Date/Time
Date(s) - 08/05/2023
11:00 - 13:00
Location
Press Club Brussels Europe
Categories
CONFERENCE ON THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION ON PAKISTAN’S BLASPHEMY LAWS.
A motion overwhelmingly passed by the European Parliament on April 28th 2021, supported by all the Parliament’s political groups, called for suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ trading status until such time as the country’s highly controversial Blasphemy Laws are repealed. The European Commission continues to ignore the will of Parliament in this matter.
The conference will discuss the European External Action Service’s much awaited fourth Biennial Report on the situation, and will also compare the current human rights situation with that under the previous leadership.
Monday May 8th, 11.00-13.00
Press Club, 95 Rue Froissard, 1040 Brussels
List of speakers and topics
Introduction by MEP Peter van Dalen, Co-chair of the Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the European Parliament (online)
- José Luis Bazan, COMECE Adviser on Migration, Asylum & Int’l Religious Freedom
Topic: Blasphemy Laws and GSP+
- Jonathan de Leyser, Europe Liaison Officer of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)
Topic: Forced conversions
- Manel Mselmi, International affairs Advisor of MEPs of the European Peoples’ Party at the European Parliament
Topic: Women’s rights
- Marco Respinti (online from Italy) journalist, member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), essayist, translator, and lecturer
Topic: The persecution of Ahmadis
- Akmal Bhatti, lawyer (online from Pakistan), lawyer and chairman of Minorities Alliance Pakistan
Topic: Religious minorities, hate speech and violence
- Tabassum Yousaf (online from Pakistan), High Court lawyer
Topic: Forced marriage of minor girls (Cases in courts) – Vulnerable people marginalised by the majority
- Raphael Shakeel (online from the USA), brother of Nadeem Samson, a Catholic arrested and detained on blasphemy charges. Released on bail in January 2022 but charges remain.
Topic: Situation of Nadeem Samson
Moderator: Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) –
Contact Data: 0478 202069 – w.fautre@hrwf.org
A motion overwhelmingly passed by the European Parliament on April 28th, 2021, supported by all the Parliament’s political groups, called for suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ trading status until the country’s highly controversial Blasphemy Laws are repealed.
The conference will take stock of the current human rights situation and compare it with that under the previous rule of Imran Khan (August 2018 – April 2022).
Moderated by Willy Fautre, Founder and Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers.
The event will be live-streamed at