Freedom of Religion or Belief

Et bilde som inneholder Menneskeansikt, klær, person, dress

Automatisk generert beskrivelse — *Abid Raja, chair of the IPPFoRB Steering Group, speaking at the high-level conference in Nairobi in May. To the right, Fernanda San Martin Carrasco, director of IPPFoRB. Photo: IPPFoRB*

«Freedom of religion or belief has rightly been termed a ‘gateway’ to other freedoms, including freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association. There can be no free religious community life without respect for those other freedoms, which are closely intertwined with the right to freedom of religion or belief itself. This is exactly what worries authoritarian governments.»

Heiner Bielefeldt, former UN Special Rapporteur for FoRB.

Freedom of Religion or Belief protects believers and non-believers alike and is not a topic that is only of relevance to religious individuals or followers of minority religions. No government can fully respect FoRB while denying freedom of expression, organization, and assembly. None of these can be realized in isolation from the others. Governments may favour specific religious communities above others, often in exchange for support for government policies. This practice does not align with the international standards of FoRB, which protect this freedom for everyone.

A dedicated team of NHC staff is working with The International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB). The NHC team serves as the network's secretariat.

Over the past year, the IPPFoRB organized several significant events worldwide. Among these were the Fourth High-level Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Nairobi (1-4 May), a side event to the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance Ministerial Conference in Prague (29 November), as well as the IPPFoRB Academy in Rio de Janeiro (11-15 December). The events are vital platforms for exchanging experiences and developing tools for parliamentarians worldwide to promote FoRB, as well as an opportunity to touch base with the diplomatic community and relevant international organizations engaged in promoting FoRB.

The NHC cooperates with various organizations, networks, and initiatives to promote freedom of religion or belief as a human right for all. This right is under severe pressure in many countries where we work, including Central Asia and Türkiye. Since 2013, the NHC has supported the Freedom of Belief Initiative project in Türkiye. The Initiative monitors and reports on freedom of religion or belief and hate crimes, makes submissions of briefs to the Council of Europe on the lack of execution of judgments by the European Court of Human Rights, and provides competence building and platforms for dialogue for a wide range of stakeholders.

Abuse of religion to promote hatred and violence has been highlighted in statements by the newly established Coalition for International Criminal Justice (CICJ), which the NHC has established together with The Centre for International Law Research and Policy (CILRAP., In 2023, CILRAP published a groundbreaking anthology on Religion, Hateful Expression, and Violence in 2023 with contributions from NHC staff.