III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 647 

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 

Mr. LANKFORD (for himself and Mr. COONS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and 

apostasy laws. 

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; 


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•SRES 647 IS 

Whereas blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, 

Hindus, Baha’i, secularists, and many other groups, and 

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 the Pew Research Center has found that 44 countries had blasphemy laws as of 2012; 

Whereas these laws were present in 14 Middle East and 

North African countries, 11 countries in the Americas, 9 

Asia-Pacific countries, 7 European countries, and 3 SubSaharan African countries; 

Whereas the Pew Research Center also 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; 


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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 


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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 February 2015, USCIRF is aware of 18 individuals on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan and 20 

serving life sentences; 

Whereas Asia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 

2010, and the Lahore High Court upheld the conviction 

in late 2014, and her case is on appeal to the Supreme 

Court of Pakistan; 

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; 


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Whereas the application of blasphemy laws is on the rise in 

Europe; 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and 

3 apostasy laws inappropriately position governments 

4 as arbiters of religious truth and empower officials 

5 to impose religious dogma on individuals or minori6 ties through the power of the government or through 

7 violence sanctioned by the government; 

8 (2) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

9 State to make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and 

10 apostasy laws a priority in the bilateral relationships 

11 of the United States with all countries that have 

12 such laws, through direct interventions in bilateral 

13 and multilateral fora; 

14 (3) encourages the President and the Secretary 

15 of State to oppose— 

16 (A) any efforts, by the United Nations or 

17 by other international or multilateral fora, to 

18 create an international anti-blasphemy norm, 


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1 such as the ‘‘defamation of religions’’ resolu2 tions introduced in the United Nations between 

3 1999 and 2010; and 

4 (B) any attempts to expand the inter5 national norm on incitement to include blas6 phemy or defamation of religions; 

7 (4) supports efforts by the United Nations to 

8 combat intolerance, discrimination, or violence 

9 against persons based on religion or belief without 

10 restricting expression, including United Nations 

11 Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 (2011) and 

12 the Istanbul Process meetings pursuant to such res13 olution, that are consistent with the First Amend14 ment to the Constitution; 

15 (5) calls on the President and the Secretary of 

16 State to designate countries that enforce blasphemy, 

17 heresy, or apostasy laws as ‘‘countries of particular 

18 concern for religious freedom’’ under section 

19 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Free20 dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for 

21 engaging in or tolerating severe violations of reli22 gious freedom, as a result of the abuses flowing from 

23 the enforcement of such laws and from unpunished 

24 vigilante violence often generated by blasphemy alle25 gations; 


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1 (6) urges the governments of countries that en2 force blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws to amend 

3 or repeal such laws, as they provide pretext and im4 punity for vigilante violence against religious minori5 ties; and 

6 (7) urges the governments of countries that 

7 have prosecuted, imprisoned, and persecuted people 

8 on charges of blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy to re9 lease such people unconditionally and, once released, 

10 to ensure their safety and that of their families. 

Æ 


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