Sierra Leone, speaking as a concerned country, thanked the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion or belief for his visit and his excellent report and reiterated its commitment to freedom of religion or belief, instituted in various provisions of its 1991 constitution. Sierra Leone recalled the Special Rapporteur’s note that it had worked hard to achieve a model of religious freedom and foster an “admirable culture of inter-religious and intra-religious openheartedness”. It drew particular attention to the Special Rapporteur’s comments on the role of religion in rebuilding Sierra Leonean society following the war, when religious communities played a crucial role in promoting peace and tolerance. The delegation expressed commitment to ensuring that religious freedom, tolerance and respect remained central to society and to promoting peace and preventing social divide, fragmentation or rise of religious extremism.
Jordan, speaking as a concerned country, thanked the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of religion or belief for his report and remarks. There had been many royal decisions guaranteeing respect for religious belief and the right to practice one’s religion in Jordan. Furthermore, Jordan had made interreligious dialogue and respect among religions one of its fundamental principles; its legislation guaranteed non-discrimination, equality, and acceptance of others. King Abdullah took the initiative to propose an interreligious week to the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010, stressing the importance of mutual understanding between religions. Legislation established the acceptance of new non-Muslim religions and freedom of belief as long as they were not in contradiction with public order. The number of measures was spreading the culture of tolerance and dialogue among religions; the acceptance of others was encouraged by organizing conferences or establishing cultural centres to promote tolerance and co-existence.
Burkina Faso, speaking as a concerned country, said it placed great importance on international instruments in the context of counter-terrorism. It took note of the report of the Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and welcomed its quality. Despite the fact that Burkina Faso had fortunately been spared from the scourge of terrorism, the Government had implemented legislation, in particular, on terrorism financing and through the ratification of the majority of the international instruments in this field. The report of the Special Rapporteur noted a number of the obstacles faced by Burkina Faso and the need for the international community to continue to provide the necessary support. The delegation therefore welcomed the recommendations made by the mandate holder and reiterated the Government’s intention to engage with international fora and other States in order to respond effectively. Burkina Faso expressed recognition for the Special Rapporteur’s work towards sparing innocent victims of terrorism.
Chile, speaking as a concerned country, reiterated its commitment to the international system of human rights and said for that reason it maintained open-ended invitations to mandate holders. The report of the Special Rapporteur on his visit to Chile addressed counter-terrorism legislation and focused on the Mapuche people. Chile clarified that neither social movements nor demonstrations were criminalised, as indicated in the report. However, the exercise of social movements or demonstrations could not undermine other rights and had to take place within the principles of security and democratic public order. Anti-terrorism legislation was not arbitrarily applied or with the aim to discriminate against members of the Mapuche community, but on acts of extreme violence which sought to cause terror or alter public tranquillity. Chile stressed that anti-terrorist legislation was applied only under exceptional circumstances and public attorneys followed the principles of legality and objectivity. Also that investigations in the context of crimes of terrorism were conducted within the relevant norms, including judicial independence.
Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said that the issue of hate speech must be tackled effectively and that the Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provided clear guidance on what forms of hate speech must be prohibited by law. The Rabat Plan of Action was useful in balancing freedom of expression and incitement to hatred or violence. The issue of accountability for civilian casualties in the use of armed drones must be addressed.
European Union said that intolerance and incitement to violence were complex issues that required a multi-layered approach. It asked about the positive examples of addressing the root causes of religious hatred and how the Rabat Plan of Action could be effectively implemented. Concerning the use of armed drones, the European Union said that it expected States to respect their international obligations and to refrain from perpetuating unlawful killings inside or outside of their territory.
Yemen, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said there was dire need for the international community to confront the phenomena of racial and cultural intolerance. The dialogue between religions would bridge the gap and close the door to extremists. Mutual respect of each other must be the basis for freedom of expression so that attacks on a religion would not be allowed. The interdependence prevailing in the United Nations and the cooperation between countries were essential in addressing the use of armed drones.
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