To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Nepal to amend Article 26(3) of the Nepalese constitution to uphold freedom of religion or belief in line with Nepal's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Answered on
16 October 2017
The Constitution of Nepal guarantees freedom of religion and belief under article 26 (1) as a fundamental right. However sub-article 3 and the new 2017 Penal Code include provisions which could limit that right. I raised the importance of ensuring freedom of religion and belief in line with international obligations and standards when I met the Nepali Ambassador on 9 October. The British Embassy in Kathmandu has also urged the Nepali Government to ensure the final wording and implementation of the new Penal Code is consistent with the rights enshrined in the international laws that Nepal has ratified.