Home News Room USCIRF In the News 7/02/2010: US condemns Pakistan attack, backs democracy - Agence France Presse
7/02/2010: US condemns Pakistan attack, backs democracy - Agence France Presse PDF Print

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The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a non-partisan body that advises the US government, said that the Pakistani government "must do more to protect the lives and freedoms of all religious groups."

In a statement, the commission's chair Leonard Leo called on Pakistan to repeal blasphemy laws, which rights groups say are flagrantly abused against religious minorities.

The commission "reiterates its call for the United States to vigorously press Islamabad to repeal Pakistan's blasphemy law, which creates a climate of impunity for extremist violence," Leo said.