Which states have blasphemy laws

We see governments using such laws to wrongfully imprison and punish individuals whose views on matters of religion or belief may differ from official narratives or the views of majority populations.

We call on governments that utilize these laws to free any individuals imprisoned on such grounds, and to repeal blasphemy, apostasy, and other laws that impede the exercise of freedoms of expression and religion or belief, in a manner inconsistent with international law. We remain committed to working with partners to combat problems like sectarianism, discrimination, and violence based on religious intolerance in ways that respect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief and freedom of expression.

Its report states that blasphemy laws are more likely to be actively enforced in the Islamic world. However, such laws exist across continents and have also been used in Europe. The most recent high-profile example in the Muslim world is the case of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, whose conviction has been overturned after eight years in prison. In Pakistan, the blasphemy law has been controversial as it has been used against Christian and other minorities in the Muslim-majority country.

Rights organisation Amnesty International says the law is used to pursue vendettas and justify vigilante violence. In Pakistan, most victims of the blasphemy laws have actually been Muslim or from the Ahmadi sect declared non-Muslim by Pakistan , not Christian or other minorities, according to one Pakistani rights groups which looked back at cases over the last 30 years.

The penalties for blasphemy in such countries can be severe. Apart from Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania have also handed down death sentences in recent years.

However, it's not always clear how many death sentences have been imposed. Some high-profile cases that have attracted international attention have ended with the death sentence being commuted. In , a poet in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to death after being accused of insulting Islam, but this was later commuted to lashes and imprisonment.

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