ORAL STATEMENT
Humanists International
63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (7 September to 9 October 2026)
General Debate under Item 4: Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Speaker: Timea Szeteiova
Mr President,
In a statement last year, Humanists International and Humanists Malaysia urged Malaysia to acknowledge that the right to freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental right shared by everyone: those who hold beliefs, those who change them, and those who choose not to believe at all. We continue to ask , how long can Malaysia uphold constitutional freedom while failing to extend its full protection to those who need it the most?
Malaysia has yet to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Covenant does not impose foreign values but rather articulates a fundamental principle of human dignity: no government should control a person’s conscience.
Doubt should not be treated as a crime. Yet in Malaysia, the assurance that “every person” can profess and practice their religion is compromised when individuals are denied a genuine right to change their faith, when apostasy is punished or subjected to coercive measures under state laws, and when non-believers lack an effective protection against discrimination, hostility and persecution.
Religious harmony and social cohesion cannot be achieved by silencing dissent, policing identities, or punishing personal beliefs.
We therefore call on Malaysia to ratify the ICCPR without any reservations that would undermine its purpose; to reform all laws and practices that criminalize, penalize, or restrict apostasy or conversion, including compulsory “rehabilitation”; align Article 11 of the Federal Constitution with the universal right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; and safeguard non-religious individuals, including humanists and atheists, from discrimination, and violence.
Thank you.
'Malaysia and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights', Humanists International