The President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari has signed into law legislation that makes Christian evangelism a crime in this nation.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an international human rights group said in a press statement dated 20 October 2017 that Bhandari signed into law the Criminal Code Bill that contains clauses that criminalize religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment.”
The Christian watchdog stated: “These laws are poorly defined and widely misused to settle personal scores, to target religious minorities or to further extremist agendas.
“Decades of misuse of the blasphemy laws have resulted in a situation where even voicing disagreement with these laws can lead to violence.”
According to a news report by The Christian Post, it said that religious conversion in Nepal is now punishable by up to five years in prison while hurting religious sentiments is punishable by up to two years in prison.
The president was urged by religious freedom activists not to sign the law, The Christian Post says.
Nepal’s constitution stipulates that ‘Sanatana Dharma’ (Hindu faith) will be protected by the state. Furthermore, Article 26 (3) of the constitution restricts religious conversion and the free expression of one’s faith.
In what was being heralded as a milestone, members of Nepal’s parliament elected Bidhya Devi Bhandari,54, as their country’s first female president. The election, which took place 2015, made Bhandari the only the second person to hold a state office since Nepal abolished its monarchy and became a republic in 2008.
According to the 2011 census, 81.3% of the Nepalese population was Hindu, 9.0% was Buddhist, 4.4% was Muslim, 3.0% was Kiratist (indigenous ethnic religion),1.4% was Christian, 0.2% was Sikhs, 0.1% was Jains and 0.6% follow other religions or no religion.
By Paul Dennis.
