Geneva: On March 11, 2025, Professor Shahid Mobeen, President of the Italian Consultation for Religious Freedom or Belief, spoke at a side event of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva. The event, organized by the Jubilee Campaign, was dedicated to “Freedom of religion or belief and the prohibition of torture in Pakistan, Eritrea, Nicaragua and Sudan”, with a focus on the role of the United Nations and its Member States in protecting these fundamental rights.

Professor Mobeen conveyed greetings from the Special Envoy for Religious Freedom in Italy, Davide Dionisi, and from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and then highlighted the commitment of the Italian Consultation for Religious Freedom to promote dialogue between academic, diplomatic and international institutions for the protection of religious freedom.

Mobeen drew attention to the severity of religious persecution globally, citing both the Report on Religious Freedom by the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need and the recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea, which proposes concrete measures to strengthen the protection of religious freedom and prevent torture.

“Although there is a global will to respect the rights of victims and ensure fair administration of justice, there are serious abuses perpetrated not only by state and government authorities, but also by ideologically motivated groups that radicalize public officials and exploit hate mobs for political, economic and religious purposes,” he added.

He also reiterated the need for a reform of educational systems in several countries to counter radicalization through education for interreligious dialogue.

“In school systems in several countries, educational programs have been used to promote hatred and radicalize people from childhood.  A comprehensive review is needed, with the introduction of the study of the history of religions and intercultural dialogue to build a culture of mutual recognition of human dignity".

The President of the Consulta finally recalled the decisive role of the European Union, urging the appointment of a European Special Envoy for Religious Freedom outside Europe, a position currently vacant.

Among the other speakers was Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, who illustrated the link between religious freedom and torture, recalling her report to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council and calling on member states to strengthen protection measures for religious minorities.

Joseph Janssen, Advocacy Officer of the Jubilee Campaign, denounced three serious problems in Pakistan: blasphemy laws, often used to target religious minorities with unjust convictions; forced conversions and marriages of girls between 9 and 11 years old;  forced labor, with an estimated 4.5 million people enslaved in brick kilns.

“All these abuses require the attention of the international community, which cannot remain silent. We need anti-discrimination and anti-slavery laws to protect victims,” she said.

Elsa Chyrum, a human rights activist in Eritrea, denounced the persecution of religious communities in the country, where many churches have been forced to operate clandestinely since 2002 and Christians suffer arbitrary arrest and torture. “It is essential to give a voice to the victims,” she said.

The event, moderated by Janet Epp Buckingham, director of the Geneva office of the World Evangelical League, also featured speakers including survivors and human rights activists such as Mariam Ibrahim from Sudan and Cheick Ould Mkhaitir from Mauritania, experts such as Thibault Van Den Bossche of the European Centre for Justice and Law, who spoke about the situation of Christians in Nicaragua, and representatives of institutions such as Member of the European Parliament Charlie Weimar.

The video of the event is available at the following address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKaHpcxnYvU