In February of this year, Professor Nazila Ghanea, die Verenigde Nasies se Spesiale Rapporteur oor Vryheid van Godsdiens of Geloof, submitted a proper verslag oor die verband tussen die voorkoming van marteling en godsdiensvryheid.
Having served for almost three decades in international human rights law, Ghanea provides a quite understandable interpretation of this concept. The main thesis of the report is formulated beautifully at the end of the report: “To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, there are no published materials that specifically address the relationship between these rights.” This is so because the report, when read in full, is a novel way of looking at how religious freedom and torture prevention are linked.
From the study made by Ghanea, the following conclusion is made; Coercion is the main link between these two rights. In particular, the report states, ‘Coercion can be in the form of physical or in the form of psychological/mental coercion.
Hierdie twee aspekte is natuurlik met mekaar verbind.’ This is a significant revelation that goes against the grain of menseregte discourse by illustrating how attempts to change or restrict people’s religious beliefs amount to psychological torture.
The report gives a clear picture of systemic violations, with the emphasis on the discriminative practices that impact minority groups and women in particular. One of the most striking extracts from the document is the one that shows how “non-Muslims were coerced to change their beliefs through denial of work, food aid and education,” wat die Afrika-kommissie vir mense- en menseregte gesê het, is teen die godsdiens and torture conventions. Importantly, the report goes beyond the theoretical analysis and focuses on the experiences of victims.
Dit wys daarop dat "State, staatsamptenare, howe, verdragsliggame en selfs mense wat direk met slagoffers werk, het nie altyd albei regte oorweeg in gevalle met gelyktydige kwessies nie.” This systematic neglect puts victims at higher risk of being victimized again.
Die navorsing toon definitiewe patrone van godsdienstig gemotiveerde mishandeling, insluitend:
- to demand from individuals to act in a way that is prohibited by their religious beliefs.
- interference with the practice of religion.
- Psychological harassment of certain religious groups.
'n Besonder onthullende gevallestudie uit die verslag is 'n saak van Guantanamobaai en 'n aangehoudene wat beweer het dat wagte ‘seize religious books, place them on the floor and walk on them, and then tear the pages,’ en selfs 'placed the Qur’an in a tank containing urine and excreta’. The Inter-American Commission on Menseregte analysed such actions based on two key criteria: ‘the purpose for which the act was inflicted’, and ‘the intensity of the suffering that the claimant suffered".
The report’s recommendations for states are comprehensive and transformative:
- Prohibit absolutely coercion in connection with religious beliefs
- Prohibit attempts to change people’s religious views
- Fully take into consideration the physical and psychological effects of religious coercion
- Train the judicial personnel
- Learn and prevent forms of torture compounded by religious humiliation.
Dit is die mees dringende eis van professor Ghanea:
“It is a serious problem that very few legal cases involving these rights have been brought before international bodies while this mandate has documented hundreds of cases of violations over the years”.
Die betekenis van hierdie verslag is nie net akademies nie. Deur godsdiensvryheid met betrekking tot martelingvoorkoming te oorweeg, lewer Ghanea 'n belangrike bydrae tot hoe menseregteskendings sistematies voorkom kan word.
Aangesien godsdiensverskille as sosiale en politieke konflik oor die hele wêreld aanhou toeneem, kom hierdie verslag as 'n deurslaggewende en noodsaaklike bydrae tot die menseregtediskoers, wat instellings regoor die wêreld versoek om hul benaderings tot die beskerming van menswaardigheid verder te verfyn.
