An official United Nations body day adopted a formal document which, for the first time in the history of the UN–and probably for the first time in the history of the world–would outlaw all forms of religious intolerance and make it mandatory upon all governments to extend fullest freedoms for the practice of all religions.
The document was adopted by the Human Rights Commission’s 14-member Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, by the overwhelming vote of 12-0, with two abstentions. The abstentions were cast by the Russian and Polish members of the group who, spearheading a years-long fight by the Communist bloc at the UN, fought hard against passage of the instrument voted today.
There were two reasons for the Communist opposition. Openly, they insisted that a document dealing with religious freedoms must also protect atheists and other non-believers from persecution by religious elements. Covertly, they opposed the move because many of the clauses in the adopted document aim directly at the USSR’s discrimination against Soviet Jewry.
The document adopted today was entitled Draft Declaration and Draft Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Religious Intolerance. A declaration is merely an enunciation of high principles. A convention, however, would become an international treaty when it is ratified by a sufficient number of member states.
The Declaration-Convention was adopted after a motion for its passage in principle had been introduced by Morris B. Abram, the United States member of the sub-commission, who is chairman of the executive board of the American Jewish Committee; and Peter Calvocoressi, the British expert in the group. All members of the subcommission serve officially as individual experts but, nonetheless, represent the thinking of their governments.
The draft adopted today was a revision of an earlier document prepared by Arcot Krishnaswami, of India, who, in redrafting, accepted many amendments proposed in separate earlier drafts by Mr. Abram and by Mr. Calvocoressi. Boris S. Ivanov, of the Soviet Union, and Wojciech Ketrzynski of Poland, fought to the very end against adoption of the Krishnaswami text. They were supported today–as they had been throughout the long debates on this issue–by procedural rulings handed down by Heman Santa Cruz, of Chile, chairman of the subcommission.
MAY TAKE TWO YEARS BEFORE THE DOCUMENT CAN BECOME EFFECTIVE
The document as adopted will now go to the subcommission’s parent body, the Commission on Human Rights, which is scheduled to convene here February 17 for a series of sessions to last a full month. The religious item is second on the full commission’s provisional agenda, first place being given to a previously adopted Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Intolerance.
Two years ago, the Communist bloc in the United Nations succeeded in fitting through resolutions in the General Assembly, separating racial bias from religious intolerance. Since that move, the Communists have been using every parliamentary device possible to keep a religious-freedom document from even being debated.
It was expected here today that the full Human Rights Commission will adopt today’s draft or–possibly–even make it more liberal. From the Commission, the document will go to the Economic and Social Council and, finally, to the General Assembly. Thus it will take at least two years before the instrument can become international law. However, most members of the subcommission hailed Dr. Krishnaswami and his chief supporters, including Mr. Abram and Mr. Calvocoressi, for today’s success.
Throughout the debates on religious freedom in the last two years, culminated by the discussions at this year’s subcommission session, which opened nearly three weeks ago, worldwide Jewish organizations, as well as Israel through an official observer assigned to the UN subcommission, have been insisting on the adoption of precisely the kind of document that finally emerged victoriously today. Jewish organizations, including those from Israel, and other champions of religious freedoms have constantly voiced sharp criticisms during these debates against officially condoned anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union–without mentioning the USSR by name.
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