Defending religious freedom and other human rights:
Stopping mass atrocities against Christians and other believers
New York
April 28th – 30th, 2016
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
(Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 18)
PROGRAM
Christians account for 80% of persecuted minorities worldwide. ISIS/Daesh is deliberately inflicting horrific life conditions on them, together with Yazidis, and other vulnerable minorities in the Middle East, intending to bring about their physical destruction.
The European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the United States Congress and US Department of State, as well as religious leaders from various faith traditions, have called ISIS/Daesh’s actions against Christians and other minorities genocide.
Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus. This too needs to be denounced: in this third world war, waged peacemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide – I insist on the word – is taking place, and it must end (Pope Francis).
In this event, we will hear from experts, witnesses, and victims of the atrocities and exodus suffered by Christians and other minorities in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and other countries.
Thursday 28th: United Nations Session
United Nations Headquarters
ECOSOC Chamber (10:00am – 1:00pm)
Sponsor: Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations
9:15 am – 10:00 am
Registration (UN visitors’ entrance on 46th Street and 1st Avenue)
10:00 am Opening remarks
- Archbishop Bernardito Auza (Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN)
- Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen (Permanent Observer of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to the UN)
10:20 am Short Video presentation
10:25 am Protecting victims of persecution and fostering religious freedom worldwide
Chair: Archbishop Bernardito Auza (Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN)
Panelists:
- Mr. Carl Anderson. Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, promoters of the Report submitted to the US Secretary of State on Genocide against Christians in the Middle East.
- The Hon. Lars Adaktusson. Swedish Member of the European Parliament. Initiator of the EP Resolution on the systematic mass murder of religious minorities by the so-called “ISIS/Daesh.”
- Dr. Thomas F. Farr. Director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University. First director of the US State Department’s office of international religious freedom.
11:15 am Witnesses of the mass atrocities and exodus of Christians and other religious minorities
Chair: Ignacio Arsuaga, President of CitizenGO
Panelists:
- H.E. Joseph Danlami Bagobiri. Bishop of Kafanchan, Nigeria.
- Carl & Marsha Mueller. Parents of Kayla Mueller, a young aid worker and ISIS/Daesh hostage who was killed in Syria.
- Fr. Douglas Al-Bazi. Chaldean Catholic Church parish priest kidnapped by ISIS. Erbil, Iraq.
- Sr. María de Guadalupe. Missionary in Syria.
12:10 pm Christian and Yazidi women and girls: sexual victims of crimes against humanity
Chair: Kirsten Evans, Executive Director, In Defense of Christians
Panelists:
- Ms. Samia Sleman. Yazidi witness kidnaped by ISIS/Daesh
- Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey. Associate Professor and Director, Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program, Stockton University and Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
- Ms. Jacqueline Isaac. American-Egyptian Humanitarian Attorney and Vice President of Roads of Success
12:55 pm Closure
Archbishop Bernardito Auza. Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN.
Friday 29th: Delivery of the #WeAreN2016 Petition and Film Premiere
10:00am – 11:00am
United Nations Headquarters
Delivery of the #WeAreN2016 petition addressed to the UN Secretary General calling on the international community to recognize the nature of the systematic attacks on Christians and other religious minorities and to commit itself to protect them in accordance with international law and previous United Nations resolutions.
6:30pm – 9:00pm
The Roosevelt Hotel
45 E 45 St. New York
6:30pm Cocktail Reception
7:30pm Premiere of the ‘Insha Allah – Blood of the Martyrs’ documentary film on Persecuted Christians produced by CitizenGO and MasLibres.
Saturday 30th: New York Session
The Roosevelt Hotel
9:00am – 5:00pm
45 E 45 St. New York
9:00am Registration & welcome coffee
9:30am Opening remarks
Ignacio Arsuaga. President of CitizenGO
Kirsten Evans, Executive Director, In Defense of Christians
9:45am. Iraq: Testimony by Fr. Douglas Al-Bazi.
Chaldean Catholic Church parish priest kidnapped by ISIS. Erbil, Iraq.
Interviewed by Luis Losada. Global Editor. CitizenGO.
10:30am. Nigeria: Testimony by Mons. Joseph Danlami Bagobiri.
Bishop of Kafanchan. Nigeria.
Interviewed by Luis Losada. Global Editor. CitizenGO.
11:15am Syria: Testimonies by Jean-Clément Jeanbart, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Fr. Rodrigo Miranda and Sister María de Guadalupe, Missionaries in Syria.
Moderated by Álvaro Zulueta. Executive Director, CitizenGO
12:45pm Political impact of the US House of Representatives’ Resolution on genocide
against Christians, Yezidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities.
Presented by Drew Bowling, Communications and Policy Advisor to Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, who launched the measure.
1:00pm – 2:30pm Lunch break
2:30pm Short Video presentation
2:40pm ISIS’ terror: the voice of the suffering
Chair: Stephen Hollingshead. In Defense of Christians. Managing Director of the Haven Project
- Samia Sleman. Yazidi teenage girl that escaped from ISIS
- Carl & Marsha Mueller. Parents of Kayla Mueller, a young aid worker and ISIS hostage killed in Syria.
3:30pm Religious persecution: the voice of the victims
Chair: Nina Shea. Director of the Center for Religious Freedom. Hudson Institute.
- Eisham Asiq & Masih Asiq. Asia Bibi’s daughter and husband. Asia Bibi was convicted of blasphemy and faces a death sentence in Pakistan.
- Joseph Fadelle. Iraqi writer convert to Christianity from Islam.
4:30 pm Closing statements: How we can help.
- Lola Velarde. Congress Director
- Alvaro Zulueta. Executive Director. CitizenGO
4:45pm – 5pm Group Picture
