The document discusses sectarian abuse and religious freedom issues around the world. It provides details about the killing of Farkhunda Malikzada in Afghanistan after she was falsely accused of burning the Quran. It discusses how her death sparked outrage and calls for justice, with many being convicted. However, it notes blasphemy laws in other Islamic countries still endanger people and curtail religious freedom. Cases from Mauritania and Pakistan are briefly described to illustrate ongoing issues.

1. SECTARIAN ABUSE
DIFFERENT FROM
COUNTRY TO COUNTRY
Religion forhumanity
ABSTRACT
In the age of World Peace, the Messianic
age, we shall be Serving each other all the
time; there shall be no nations nor money nor
separate religions; the human family shall be
One
 Himadry sarkar->142-15-3586
 Tanjila Afroz->142-15-3452
 Myin Uddin->142-15-3561
 Adison goms-142-15-5256
Department of CSE
Section: F
38th
batch CSE

2. Rohingya killingsin Myanmar: UN urges
Bangladesh to openborder
The Daily Sun
18th November, 2016 09:48:52
Security forces are killing civilians, torching houses, and raping women in Muslimghettos around the Maungdaw
township, according to Human Rights Watch.
The United Nations has appealed to Bangladesh to keep the border for fleeing
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. TheUN's refugee agency spokesperson Adrian
Edwardsmade the appeal at a briefing in Geneva today.
Mr. Adrian said, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is
'appealing to the governmentof Bangladesh to keep its border with Myanmar
open and allow safe passage to any civilians from Myanmar fleeing the violence.'
At the same time, the United Nations pressed the Burmese governmentfor access
to the Rohingya ghettos in Maungdawtownship bordering Bangladesh, whereat
least 150 peoplehad been killed during armyoperations. Securityforcesare killing
civilians, torching houses, and raping women in Muslim ghettos around the
Maungdawtownship, according to Human Rights Watch.
UNHCR urged ‘for humanitarian accessto assess and meet the needs’ in the
Rohingya villages where it believes thousandsof people have ben displaced from
their homes by the ongoing security operation. ‘The affected population is

3. believed to be in urgentneed of food, shelter and medical care,’ the statement
said.
It urged Myanmar ‘to immediately allow humanitarian actorsto resume the life-
saving activities they had been carrying out for some 160,000 civiliansin northern
Rakhine State until such activities were suspended on 9 October.’ Myanmar state
media have reported that 102 suspected Rohingya attackers and 32 security forces
have been killed since Oct. 9.
Acrossthe Myanmar, Rohingyasareregularlypushed to specially designated areas
which have been transformed into de facto open-air prisons, with the movement
of inhabitantstightly restricted by armed guards.
While the army has barred anyhumanitarian assistance in the Maungdawarea
bordering Bangladesh, human rightsactivists are questioning newly elected
Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi’scontrol over the armed forces.
CNN today published a reportasking ‘Is The Lady listening?’ referring to the
‘deafening silence’ by the Burmese leader. A handfulof video shows remnantsof a
burned house, bodies clearly visible sticking outof the mud and ash, CNN reports.
All of the key issues in Rakhine State and activities are under military control, it
said.
Myanmar deniesaccounts of Rohingya
killings
The daily Sun 19thNovember, 2016 08:39:16
Myanmar’sstate media on Saturdaydenied Bangladesh border guards’ accountsof
Rohingya Muslims fleeing conflict at home by trying to crossinto the northern
neighbor.

4. A commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said on Fridayhis staff
provided food and medicines to 82 people, including women and children,
attempting to leave Myanmar butturned them back from the frontier. Two boats
with 86 people were pushed back on Tuesday.
State-run English languagenewspaper GlobalNew Lightof Myanmar said on
Saturdaya newly created information taskforce had found the reportsto be
untrue.
Soldiershave flooded the north of Rakhine state, along Myanmar’sfrontier with
Bangladesh, responding to attacks by alleged Muslim militants on border posts on
9 Oct.
Sixty-ninesuspected insurgentsand 17 membersof the security forces have been
killed since the violence began, according to official reports. Butreports from
rights bodies claim, latest armycrackdown on Rohingyasclaimed at least 150
lives until today.
In the early hoursof Saturday, Bangladesh Coast Guard hassent back At least 125
Rohingya refugees who were fleeing armycrackdown in bordering Myanmar. The
seven boats pushed back by the Coast Guard werecarrying 34 children, 64 females
and 27 males. Coast Guard officer atTeknaf, Lt Nafiur Rahman said that they have
increased patrolsince the Oct 9 attack on security posts of Myanmar border forces
in Rakhine state.
On Friday, the UN's refugee agency appealed to Bangladesh to keep the border
open for fleeing Rohingya refugeesfrom Myanmar. Spokesperson of UNCHR,
Adrian Edwardsmadethe appeal at a briefing in Geneva on Friday.
Earlier this month, Myanmar denied accusations by Rohingya that its military had
killed people fleeing the conflictwhich has displaced up to 30,000 people.
Rohingya residents have told Reuters hundredshavetried to flee to Bangladesh
after fighting intensified a week ago. The UN refugeeagency has said the border
should be kept open for people fleeing violence.

5. The conflict is the biggest test for Nobel PeacePrize winner Aung San Suu Kyi since
becoming Myanmar’sde facto leader seven monthsago, laying bare her lack of
oversight over the military, which has been accused of human rightsviolations
against ethnic minorities in the past.
The Global New Light of Myanmar said the government planned to create an
investigation commission to look into the “violent attacks in Maungtaw”, the
region in Rakhine at the center of the unrest.
The reportdid not specify whether the probewould include an investigation of
allegations of human rights abuses that the United Nations, the United States and
Britain have called for.
01:13 AM, November 08, 2016
Rampage over Hindus in B’baria
The daily Star
At least 15 Hindu temples in Brahmanbaria’sNasirnagar arevandalised and looted
this afternoon along with hundredsof houses of the Hindu community.
Miscreants vandalised and looted at least 10 Hindu temples in Brahmanbaria’s
Nasirnagar this afternoon along with hundredsof houses of the Hindu community.
Nasirnagar Upazila NirbahiOfficer (UNO) ChowdhuryMuazzam Ahmed told The
Daily Star that the rampagebegan around 1:30pm after a Facebookpost a few
days ago.
Protesting the Facebook post, a group of people staged two separate
demonstrationsat the upazila headquarterstoday, during the festivities of Diwali.
Nasirnagar Puja Committee’s GeneralSecretaryKhailpada Poddar alleged that at
least 15 Hindu temples were vandalised and looted. “200 Hindu houses were
ransacked and looted.”

6. Brahmanbaria policeSuperintendentMizanur Rahman told The Daily Star that
around 150 to 200 people launched the attacks and vandalised at least seven to
eight idols of five temples in the area.
Two people were injured in the attacks while six people were detained, he added.
Police took controlover law and order in the area around 2:00pm, thepolice
officialsaid. A raid was underwayto nab the culprits, last reported.
“A group of Hefajat-e-Islam attacked on the Hindu community and vandalised their
houses and temples while we were holding peaceful rally,” said Riazul Karim,
convener of Nasirnagar unitof AhleSunnatWal Jamaat.
A hugenumber of law enforcersfrom differentagencies including police, Rapid
Action Battalion (Rab), and paramilitaryBorder Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were
deployed in the area.
The law enforcerswill remain deployed until the situation cools down to normal,
Maj Abu Saeed, captain of Rab-7, told the correspondent.
Our correspondentvisited a dozen temples and confirmed thevandalism.
AbdulKader, officer-in-chargeof Nasirnagar PoliceStation said the attacks spread
in Kashipara, Ghoshpara and Dashpara areasand manyother places soon.

7. Police file two cases in this
connection
Zealots attackedtemples andvandalised Hindu houses in Nasirnagar over a Facebook post in Nasirnagar upazila onOctober 30,
2016. Star file photo
The Upazila NirbahiOfficer of Nasirnagar hasbeen transferred amid blames on
local administration for failureto contain attack on Hindu community in
Brahmanbaria.
ChowdhuryMuazzam Ahmed was transferred to the public administration ministry
today, deputy commissioner of Brahmanbaria Rezwanur Rahman told The Daily
Star.
The Daily Star has obtained a copy of the transfer order of the public
administration ministry, dated today, which said the move was made for the sake
of “public welfare”.
Contacted, the UNO told The Daily Star that he saw the transfer as a “blessing”.
Brahmanbaria hasbeen experiencing a spate of attacks on the Hindu minority
groups– the chain of which started a week ago last Sundaycentering a Facebook
post.

8. That day, zealots vandalised at least five temples and ransacked over a hundred
houses. Later, twice more, attacks were carried out on Hindus – setting their
houses on fire.
National rightsbody, rights activists and minority communityleaders said that the
main intention of attack was to drive away Hindusand occupy their lands.
They criticised local law enforcersand administration for failing to contain the
violence.
Meanwhile, Nasirnagar PoliceStation this evening filed two cases in connection
with torching five Hindu homes in the wee hoursof Fridayaccusing unnamed 150
people, said Abu Zafar, officer-in-chargeof the police station.
This is for the first time police filed cases related to the attacks on Hindu people
and vandalising their houses and temples.
New York-based rights bodyHRW released satellite image analysis from last week
showing hundredsof homes have been destroyed in multiple villages. The rights
body also called on the governmenton Thursdayto allow rightsmonitorsand
independentjournalists’ access to the area.
Citing an advocacygroup, Associated Press reports, at least 150 Rohingya had been
killed since last Saturday. Ko Ko Linn, a senior official of the Arakan Rohingya

9. National Organization (ARNO) said, Myanmar'sgovernmentsought to cover up the
killings by barring themedia and aid groupsfrom entering the area.
According to reportsby AFP, as the latest high-profilemedia-ban bythe Burmese
government, prominentUS photographer, Greg Constantine, was barred from
attending his own exhibition aboutpersecuted Muslim minority.
The agency reports, around 200 Rohingya Muslimsfleeing the surge in violence
after Burmese armed forces took controlof the state last month are stranded at
the Bangladesh border. Bangladeshiborder guardspushed backthe Rohingya --
mostly women and children.
BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR
International Religious Freedom Report for 2015
Executive Summary
Learn more about the U.S. Government's engagement on human rights abroad
Executive Summary
March 19 began as an ordinaryday for 27-year old Farkhunda Malikzada.
Farkhunda lived in Kabul, Afghanistan, a city that had alreadyendured decades of
warfareand still existed under the constantthreat of terroristattacks by the
Taliban. Despite this, Farkhunda lived a happyand optimistic life, according to her
family. She worked as a teacher’sassistant while studying Islamic law. Shelived
with a loving family and dreamed of being married and having children, and
perhapsbecoming a judge.
On March 19, Farkhunda’sdreamscameto a tragic end when she was falsely
accused of burning the Quran, an accusation that resulted in her brutal and
senseless death. As she made her way home from workthat day, Farkhunda

10. stopped at the Shah-eDu Shamshira Shrinein downtown Kabul. Shesaid her
prayersand then got into a discussion with the caretaker of the shrine, Zainuddin,
aboutthe selling of charmsat the shrine, which Farkhunda considered to be un-
Islamic. The discussion escalated into an argument, and the caretaker then
accused her of being a tool of the Americans, and of having committed blasphemy
by burning a Quran.
A crowd quickly gathered to hear the incendiaryaccusations. Quran burning is a
grave religiousoffense in many Islamic countries, where it is viewed as a form of
blasphemy.
Farkhunda denied the accusations and tried to defend herself from the
increasingly agitated mob. Before long, a member of the crowd urged the mob to
take “justice” into its own handsand kill her. Someof the police nearbytried to
intervene as the crowd began to beat Farkhunda and pull at her clothing. The
police officersgave up, however, and watched as the crowd tormented and killed
its victim. Shewas beaten with sticks and boards, kicked, run over by a car and
dragged, thrown into a dry riverbed, stoned, and finally set on fireas bystanders
recorded the crime and police watched every act of barbarity. Farkhunda died in
tormentand pain sometime during the attack, according to medical examiners, but
the crowd continued to abuse her lifeless body.
While Farkhunda’skilling illustrates the horrorsthatcan result from false
accusations of blasphemy in deeply conservative Islamic societies, what happened
subsequently demonstrates that changeis possible. President Ghani immediately
condemned the attack and ordered an investigation. The domestic outrageafter
the attack was immediate, led by civil society and women’sgroups. Afghan women
carried Farkhunda’sbodyto her grave-site in a culturally unprecedented funeral
procession that doubled as a widely publicized protest against her killing.
Governmentofficials and members of parliamentparticipated in the funeral, and
the head of the Ministry of Interior’scriminalinvestigation departmenttold the
crowd that Farkhunda wasinnocent. A few Afghan governmentand religious
leaders who had initially endorsed the killing were marginalized and in at least one
case fired.
Reflecting public pressure, the investigation was swift, and numerousindividuals
were broughtto trialand convicted for their involvement in Farkhunda’sdeath,
including police officers. Appealsin some of these cases continue, and civil society

11. has been vocal in pressing authoritiesto do moreto secure justice. The fact that
individuals have been held accountablefor this horrific crimerepresents a
significantstep forward for Afghanistan’sjustice system, and sends an important
message to those who mightsee allegations of blasphemyas a meansto act with
impunity againstothers. A prominentpublic memorial erected on the site of
Farkhunda’sdeath hasbeen the site of vigils and a widely publicized
commemoration of the one-year anniversaryof her killing.
In many other Islamic societies, societal passions associated with blasphemy –
deadly enough in and of themselves – are abetted by a legal code that harshly
penalizes blasphemyand apostasy. Such laws conflictwith and undermine
universally recognized human rights. All residents of countries where laws or social
normsencouragethe death penalty for blasphemy arevulnerable to attacks such
as the oneon Farkhunda. Thisis particularlytrue for those who have less power
and are morevulnerable in those societies, like women, religious minorities, and
the poor. False accusations, often lodged in pursuitof personalvendettas or for
the personalgain of the accuser, are notuncommon. Mob violence as a result of
such accusationsis disturbinglycommon. In addition to the danger of mob
violence engendered by blasphemy accusations, courtsin many countries
continued to hand down harsh sentences for blasphemyand apostasy, which were
used to severely curtail the religious freedom of their residents.
In Mauritania, Mohammad Cheikh Ould Mohammad (better known as “MKheytir”)
published an online article the governmentalleged criticized the Prophet
Mohammad, and implicitly blamed the country’sreligiousestablishment for the
plight of the country’sforgeron (blacksmith) caste, which historically has suffered
discrimination. In December 2014, a courtconvicted him of apostasy, a charge
which was subsequently downgraded in April2016 after the blogger “repented”,
and sentenced him to death. He remains in prison pending a decision from the
SupremeCourt, expected in May 2016, on a possible pardon. Protesterscalled for
the death of a prominenthuman rightsactivist who defended MKheytir, Aminetou
Mint El Moctar. Authoritiesissued an arrest warrantfor the leader of the
protestorsthreatening el Moctar’slife, Yahdih Ould Dahi, buthave not arrested
him.
Pakistan's blasphemylaws, which prescribeharsh punishments for crimes such as
the desecration of the Quran or insulting the ProphetMohammad, haveoften
been used as justification for mob justice. Since 1990, morethan 62 peoplehave

12. been killed by mob violence (according to Centre for Research and Security Studies
in Pakistan). In 2013, therewere 39 registered cases of blasphemy against a total
of 359 people, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
According to the U.S. Commission on InternationalReligious Freedom (USCIRF),
morethan 40 people remain on death rowfor blasphemy in Pakistan, many of
whom are members of religious minorities. Numerousindividuals involved in well-
publicized blasphemy cases from previous years -- including Sawan Masih, Shafqat
Emmanuel, Shagufta Kausar, and LiaquatAli -- remained in jail awaiting appeal.
In Sudan on November 2 and 3, authoritiesdetained 27 Muslims on chargesof
disturbing public order and apostasy. Those arrested areadherents of a school of
Islam that maintainsthat the Quran isthe sole source of religious authority, and
that rejects the sanctity of the hadiths -- contraryto the government’sofficialview
of Islam. The arrests happened during a seminar in which two individuals of the
group were leading a group discussion regarding their views of Islamic teachings.
Police charged membersof the group under Sudan’snewly-broadened apostasy
provision. Courtproceedingsfor those arrested have since been suspended, and
they have been released, butcharges have not been dismissed.
In SaudiArabia, media and localsources reported that the GeneralCourt in Abha
sentenced Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death for apostasy in November,
overturning a previous sentence of four years’ imprisonmentand 800 lashes (the
death sentence was subsequently overturned in February2016 and a sentence of
eight years’ imprisonmentand 800 lashes imposed). Officials from the Committee
for the Promotion of Virtueand Prevention of Vice initially arrested Fayadh in
August2013, after reportsthathe had made disparaging remarksaboutIslam. In a
separate incident in January, authoritiespubliclylashed Raif Badawi 50 times in
accordancewith a sentence based on his 2013 conviction for violating Islamic
values, violating sharia, committing blasphemy, and mocking religious symbols on
the Internet.
OTHER KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN 2015
Non-state actorssuch as Da’esh and Boko Haram continued to rankamongstthe
most egregious abusersof religiousfreedom in the world.
Da’esh continued to pursue a brutalstrategy of what SecretaryKerryjudged to
constitute genocide against Yezidis, Christians, Shia, and other vulnerablegroupsin

13. the territoryit controlled, and was responsible for barbarousacts, including
killings, torture, enslavement and trafficking, rapeand other sexual abuse against
religious and ethnic minorities and Sunnis in areasunder its control. In areas not
under Da’esh control, the group continued suicide bombingsand vehicle-borne
improvised explosive device attacks against Shia Muslims. In July, for example, the
media reported a Da’esh suicide bomber attacked a crowded marketplace in
Diyala, Iraq and killed 115 people. The victims were mostly Shia, who had gathered
in the market for the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to Da’esh in an audiotaped message in
March 2015, continued to launch indiscriminate, violent attacks targeting both
Christians and Muslims who spoke out against or opposed their violent ideology.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for scores of attacks on churchesand mosques,
often killing worshippersduring religiousservices or immediately afterward.
The Syriangovernmentand its Shia militia allies killed, arrested, and physically
abused Sunnisand members of religious minoritygroups, intentionally destroying
their property, according to numerousreports. Asthe insurgency increasingly
became identified with the Sunnimajority, according to experts, the government
targeted towns and neighborhoodsin variousparts of the countryfor siege,
mortar shelling, and aerialbombardmenton the basis of the religious affiliation of
residents. The governmentreportedlytargeted places of worship, resulting in
damageand destruction of numerouschurchesand mosques. Non-state actors,
including a number of groupsdesignated as terroristorganizationsby the United
States, such as Da’esh (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), and the Al-Nusra
Front, targeted Shia, Alawites, Christians and other religious minorities, as well as
other Sunnis. There were reportsof sectarian violence due to tensions among
religious groups, exacerbated bygovernment actions, culturalrivalries, and
sectarian rhetoric.
The result in the Levant, South Asia and northern Nigeria was continued mass
migration of vulnerable communities outof areas controlled and threatened by
violent extremism with a concordantlossin cultural richnessand diversity.
Around theworld, governments continued to tighten their regulatorygrip on
religious groups, and particularlyon minorityreligious groupsand religions which
are viewed as nottraditional to that specific country. ResearchersRoger Finke and
DaneMataic of Penn State University found that the number of countriesthat

14. requiresome sort of registration has increased significantly over the last two
decades, to nearly90 percentof all countries. Finke and Mataic assess that, while
some of these countries regulate religion in what appearsto be a non-
discriminatoryway, manyof the measures used to regulate religion, or to decide
what is a valid and recognized religion and what is not, are clearly discriminatory.
They also found that: the percentage of countries that required submission of
religious doctrinefor approvalprior to registration increased from 13 to 18
percent during their period of research; that the percentage of countries that
required a minimum number of religious communitymembers increased from 17
to 32 percent, and that the percentageof countriesthat sometimes denied
registration increased from 22 to 27 percent. Finke and Mataic found a strong link
between increasing registration requirementsand an overall deterioration in the
status of religious freedom in manycountries. They also found that membersof
minorityreligions, or religions that arenew to a country, aredisproportionately
discriminated against by this increasing regulation of the religiousspace.
For example, in Angola, thelawrequires religiousgroupsto register to receive legal
recognition from the state. In order to applyfor legal recognition, a religious group
must collect 100,000 member signaturesfrom 12 of the 18 provincesand submit
them to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. The Baha’i faith and the Global
Messianic Church were the only two non-Christian organizationslegallyregistered;
no Islamic groupswere recognized. The state, which recognizes 83 religious
groups, hasnot registered a new religious group since 2004, when it established
the currentregistration requirements.
Another example is Azerbaijan,wherethe registration processis also restrictive,
and religious groupsconsidered non-traditionalto Azerbaijan were often reluctant
to attempt to register. Religious groupswhose registration applicationsremained
pending included some Islamic groups, Jehovah’sWitnesses outside of Baku, and
Baptists, among others. Several of these communities were registered prior to a
2009 lawrequiring all previously-registered religious communitiesto reregister.
These groupsreported thatthe StateCommittee for Workwith Religious
Organizations(SCWRA) either rejected or did not adjudicatereregistration
applications.
In Iran, thegovernmentexecuted at least 20 individuals on charges of moharebeh,
translatableas “enmity towardsgod,” among them a number of SunniKurds. A
number of other prisoners, including several Sunnipreachers, remained in custody

15. awaiting a governmentdecision to implement their death sentences. According to
the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center database of prisoners, at least 380
religious practitionersremained imprisoned at the end of the year for their
membership in, or activities on behalf of, a minorityreligious group, including
approximately250 Sunnis, 82 Baha’is, 26 Christian converts, 16 non-SunniSufis, 10
Yarsanis, three Sunniconverts, and two Zoroastrians. According to representatives
of the Baha’icommunity, the governmentcontinued to prohibitthe Baha’isfrom
officially assembling or maintaining administrative institutions, actively closed such
institutions, harassed Baha’is, and disregarded their propertyrights. Christians,
particularlyevangelicals and converts, continued to experience disproportionate
levels of arrests and high levels of harassment and surveillance, according to
reportsfrom exiled Christians.
In SaudiArabia, theSupremeCourtupheld death sentences for at least four Shi’a,
including Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The three other Shi’a men -- Ali al-Nimr (Nimr al-
Nimr’snephew), Dawood al-Marhoon, and Abdullah al-Zaher -- wereconvicted of
crimes committed when they were legal minors. Allthree alleged that authorities
had used confessions obtained under duress in their convictions. The Saudi
governmentalso sought prison terms and death sentences for dozens of
individuals involved in 2011-2012 protestsdemanding greater rightsfor Shi’a in the
Kingdom; some of the charges includeviolence against security forces.
Since 2013, provincialauthoritiesin Zhejiang, China ordered thedemolition of
several state-sanctioned Protestantand Catholic churchesand the removal of over
1,500 crossesas partof a governmentcampaign targeting so-called “illegal”
structures. Lawyers and religious leaders protesting the campaign facedetention
and arrest. In August2015, Chineseauthorities seized human rights lawyer Zhang
Kai just prior to a scheduled meeting with the U.S. Ambassador atLarge for
InternationalReligious Freedom. Zhang Kaihad been providing legal counsel to
church communitiesaffected by a government-led campaign to demolish “illegal”
churchesand crosses. He was finally released in March 2016, buttheU.S.
governmentremains concerned abouthis well-being.
The exercise of religious freedom continued to be nearly non-existent in North
Korea. In 2015, theUnited States co-sponsored annualresolutionsadopted by the
UN GeneralAssembly and Human Rights Council that condemn the country’s
“systematic, widespread, and grosshuman rights violations.” The resolutions
further expressed their grave concern over the DPRK’sdenialof the rightto

16. freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as well as of the rights to freedom of
opinion, expression, and association, and urged the governmentto take immediate
steps to ensure these rights.
The June 2015 reportreleased by the UN Commission of Inquiry(COI) on Human
Rights in Eritrea found thatauthoritiesprohibited religiousgatherings; confiscated
religious materials; arrested, ill-treated, tortured, and coerced religious adherents
to recant their faith; and disappeared or killed many religious followersover the
courseof its reporting period between 1991 and 2015.
In 2014, Brunei implemented Phase1 of a Sharia Penal Code(SPC), which
expanded existing restrictions on minor religiousoffenses such as eating during
Ramadan, cross-dressing, and close proximitybetween unmarried people of
differentgenders. Phase 2 and Phase3 are scheduled for implementation in 2017
and 2018. Phase2 includes corporalpunishmentssuch as amputation for theft,
and Phase 3 includes stoning to death for apostasy.
In Burma, between May and August, the previous military-led government adopted
a package of four laws related explicitly to “protection of race and religion” that, if
enforced, will infringeon the exercise of religiousfreedom and other human rights.
These laws, which appear to target members of the country’sMuslim minority,
were championed by prominentBuddhistleaders. The new governmenthas not
taken any steps to reverse these laws.
The Vietnamese Committeefor ReligiousAffairsreleased a draftof the “Law on
Religion and Belief” for public comment in April2015. Despiterepresentationsby
Vietnamese officialsthat the new law would begin to bring the countryinto
compliancewith its internationalobligations, the draftlaw appeared to make only
minimal changesto the deeply problematic currentregulationson religion. Several
representatives of religiouscommunities have asserted that a “bad” draftlaw
would be worse than keeping the current, less formalpatchworkof regulations.
Others have argued the draftlaw, while imperfect, will legally “lock in” certain
limited rights, such as the rightof religious groupsto rent property, hold events, or
ordain clergy. Subsequentdraftshave made some encouraging improvements, but
many concerning issues remain unaddressed.
In the CentralAfricanRepublic, a Muslim motorcycletaxi driver in Banguiwas
beheaded by unknown attackers and his bodydumped in frontof a mosque.

17. According to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission
in the Central Africa Republic (MINUSCA), atleast 41 civilians died in Banguiduring
the ensuing interreligiousviolence, while morethan 40,000 peopleweredisplaced.
In response to the violence, the mostly Christian anti-Balaka forces surrounded the
Muslim PK5 communitywith blockades, trapping theresidents inside. The
blockades were broken during PopeFrancis’ visit morethan a month later.
Despite a policy of “zero tolerance” for anti-Semitism, the Hungariangovernment
and Szekesfehervar city governmentprovided funding for the Balint Homan
Foundation to erect a statue to Balint Homan, a notoriousWorld War II-era anti-
Semite, which they later withdrew after an internationaloutcry.
The Sunni-led governmentin Bahrain continued to question, detain, and arrest
Shia clerics, communitymembers, and opposition politicians for defaming another
religion, inciting hatred against another religiousgroup, engaging in political
speech in sermons, and allegedly supporting terrorism. In April, the Courtof
Cassation upheld the dissolution of the Islamic Ulema Council (IUC), themain
assembly of Shia clerics in the country, saying the IUC had used religion as a cover
for political activity.
In Ukraine, Russian-occupation authorities in Crimea continueto take action
against membersof minorityreligious groups, including Tatarsthrough raids,
detentions, and prosecutionsthrough “anti-extremism” laws.
The governmentof Russia continued to grantprivileges to the Russian Orthodox
Church that it did not accord to others, while limiting the activities of Muslims and
other minority religious groupssuch as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, and
Scientologists. Additionally, Russian authorities used anti-extremism laws
throughoutRussia to revoke the registrationsof minorityreligious groupsand
impose restrictions on their religious practices, and their ability to purchaseland
and build places of worship. Currently, the Prosecutor General’sOfficeis
threatening to liquidate the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
for alleged “extremist activity,” which would effectively shut down all of its 406
local religious associations and over 2,500 congregations. Itcould also result in
confiscation of their assets.
In Europe, some governments expressed concern over entryof migrantsand
asylum seekers on religiousgrounds. In Hungary, for example, theprimeminister

18. repeatedly emphasized the importanceof defending the “Christian values of
Europe,” and some SlovakRepublic officialsportrayed Muslimsas potential threats
to Slovak security, cultureand society and threatened to select only Christian
refugees for resettlement.