World Day Against Death Penalty: We Call on OIC States with the Death Penalty for Apostasy or Blasphemy to Repeal Them (8 Oct 2021)
Leading up to the World Day Against Death Penalty, Set My People Free together with 12 other organizations called on the 13 countries who have death penalty provisions for the non-violent conduct of apostasy (leaving or changing religion or belief) or blasphemy to repeal those laws. The letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation [OIC], appeals to him to call on those 13 member states to repeal those laws. The countries with the death penalty include Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, amongst others. More +
Release Blasphemy Law Victim Hamid Soudad (13 Aug 2021)
ALGERIA: Sentenced to Five Years for a Facebook Post - Members of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable call on the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to urge the Algerian authorities to release blasphemy law victim Hamid Soudad. Set My People Free together with Jubilee Campaign leads a letter with 17 other organizations and individuals addressed to the members to the Human Rights Council condemning the election of Somalia to the Human Rights Council Bureau. Ironically Somalia [who has the death penalty for apostasy in several regions of the country] replaced Sudan [who recently got rid of their apostasy law]. The organizations questioned this move and called on member and observer states to place pressure on Somalia to repeal their apostasy law [which violates the fundamental right to have or adopt a religion or belief of one's choice] or forfeit their Vice President position. More +
Integrity of the Council Compromised with Somalia in the Vice President Position of
the Bureau without Meaningful Freedom of Religion or Belief Reforms (13 July 2021)
GENEVA : 18 organisations and individuals released a letter to all Human Rights Council Member and Observer States condemning the choice of Somalia to replace the abrupt resignation of Sudan from the Vice-President position of the Bureau in June 2021. While Sudan has taken strides to improve human rights, most notably through the repeal of the death penalty for apostasy [the first modern country to do so] Somalia has, on the other hand, made no improvements to merit their new VP position and have rather increased religious freedom or belief violations. More +
World Day Against Death Penalty (9 Oct 2020)
Sixteen organisations, from different faiths and none, have submitted a letter to all UN member states urging them to take immediate steps to address this and to protect fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to adopt, leave or change their religion or belief. The hope is that this effort will increase the pressure on countries to repeal their laws on the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy following Sudan’s repeal this year, and further expedite countries’ full compliance with international human rights standards including the freedom of expression, and the right to adopt, leave or change religion or belief. More +
Open Letter to UN Delegations Regarding Apostasy and Blasphemy Laws (20 June 2016)
The letter was sent to all UN delegates. The letter highlights how Apostasy laws make it a criminal offense to change one’s religion and in doing so, they seek to deprive individuals of the ability to choose what to believe about the Divine. It also addresses how blasphemy laws breach international human rights norms, "Blasphemy laws make the state the judge of truth, and are thus often used to persecute political opponents. Blasphemy laws are often arbitrarily applied, leading to tragic persecutions and the murder and execution of innocent people.” More +
Open Letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (3 Dec 2014)
The Letter congratulates the High Commissioner on his appointment but also draws his attention to that the fact that 1.3 billion Muslims do not have the freedom to change their religion, an internationally guaranteed human right. Individuals who try to leave Islam are often faced with torture, imprisonment and even death. Former Muslims are not allowed to exist in Islamic states. In over 10 Islamic states the punishment for apostasy and blasphemy is death. In over 26 countries it is illegal for an individual to change his or her religion. They includes countries like Malaysia, Jordan and Morocco, which are considered moderate Islamic countries. More +
Letter to the General Secretary of the League of Arab States (3 April 2010)
Letter calling for the Arab League to secure absolute freedom for all Muslims to choose their belief of religion by their own consent and to guarantee their civil rights and legal rights amongst others. More +