[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 512 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 512

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 7, 2020.
Whereas Article 18 of the International Declaration of Human Rights states that 
        ``[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and 
        religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, 
        and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or 
        private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, 
        worship and observance'';
Whereas many countries continue to have criminal blasphemy laws and punish 
        people who engage in expression deemed by the government to be 
        blasphemous, heretical, apostate, defamatory of religion, or insulting 
        to religion or to religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such 
        punishment can include fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment 
        including by beheading;
Whereas blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Baha'i, 
        secularists, and many other groups, are inconsistent with international 
        human rights standards because they establish and promote official 
        religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result 
        in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and expression that 
        are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and 
        19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Committee stated in General Comment 34 
        that ``[p]rohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or 
        other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the 
        [ICCPR].'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 
        has found that blasphemy charges are often based on false accusations, 
        are used for sectarian or political purposes, and foster religious 
        intolerance, discrimination, and violence;
Whereas USCIRF has found that at least 70 countries had blasphemy laws as of 
        2018;
Whereas these laws were present in 18 Middle East and North African countries, 8 
        countries in the Americas, 18 Asia-Pacific countries, 14 European 
        countries, and 12 Sub-Saharan African countries;
Whereas the Pew Research Center found that countries with laws against 
        blasphemy, apostasy, or defamation of religion were more likely to have 
        severe governmental restrictions on religion, and to experience social 
        hostilities based on religion, than countries that did not have such 
        laws;
Whereas restrictive laws beyond those penalizing blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy 
        further limit religious freedom, such as extremism laws--

    (1) in Russia that have been used to ban Jehovah's Witnesses as an 
extremist organization and fueled persecution of this religious group;

    (2) in China, to arbitrarily detain an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 
Uighur Muslims in internment camps because they followed Islamic rituals 
and practices; and

    (3) in North Korea, to detain an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians 
in labor camps because they followed the tenets of Christianity;

Whereas an international group of experts convened by the Office of the United 
        Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recommended in 2012 that 
        ``[s]tates that have blasphemy laws should repeal the[m] as such laws 
        have a stifling impact on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief 
        and healthy dialogue and debate about religion.'';
Whereas blasphemy laws are inconsistent with United Nations resolutions adopted 
        by consensus since 2011 recognizing that religious intolerance is best 
        fought through positive measures, such as education, outreach, and 
        counter-speech, and that criminalization of speech is warranted only for 
        the prevention of imminent violence;
Whereas according to the annual religious freedom report published by the 
        Department of State in 2015, attackers in Bangladesh killed five 
        allegedly anti-Islamic or secularist writers and publishers, and injured 
        three others;
Whereas in response to these killings, the Home Minister of Bangladesh, rather 
        than condemning the murders, called on bloggers and others to refrain 
        from writings that could hurt the religious feelings of others and added 
        that violators of the warning would be subject to prosecution under the 
        restrictive religious freedom laws of Bangladesh;
Whereas a 2016 report by USCIRF on Bangladesh found that religious and civil 
        society groups fear that increasing religious extremism will result in 
        more criminal attacks and threats;
Whereas restrictive religious freedom laws validate and promote social violence 
        targeted at religious minorities and dissenters, whether Christian, 
        Muslim, secularist, or other;
Whereas USCIRF has found that in Pakistan, blasphemy laws have been used to 
        prosecute and persecute Muslims, Christians, secularists, and others;
Whereas according to a Pew Center report on religion and public life, Pakistan 
        stands out for having one of the highest levels of restrictions on 
        religion when both government restrictions and social hostilities are 
        taken into account;
Whereas USCIRF has found egregious examples of the enforcement of blasphemy laws 
        and vigilante violence connected to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, 
        where blasphemy charges are common and numerous individuals are in 
        prison, with a high percentage sentenced to death or to life in prison;
Whereas, as of May 2018, USCIRF was aware of approximately 40 individuals on 
        death row for blasphemy in Pakistan or serving life sentences;
Whereas Asia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010 and was held for 
        8 years, until the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned her conviction 
        in 2018, upheld her acquittal, and granted her permission to leave the 
        country to flee the threats against her in 2019;
Whereas Pakistan selectively enforces the blasphemy and anti-terrorism laws 
        against minority religious groups, including by specifically targeting 
        Ahmadiyya Muslims such as Abdul Shakoor, an 80-year old optician and 
        bookseller who was recently released after serving over three years in 
        prison on such charges;
Whereas blasphemy laws in Pakistan have fostered a climate of impunity, as those 
        who falsify evidence go unpunished and allegations often result in 
        violent mob attacks or assassinations, with little to no police 
        response;
Whereas in 2017, the Christian Governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, was convicted for 
        blasphemy of Islam and sentenced to two years in jail;
Whereas several countries that maintained blasphemy laws have recently taken 
        steps towards removing these provisions, including Greece, Ireland, and 
        Canada;
Whereas blasphemy laws in the United States were invalidated by the adoption of 
        the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the freedoms of 
        thought, conscience, expression, and religious exercise; and
Whereas the United States has become a beacon of religious freedom and tolerance 
        around the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws 
        inappropriately position governments as arbiters of religious truth and 
        empower officials to impose religious dogma on individuals or minorities 
        through the power of the government or through violence sanctioned by 
        the government;
            (2) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to make the 
        repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in the 
        bilateral relationships of the United States with all countries that 
        have such laws, through direct interventions in bilateral and 
        multilateral fora;
            (3) encourages the President and the Secretary of State to oppose--
                    (A) any efforts, by the United Nations or by other 
                international or multilateral fora, to create an international 
                anti-blasphemy norm, such as the ``defamation of religions'' 
                resolutions introduced in the United Nations between 1999 and 
                2010; and
                    (B) any attempts to expand the international norm on 
                incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions;
            (4) supports efforts by the United Nations to combat intolerance, 
        discrimination, or violence against persons based on religion or belief 
        without restricting expression, including United Nations Human Rights 
        Council Resolution 16/18 (2011) and the Istanbul Process meetings 
        pursuant to such resolution, that are consistent with the First 
        Amendment to the Constitution;
            (5) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to designate 
        countries that enforce blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws as 
        ``countries of particular concern for religious freedom'' under section 
        402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
        U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for engaging in or tolerating severe 
        violations of religious freedom, as a result of the abuses flowing from 
        the enforcement of such laws and from unpunished vigilante violence 
        often generated by blasphemy allegations;
            (6) urges the governments of countries that enforce blasphemy, 
        heresy, or apostasy laws to amend or repeal such laws, as they provide 
        pretext and impunity for vigilante violence against religious 
        minorities; and
            (7) urges the governments of countries that have prosecuted, 
        imprisoned, and persecuted people on charges of blasphemy, heresy, or 
        apostasy to release such people unconditionally and, once released, to 
        ensure their safety and that of their families.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.