November 15, 2007 – Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Task Force on International Religious Freedom, today made the following remarks regarding the state of emergency President Pervez Musharraf declared on November 3, 2007, suspending the Constitution and the Supreme Court, and cracking down on human rights defenders.  Among those targeted was Asma Jahangir, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Chairperson of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a leading human rights defender who was placed under house arrest on November 4, 2007. 

“For too long the government of Pakistan and its representatives at the United Nations have acted in contravention of the very international human rights they committed to uphold as a member of the Human Rights Council,” Franks stated.  “Now, Pakistan has detained one of the UN’s own human rights advocates — Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.” 

Considered one of Pakistan’s top human rights defenders, Ms. Jahangir was one of the first women to become a lawyer and has been physically attacked by the police in Pakistan for her work promoting equal dignity and respect for women and religious minorities. 

“Asma’s detainment only illustrates the growing, desperate need for the government of Pakistan to honestly reevaluate their current position as an ‘ally’ in the war on terrorism.”  Pakistan’s own anti-blasphemy laws and their support for resolutions in the UN that protect these laws have contributed to an environment in which other UN member states are increasingly justifying limitations on human rights in order to prevent any offense to religious belief. 

Not only are religious defamation laws completely subjective to the whim of the state, but they undermine the very essence of religious freedom and other basic human rights as well, including the rights of women and the freedom of expression.  Moreover, these laws have played into the hands of Islamic extremists who seek to impose their interpretation of Islamic law on everyone, preventing dissent within religious belief and open discussion of faith, ultimately exacerbating religious differences and intolerance. 

The government of Pakistan has been criticized by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom for cutting a deal with radical Islamist parties, perpetuating abuses of religious freedom and other human rights, and thereby “strengthening the very extremists who incite participation in terror activity.”

“Silencing human rights defenders throughout Pakistan will not help defeat the threat of Islamic terrorists, and Ms. Jahangir and others like her must be released immediately and unconditionally.”  Franks stated.

In addition to Ms. Jahangir, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders, Hina Jilani, also had a house arrest warrant issued against her and is expected to be detained upon her return to Pakistan.  Other members of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, members of the Supreme Court, and hundreds of judges, lawyers, and human rights advocates have also been placed under house arrest or been detained. 

Franks stated, “As all of this unfolds, the UN’s only response is calling upon the government of Pakistan to ‘clarify the status of those detained.’  Perhaps it is time to dismantle the platform whereby countries such as Pakistan get away with flaunting the most basic human rights they should be committed to upholding unless they begin to protect the absolute foundation of human dignity upon which the U.N. was purportedly established.”