ECLJ to United Nations: Urge Pakistani Government to Prosecute Acts of Violence Against Christians

“Christians are being singled out and murdered because of their faith.” - Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ

STRASBOURG, France, Aug. 26, 2009—After a series of attacks have claimed the lives of scores of Christians - including an attack this month in Gojra where seven Christians were burned to death - the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) announced today it has filed a petition with the United Nations asking it to urge Pakistan to prosecute acts of violence against Pakistani Christians. 

"Only when the Pakistani government effectively prosecutes those responsible for the acts of violence will attacks against Christians end," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ECLJ and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) - the nation's top conservative public interest law firm.  "The ‘blasphemy laws' that encourage the Muslim-on-Christian violence are not only abhorrent, but violate the principle of the universality of religious freedom, which is proclaimed to be an international human rights standard by Pakistan itself."

Attacks on Christians have claimed the lives of 60 Christians in 27 separate incidents of Muslim-on-Christian violence in the past decade. The ECLJ petition, calling on Pakistan to prosecute such deadly attacks on Christians, states: 

"More than two decades of blasphemy laws have taught Pakistani Muslims that the punishment for allegedly insulting Islam is death.  The Pakistani government must repeal or procedurally change blasphemy laws."

"Because Pakistan has explicitly proclaimed the terms of the (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) UDHR and (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) ICCPR in a resolution to the U.N. that it presented on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, it should, by reciprocity, abide by those terms with respect to its own religious minorities and be required to afford the Christians of Pakistan the same rights it expects the international community to give to Muslims."

Read the ECLJ petition filed at the U.N. here or a summary of the filing here.

The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) is an international law firm focusing on the protection of human rights and religious freedom in Europe and around the world.  The ECLJ is affiliated with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) the nation's top conservative public interest law firm. Attorneys for the ECLJ have served as counsel in numerous cases before the European Court of Human Rights.  Additionally, the ECLJ has special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations, and is accredited to the European Parliament.

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