[JURIST] UN officials reported Friday that chairwoman of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [advocacy website] and UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Asma Jahangir [official profile, PDF] has been released from her two-week house arrest [order] in Pakistan. Jahangir has been detained at her home in Lahore since November 3, when Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf [BBC profile] imposed emergency rule [PDF text] on the country. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had urged her release [statement].

Upon release, Jahangir issued a statement [text] calling on all political parties to join together to reinstate the rule of law in Pakistan. Jahangir also called for free and transparent elections and emphasized the need for an independent judiciary. Reuters has more.