Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2015
28. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions his Department has taken to address the persecution of Christians in the world; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8233/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland condemns all forms of persecution on the basis of religion or belief, irrespective of where they occur or who are the victims. Ireland is deeply concerned by the persecution of Christians.
I am deeply shocked by recent reports of the brutal killing of Coptic Christians in Libya by ISIS and the kidnapping of 150 Assyrian Christians in eastern Syria. These are monstrous acts beyond comprehension, which must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. They are also savage attacks on minority communities and on the values of tolerance and pluralism which underpin freedom of religion or belief. Ireland has repeatedly recalled the duty of States to protect vulnerable minorities in the Middle East, including Christian communities. I have reiterated that call and will be raising this with my EU colleagues at the earliest opportunity. The situation is particularly difficult, of course, in areas where the authority of the state has effectively collapsed.
Ireland attaches great importance to combating all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief and incitement to religious hatred. We firmly believe in tolerance, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.
Ireland raises the issue of the safety of Christians through its official bilateral contacts with the countries in question, stressing the responsibility of the government to protect all citizens and minorities. We consistently press for effective action to counter the persecution of minorities in all relevant international fora, including the EU and UN. I highlighted the issue when I addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on 29 September 2014. I also raised it during my meeting with UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Ireland works within and alongside the EU to address the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, notably with the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief adopted during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013. These Guidelines provide EU officials with an overview of the legal and policy framework within which the right to freedom of religion or belief is protected. They also elaborate an EU strategy on how to engage with third countries on the right to freedom of religion or belief, a strategy which we hope to see bear fruit as we assess the implementation of the Guidelines.
The EU leads resolutions on freedom of religion or belief at both the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, of which Ireland is currently a member. Ireland is an active participant in the negotiation of these resolutions. In 2014, the EU-led resolutions on freedom of religion or belief were successfully adopted without a vote by the HRC (March 2014) and by the UN General Assembly during its 69th session (December 2014). Ireland also raised concerns in relation to persecution on the basis of religion or belief in interactive dialogues with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion during the 69th session of the Third Committee in 2014.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique peer review mechanism whereby the human rights records of individual states are reviewed in the UN Human Rights Council. Ireland is an active participant in the UPR and, where applicable, raises concerns in relation to persecution on the basis of religion or belief during the dialogue with states under review.
I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will continue to actively support freedom of religion or belief across our foreign policy.
