PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
Freedom of religion or belief and the covid-19 pandemic (7 June 2020)

That this House expresses great concern about the increasing stigmatisation and persecution of religious or belief minorities in countries around the world in response to the covid-19 pandemic; condemns the spread of misinformation and hate speech by extremist groups who seek to blame minorities for that pandemic; notes with great concern reports of increasing anti-Semitism and rising hate crimes against those of Chinese descent globally; condemns Government crackdowns on minority rights under the pretence of combating the spread of the covid-19 virus; urges Governments around the world to respect human rights in their responses to the covid-19 crisis and to take necessary measures to protect minority groups; encourages the UK Government's Department for International Development to learn the lessons of the Ebola crisis by engaging faith leaders in its covid-19 pandemic response; and calls on all Governments to release those who are imprisoned for their faith or beliefs because those people are so detained in violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and are extremely vulnerable during the covid-19 pandemic due to limited opportunities for social distancing and self-isolation in what are often overcrowded prisons.

Sponsored by:
Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party)