BY : Anita Laryea Christian Today
A bill has been presented in Colombia to remove punishments for crimes relating to violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
Earlier this month, Colombia’s Minister of Justice, Néstor Ozuna, accepted a Senate committee proposal to remove language addressing crimes against religious sentiment and respect for the dead from legislation.
However, religious leaders and human rights defenders fear that the changes will leave religious groups in rural areas and conflict zones even more vulnerable, and make it harder for them to take legal action.
FoRB expert and Senator Lorena Ríos Cuellar has argued that abolishing these crimes will have a negligible effect as there were only 10 FoRB-related complaints in 2018, according to figures from the Public Prosecutor’s office.
“This will put members of religious groups in rural areas and conflict zones who experience a disproportionate percentage of these types of crimes in an even more vulnerable position and will reduce rather than increase their recourse to legal remedy,” she said.
“We call on the Colombian government to strengthen existing protections for FoRB and to ensure that these rights are consistently upheld for all.”
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