Click here for a Bahasa Indonesian translation of this statement

Click here for a Bahasa Indonesian translation of the Sentul Declaration for Peace Building and Freedom of Religion or Belief

JAKARTA – Parliamentarians and religious leaders from Indonesia have signed the “Sentul Declaration for Peace Building and Freedom of Religion or Belief”. The Declaration enshrines moral commitments to promote and strengthen the protection of freedom of religion or belief (FORB) for all, and to counter the rise of hate speech in West Java. Further, on the occasion of Pancasila Day, which falls on June 1, they agreed to participate in Caucus Pancasila, a multi-parties platform for Indonesian parliamentarians to contribute in reviving the values of Pancasila.

On 8 May 2021, Southeast Asia Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SEAPForB), in collaboration with Komuniti Muslim Universal Malaysia (KMU) and Sisters In Islam (SIS) organised a Ramadhan Dialogue aimed at fostering collaboration between parliamentarians, faith and CSO leaders to strengthen the protection of FoRB in Malaysia. The Dialogue was undertaken as part of a follow-up to APHR-IPPFoRB Fact-Finding Mission to Kuala Lumpur in January 2019 to assess FoRB situation, and how the political climate has changed since Pakatan Harapan government took office in 2018.

SEAPForB, in collaboration with Komuniti Muslim Universal Malaysia (KMU) and Sisters In Islam (SIS) will organise a Ramadhan Dialogue aimed at fostering collaboration between parliamentarians, faith and CSO leaders to strengthen the protection of FoRB in Malaysia.

Please register at: http://bit.ly/RamadhanDialogue

QUOTES: From Kasthuri Patto, a member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), on the suspected suicide bombing at a church in Makassar, Indonesia, today.

The undersigned groups today denounced an apparent coup in Myanmar, and associated violence, which has suspended civilian government and effectively returned full power to the military.

QUOTES: From Charles Santiago, chair of APHR and a Malaysian MP regarding overnight developments in Myanmar, of the military arresting senior figures from the ruling National League for Democracy, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lawmakers from across Southeast Asia called for ASEAN's joint action in ensuring freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all people in the region, amid ongoing inter-communal tensions, religious intolerance, as well as discrimination and persecution based on religion or belief.

Every year, on 8th November, we celebrate the founding of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB). Officially established in 2014, IPPFoRB became a reality when 30 parliamentarians from across the world signed the Oslo Charter, a document declaring commitment to the right to freedom of religion or belief, as defined in Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On this six-year anniversary, we look at six ways IPPFoRB continues to advance the right to freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere:

JAKARTA, 13 August 2020 - More than 60 parliamentarians worldwide have signed an open letter to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc calling for the immediate and unconditional release of religious freedom advocate, Mr. Nguyễn Bắc Truyển, and for all independent religious organisations in Viet Nam to be allowed to freely conduct religious activities without fear of persecution, harassment and imprisonment.

Hon Kasit Piromya, a former Thai member of parliament and foreign minister, and a board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights wrote an oped on The Diplomat, calling for immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Nguyễn Bắc Truyển.

Please click this link to read the oped.

Dear Hon members of parliament,

It has been three years since Mr. Nguyễn Bắc Truyển, a long-standing defender of human rights, especially the rights of religious minorities was abducted by the Vietnamese police, on 30 July 2017.

We are extremely concerned that the charge against him is completely unfounded and his imprisonment is in direct breach of Viet Nam’s obligations under Article 24 of its Constitution and the various international instruments that Viet Nam has ratified.