Religious communities in Hindu-majority Nepal need to press for changes to a new law impacting on religious freedom, which is inconsistent with the nation’s international commit-ments. While there has been ongoing discussion of some specific aspects of the law, many Christian leaders have yet to grasp its wider implications.
On Aug. 9, amendments were made to the country’s 164-year-old general criminal code, known as the Muluki Ain. The revised criminal code imposes sanctions for several offences not included in the old law.
Aspects of the new law can be considered as reforms.
However, it also incorporates ‘anti-conversion clauses’ which effectively narrow religious freedom, notably for minorities.
One government repre-sentative previously main-tained that the criminal code amendments would protect freedom of religious belief, but within certain limits.
A critic of this justi-fication compared it to allowing a bird to fly freely, but only within a narrow cage.
In late 2015, Kamal Thapa, then deputy prime minister, maintained that changes to be introduced to the criminal code would ensure full religious freedom.
