"We urge the Nepali government to repeal this unjust law and amend Article 26 (3) of the constitution as they both curtail the right to freedom of religion or belief ..."
Source/Credit: The Christian Daily
By Lorraine Caballero | October 29, 2017
Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari signed a bill into law on Oct. 16 that outlawed religious conversion and evangelism. The bill was passed by parliament on Aug. 8 despite human rights defenders' appeal not to approve the measure.
The Criminal Code Bill was signed on the same day that Nepal was elected for the first time as a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Pastor Tanka Subedi of the Religious Liberty Forum in Nepal expressed sadness over the measure as it "severely restricts our freedom of expression and our freedom of religion or belief," Christianity Today relayed.
The constitution of Nepal guarantees the state protection of the Hindu faith. Article 26 (3) also prohibits converting to another religion and freely expressing one's faith in public.
For Christian Solidarity Worldwide chief executive Mervyn Thomas, Nepal's new law mimics India and Pakistan's blasphemy laws which are allegedly being used to single out religious minorities. He pointed out the irony of the country being nominated for a seat on the Human Rights Council at a time that it signed the "unjust" law.
"We urge the Nepali government to repeal this unjust law and amend Article 26 (3) of the constitution as they both curtail the right to freedom of religion or belief and undermine Nepal's commitments under international law, a contradiction made even more striking as Nepal assumes its seat on the Human Rights Council," said Thomas in a press release.
In December 2016, four Christians in Nepal were told to spend five years in jail over charges involving "violence and witchcraft" after they prayed for a woman suffering from mental illness. However, World Watch Monitor reported last month that their sentences have been overturned and they have already been freed.
The woman in question had testified before the court that the Christians' prayer had healed her of her illness, but the four were still convicted. Local church leaders believed that the believers were targeted in that case because of their faith.
Read original post here: Nepal's president signs bill outlawing Christian conversion and evangelism
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