Mervyn Thomas CMG

Pleased to host another book launch today at @TheSanctuaryCDL, this time telling the story of Shabbaz Bhatti, with an authoritative panel made of my dear friends @KnoxThames and @MervThomas, along with Peter Bhatti and @CecilSChaudhry.

Remember those who will be unable to celebrate Christmas this year - because of continued ideological CCP persecution and the violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights gov.uk/guidance/freed… @Keir_Starmer @JennyChapman @volker_turk @dsnorthnorth @CardJosephZen @Pontifex @iguangcheng @BobFu4China @USCIRF @mikepompeo @SamuelBrownback @SecRubio @VP @YvetteCooperMP @tariqahmadbt @TomTugendhat @articleeighteen @bbclysedoucet @Jacob_Rees_Mogg @Jeremy_Hunt @mervthomas @JubileeCampaign @AnnBuwalda1 @Qamarrafiquk @ipacglobal See x.com/ceccgov/status…

Today the @HumanRightsCtte continued its inquiry into the human rights implications of Artificial Intelligence. Powerful and thought provoking statements from witnesses. AI poses opportunities but comes with serious dangers and big concerns about how to provide safeguards. Watch in full: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/5c…

Great message from the Government's Forb Envoy, David Smith. Thank you David for all you do for persecuted faith and Belief minorities around the world.

#Nigeria: 24 schoolgirls who were abducted from Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, were released on 25 November. CSW continues to call for a decisive response to the recent surge in attacks and abduction in the country. Read more: csw.org.uk/2025/11/26/pre…

#URGENT: The legal team of UNHCR-recognised refugee & human rights defender #YQuynhBdap have been informed that a Thai court may approve the extradition tomorrow. If returned to Vietnam, he faces torture & prolonged detention. Thailand must uphold #HumanRights & #NonRefoulement.

Concerning reports from China about the detention of the Zion House Church leaders. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. This is a worrying indication of further persecution of Christians in China.

The so-called 'freedom of religion' laws currently in force in 10 Indian states have never been about preventing coercive conversions as their proponents claim, and are certainly not about upholding the right to #FoRB as their names might suggest. More: forbinfull.org/2025/09/15/ind…

CSW's latest blog highlights how powerful and effective resistance to repressive regimes can become when independent civil society and the religious sector overcome internal divisions and to build cooperative relationships with one another. Read it here: forbinfull.org/2025/09/03/bri…

CSW's latest blog is written by Ju Il-Lyong, a North Korean defector and human rights activist who emphasises the importance of information inflow into #NorthKorea. Read it here: forbinfull.org/2025/08/26/cru…

Marking the International Day for Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, see my article for @TheHillOpinion, "Remember Iraq's Yezidis," on their ongoing plight, the need for US leadership to help, and the importance of American diplomacy to combat persecution.

On this International Day of #ReligiousFreedom, I think of the brave men and women believers of all faiths tortured by authoritarian regimes. Their suffering reminds us why we fight. But their courage gives us hope: freedom of religion will prevail. #IRFBA ohchr.org/sites/default/…

22nd August is the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. We stand with all victims and continue striving to protect FoRB for all. Read my statement here: gov.uk/government/spe…

Nuestro Jefe de Misión Mike Hammer se reunió con los Pastores Vivian Barrero y Joel Cárdenas de la Alianza de Cristianos de Cuba. Hablaron sobre los retos que enfrentan y sobre la importancia de la libertad religiosa en Cuba. El trabajo que realizan en sus comunidades para apoyar a los más vulnerables es admirable.

Colombia’s Minister of the Interior Armando Benedetti has indicated that the government will reject a controversial bill that would introduce increased oversight and control over religious entities in #Colombia. Read more: csw.org.uk/2025/08/08/pre…

A Catholic home church was raided by Vietnamese police during Mass at around 8:30pm on 11 August in Thái Nguyn province, northern #Vietnam. Read more: csw.org.uk/2025/08/12/pre…

#BLOG: The UK government’s efforts to produce a definition of Islamophobia could prove counterproductive. Read more: forbinfull.org/2025/08/07/the…

CSW's latest blog highlights how the UK government's efforts to produce a definition of Islamophobia could hinder rather than assist efforts to address religion-related violations. Read it here: forbinfull.org/2025/08/07/the…

•The government of #Nicaragua has charged Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas and several of his friends with family with treason and conspiracy, simply because he has been a vocal critic of a regime intent on silencing its own people. Read more here: forbinfull.org/2025/08/04/pas…

No-one should be expelled from their community due to their religion or belief, however cultures of impunity in both #India and #Mexico have led to exactly that. Read more in @CSWadvocacy's latest blog: forbinfull.org/2025/07/29/whe…