Dec 18, 2023

USCIRF Releases Report on Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law

Washington, DC –The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Assessing Blasphemy in Pakistan – This report describes the increasing use of Pakistan’s blasphemy law in 2023 to target individuals on the basis of religion or belief, including its disproportionate use against the country’s religious minority populations. It highlights select examples of recent blasphemy cases, including against Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community, and provides an overview of Pakistani officials’ efforts to strengthen and justify the legislation both domestically and on the international stage.

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].