ORAL STATEMENT
Humanists International
UN Human Rights Council, 60th session (8 September to 8 October 2025)
General Debate under Item 4: Human Rights Situations That Require the Council’s Attention
Speaker: Leon Langdon
Thank you Mr. President.
I make this statement on behalf of Humanists Malaysia and Humanists International to urge Malaysia to fully embrace the holistic and accepted understanding of the right to freedom of religion or belief.
It is long established that this right, enshrined in Article 18 of the ICCPR, includes the right to choose one’s religion or belief, or to have no religion or belief. With Malaysia’s continued resistance in ratifying the ICCPR, we see a chasm between its constitutional aspirations and international consensus. This gap perpetuates the marginalization of non-believers, apostates, and religious minorities, including humanists and atheists who face criminalization under laws that equate doubt with deviance.
Article 11 of the Malaysian Constitution proclaims the right of everyone to profess and practice their religion, yet restrictions in law undermine this, especially those against apostasy and which target the non-religious. In contravention of international instruments, like the Vienna and Durban Declarations, Malaysia fails to adequately protect diversity, counter hatred, and uphold the universality of human rights.
We remind Malaysia of these international commitments and implore its leaders to ratify the ICCPR without reservations that dilute its essence, harmonize Article 11 with international standards by decriminalizing apostasy and protecting non-believers, and explicitly recognize the right to freedom of religion or belief as a universal right for all – believers and non-believers alike.
Thank you.
'The right to freedom of religion or belief in Malaysia', Humanists International