The issue isn't that human rights are potentially violated when someone is expelled from a religious organization...
...it's that human rights are potentially violated when an individual voluntarily leaves a religious organization for personal reasons, and any family members or acquaintences who might otherwise be perfectly willing to remain in regular contact are, instead, compelled to shun him under direct or indirect threat of expulsion themselves.
Because they are willing members of said religion? So you are also saying that shunning itself violates some human right? What right is it? It can’t be the right to leave a religion, because the DFed individual already has left the religion. Is it a right to join a religion and not abide by the internal rules of the religion/group if you don’t want to? (since we are talking about active members that “might otherwise be perfectly willing to remain in regular contact”).
I know a bunch of Witnesses now that are in regular contact with DFed friends. They make that choice, and accept the consequences. Most of the time nothing comes of it. But I know a lot of former witnesses that would love to talk to their families - but their families don't want to talk to them. It sucks big time, but they believe it is right.
In addition, this also has the potential effect of making the individual himself feel coerced to remain associated with an organization that he otherwise would not, and what's more, accept and promote an ideology that he can no longer in good faith honestly subscribe to...
...which is also, arguably, a potential violation of human rights.
Why is this a violation of a human right? Because it puts someone in a bad spot? They willingly baptized themselves. Perhaps they were duped - as many of us were. But you do have the right (a true negative right) to leave, knowing what you got yourself into (the shunning doctrine isn’t really kept a secret). What if I “feel” coerced into living in a crappy apartment because I can’t afford a big one? What if a wife “feels” coerced into staying with her husband, when she would rather leave, but stays because she could never achieve the level of income as her husband. Are you saying that the wife’s human rights are violated because circumstances are bad for her?
"Feeling" coerced isn't the same as being coerced. Is is a human right not to "feel coerced"?
MMM