedom of religion or belief is contravened by several parts of the country's legal framework, including the Nepalese constitution and the 2017 Penal Code. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020/05/01/report/4638/article.htm

In 2016, eight Christians were charged with attempting to convert children after sharing a comic book on the story of Jesus at a trauma relief camp. Although they were acquitted of all charges in December 2016, CSW remains concerned that similar cases will occur in the future.

In April 2019, four Christians were arrested and charged under Section 158 of the 2017 Penal Code for attempted proselytization and conversion, even though they were conducting a seminar for Christian leaders. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020/06/18/report/4696/article.htm

In #Pakistan, the situation for freedom of religion or belief continues to deteriorate, with multiple and ongoing violations taking place under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. https://www.csw.org.uk/2019/12/10/report/4501/article.htm

Concerns range from everyday institutional and social discrimination to targeted mass violence against religious minorities, often in places of worship. In recent years the situation has been exacerbated by a lack of accountability and impunity among a range of factors.

There are also multiple aspects of Pakistan's legal framework which undermine or restrict the right to #FoRB, including the country's controversial blasphemy laws, and a biased education system which is insensitive to the country's religious minorities. https://www.csw.org.uk/2020/05/01/report/4639/article.htm

We call on Member States to consider the benchmarks for election to the HRC and refrain from electing states who fail to fulfil the required criteria of cooperation with the Council and a commitment to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.

We also call for strict measures to be implemented to ensure states vying for election cooperate with and fulfil their responsibilities with regard to advancing human rights at home and abroad.