 | Nepal's Human Rights Commission Says Yes to Freedom of Conscience by Christopher Sharma Asia News |
"The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has pledged to defend freedom of conscience whereby every citizen will have the right to choose his or her faith, said NHRC president Anup Raj Sharma, after his organisation received a petition from the National Christian Federation, asking that the state guarantee full freedom of conscience to religious minorities.
"The state agency has already turned the request over to the government and will soon meet with the prime minister and the president of Nepal.
"'In 1990 some people who had converted to Christianity from Hinduism were sent to prison," said Sharma, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court. "I issued orders for their release."
"At that time, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under a Hindu dynasty and there was no freedom of religion. After 2006, when the king was stripped of his powers, the country became a democracy.
"However, only recently have religious minorities, especially Christians and Muslims, been allowed to build their own places of worship and celebrate religious services in public.,,"
"The state agency has already turned the request over to the government and will soon meet with the prime minister and the president of Nepal.
"'In 1990 some people who had converted to Christianity from Hinduism were sent to prison," said Sharma, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court. "I issued orders for their release."
"At that time, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under a Hindu dynasty and there was no freedom of religion. After 2006, when the king was stripped of his powers, the country became a democracy.
"However, only recently have religious minorities, especially Christians and Muslims, been allowed to build their own places of worship and celebrate religious services in public.,,"
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