During the general debate under Item 3 of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) delivered a statement drawing attention to the continued misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan and their severe impact on religious minority communities.
The debate followed the presentation of several thematic reports by H.E. Mr. Marcelo Vázquez-Bermúdez, Chair-Rapporteur of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to Human Rights, and Ms. Peggy Hicks, Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The session addressed a range of global human rights issues, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the protection of migrants, disability-inclusive infrastructure, minority rights, the work of regional human rights organizations, and accountability mechanisms related to torture and business and human rights.
In its intervention, GHRD highlighted the ongoing application of Pakistan’s blasphemy provisions under Sections 295 and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code. While these laws are formally presented as measures to protect religious harmony, GHRD stressed that in practice they have increasingly been used to target vulnerable communities, including Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis, and Shia Muslims.
According to documented cases referenced in the statement, nearly 2,800 individuals have been accused under these provisions since 1987, with a significant rise in allegations in recent years. Many accusations occur without credible evidence and have resulted in arbitrary detention, prolonged imprisonment, mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and forced displacement of affected individuals and communities.
GHRD also expressed concern over the growing role of digital platforms in the spread of fabricated accusations and incitement to violence, which has contributed to an expansion of persecution and heightened risks for religious minorities.
The organization emphasized that blasphemy laws in their current form are incompatible with international human rights standards, particularly the rights to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression as protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The imposition of the death penalty for blasphemy was also highlighted as inconsistent with international legal standards restricting capital punishment to the most serious crimes.
GHRD called on the Human Rights Council to maintain sustained attention to the issue and encouraged Pakistan to bring its legislation and practices into conformity with its international human rights obligations.
The statement was delivered as part of the general debate under Item 3, which addresses the promotion and protection of all human rights and the work of special procedures and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
