ACLJ & ECLJ Team on the Ground at the U.N. in Geneva

 

Our team from both Washington, DC, and Strasbourg, France has arrived in Geneva for the United Nations (U.N.) Human Rights Council hearings.  There are three primary issues that we will be dealing with.

 

First, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is going to reintroduce its Defamation of Religion prohibition.  As you will recall last year, we were able to obtain more no and abstention votes than yeses.  This was the first time that the OIC saw a decrease in support for their resolution.  However, knowing they will have a more hospitable hearing in the Human Rights Council, the OIC is reintroducing its resolution.  This time, the resolution will be binding and mandatory.  This means that nation states that do not adopt the Defamation of Religion prohibitions will be sanctionable by the U.N.  This is a drastic step by the OIC.  In essence, the proclamation of the Gospel would be criminalized under this provision.  Our goal is to build additional support so that when the resolution is put forward at the General Assembly in the fall, we will be successful in meeting the challenge.  To add your name of support to the Petition to the United Nations, click here.  

 

Secondly, there are reports coming out of the Middle East that a number of countries are considering bringing formal charges against Israeli Defense Forces officers before the International Criminal Court (ICC).  Our Senior Counsel for Military Affairs, Skip Ash, has prepared a detailed legal defense for these soldiers.  To read the report, click here.  We will be working with democratic nations in order to prevent the ICC from taking jurisdiction. 

 

Third, the Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom will be issuing her report on the Middle East. As you will recall, we were involved in the field work, specifically showing the persecution aimed at Christians under predominately Islamic regimes.  The Human Rights Rapporteur focused on the case of Rami Ayyad from Gaza.  Rami was the operator of the Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip who was brutally assassinated by Hamas last year.  This past December, our Special Operations Unit in the Middle East successfully obtained the protection of Ramis widow and three children by relocating them to a safe area.  We have a special documentary that will be available shortly on that rescue operation. 

 

Finally, on the domestic front, President Obama has moved for a rescission of the Conscience Clause protections for medical professionals and has also lifted the federal funding of embryonic stem cells that was put in place by former President Bush.  I encourage you to visit our affiliate site, beheardproject.com, where an ongoing effort is being made to rally young adults to this important cause.