There was a time when Nepal’s communist government was the biggest threat to the country’s Christian minority. Today the main source of pressure is the religious nationalism of Nepal’s Hindu majority. The country’s new Constitution declares Nepal to be a secular state; at the same time, it also forbids anyone to change their religion, and bans proselytism. Nepal’s Christian population, currently at 4 per cent, is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and that has prompted a backlash from nationalists, who themselves are taking encouragement from the nationalist urgings of the Hindu government in neighbouring India. In 2017 two parliamentarians warned that religious freedom in the country was “teetering on the edge”.
Nepal’s ‘opportunity’ to review religion laws
Being elected to serve on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gives Nepal an “opportunity for a fresh start” by reviewing its commitment to religious freedoms, writes Canadian MP David Anderson in the Kathmandu Post. Election to the UNHRC means the Council is satisfied with a state’s “contribution to the […]
Nepal PM ‘commits to address’ Christian concerns ahead of elections
Nepal’s Prime Minister has committed to addressing the Christian community’s concerns over religious freedoms, reports Asia News. Christians are thought to account for around 4 per cent of the population. Dinesh Bhattarai, advisor to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, said the commitment “will be immediately put into practice and everything […]
Religious freedom in Nepal ‘teetering on the edge’
Nepali president Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week signed into law a bill criminalising religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment”, as two parliamentarians warn religious freedom in the country is “teetering on the edge”. Nepali MP Lokmani Dhakal and Canadian MP David Anderson expressed their concerns after an international […]
Nepali Christians freed 9 months after conviction for ‘witchcraft’ of praying for mentally ill woman
Four Nepali Christians sentenced last year to five years in prison for “violence and witchcraft”, after praying for a mentally ill woman, have been released after their sentences were overturned. In a statement, the Federation of National Christian, Nepal (FNCN) thanked the court for “setting free our innocent people”, and […]
Nepal criminalises conversions and ‘hurting religious sentiment’
As Nepal prepares for its first election following the introduction of a new Constitution two years ago, its parliament has passed a Bill criminalising religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment”, as Christian Solidary Worldwide (CSW) reports. Nepal’s Christian minority fears that, once presidential approval is given, the new […]
Nepal: Christian worker shot at Easter says he’s still fearful
Three months ago, on 16 April, Christian worker Santosh Khadka was shot in Kathmandu while he was returning home from an Easter service. Police have not been able to identify the attackers, but local Christians say Khadka was targeted because of his religious-freedom work, as some groups in this young democracy […]
Nepal’s Christians have to trek into mountains to bury their dead
One way in which the freedom of religion or belief in a country can be measured is whether minorities are permitted to carry out their own rituals during key ‘rites of passage’ such as birth, marriage and death. One of the world’s fastest-growing Christian communities is that in Nepal. Between the censuses […]
Nepali church leaders found guilty of ‘witchcraft’ and ‘violence’ for helping mentally ill woman
A Nepali court has found four Christians guilty of ‘violence’ and ‘witchcraft’ against a severely mentally ill woman whom they sought to heal, even though she testified in court in their favour, saying she was now better. The four are sentenced to five years in prison. A fifth Christian, Rupa […]
UPDATE First religious freedom case under new Nepal constitution: all charges dropped
The eight arrested Christians after their release on bail, Dolakha, Nepal 2016Vishal Arora UPDATE: A court in Nepal has dropped a case against eight Christians, the first case about freedom of religion since the country’s new constitution was implemented in 2015. The seven men and one woman, all counsellors, […]
Nepal Christians attacked while trying to help
Eight Christians are still awaiting the outcome of their trial, after they became the first people to be charged under Nepal’s new rules on religious freedom. Their crime? Distributing pamphlets about Jesus during a trauma seminar in a Christian school, following last year’s devastating earthquake (see video below). But they […]