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 
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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 
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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; 
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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; 
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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 
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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; 
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(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.