2024 WARSAW HUMAN DIMENSION CONFERENCE
Warsaw, 30 September to 11 October 2024
Plenary Session 6: Rule of Law II, including:
– Independence of the judiciary
– Democratic law-making
– Right to a fair trial
Coordination des Association et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience
We have serious concerns regarding France’s adherence to international standards of freedom of religion and belief. Indeed, it appears that the French model of secularism has permitted into the nation’s judicial and police institutions, leading to the troubling phenomenon of unfair trials in cases linked to religious or spiritual movements.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which France is a signatory, clearly stipulates the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. However, the reports from many international institutions and NGOS highlight the French government’s funding and support of anti-religious associations, which directly contravenes these fundamental principles.
Furthermore, the critique of the MIVILUDES agency by a Swiss University report, casts a troubling light on the opaque methodologies and imprecise data employed in the guise of “deradicalization.” This has resulted in the marginalization and stigmatization of various religious and spiritual communities, denying them their rightful place in French society.
We call on the French government to review its policies and practices towards the religious minorities to ensure compliance with its obligations under international human rights treaties.
The protection of freedom of conscience and belief for all must be a paramount concern, in order to ensure the independence of the justice and to ensure a fair trial for all the French citizen regardless of their belief.
