Geneva, March 12 -- At the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the organisation Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) raised concerns over the continued misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan and their impact on religious minorities.

The intervention followed the presentation of thematic reports by Marcelo Vazquez-Bermudez, Chair-Rapporteur of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to Human Rights, and Peggy Hicks, Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The session addressed a range of global human rights concerns, incl...