Despite the fact that we do not deal directly with issues related to religious freedom, we consider it to be one of the fundamental human rights. That is why we supported activists from non-governmental organisations, associated in the American group called International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable, which sent a letter to the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on the adoption of legislation comparable to the Global Magnitsky Act.
The Open Dialogue Foundation, as a long-standing promoter and advocate of the Global Magnitsky Act, signed a letter from IRF to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, applauding the Australian Parliament’s inquiry into whether Australia should enact legislation that would provide a mechanism – comparable to the Global Magnitsky Act – to impose sanctions on government officials and other actors responsible for violations of human rights and religious freedom in the Indo-Pacific region.
At the same time, the signatories of the letter recommended that a mechanism for regular consultation between the implementing agencies and human rights advocates, civil society organisations and witnesses and victims of violations should be included in the Global Magnitsky Act as part of its enforcement process. Based on their experience, the signatories ensure that such regular consultation is the key to effective implementation of sanctions and human rights monitoring systems worldwide.