DOCSLIB.ORG

The Right to Freedom of Religion Or Belief

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Right to Freedom of Religion Or Belief The Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Good Practice Guide The objective of this Good Practice The Right to Freedom Guide is to help readers to better of Religion or Belief: understand the concept of Freedom A Good Practice Guide of Religion or Belief (FoRB) as it is defined under international human rights law. This Guide hopes to dispel common misconceptions about FoRB, such as the belief that FoRB is a right Contents that only protects religious people. 1 Index of useful terms and acronyms 4 Using real world examples, this Guide will show how developing a good understanding of FoRB is essential to prevent its misuse by malicious actors, including some governments and hardline religious movements, 2 Defining Freedom of Religion or Belief 6 to justify the violation of other fundamental rights and equalities. Who is protected? 6 This Guide was drafted by the Advocacy team of Humanists International. It is mainly intended for Members of Humanists International, practitioners What actions does the right to FoRB protect? 6 who may encounter FoRB in their campaigning and human rights work, and anyone else who hopes to develop a well-rounded understanding, Are there any limitations to FoRB? 7 from an impartial and well-informed source, on the importance and Why is FoRB important to the global humanist community? 8 relevance of this right. 3 International legal background and sources 9 4 How does FoRB interact with other protected rights? 10 5 The instrumentalization and distortion of FoRB 14 Language to use and the importance of terminology 14 So-called “Religious Freedom” and the anti-choice/rights movement 15 USA and “Religious Freedom” 20 Distortion of FoRB by States at the UN: “Religious Specificities,” “Traditional Values” and “Protection of the Family” 21 Civil Society actors distorting FoRB for anti-choice agenda 22 6 The siloing of FoRB and the Role of Special Envoys 23 7 Summary of Key Points 25 8 Useful Resources and Background Reading 26 Cases to look at 27 Training Exercises 27 2 3 Index of useful of Index terms and terms acronyms 1 the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Index of useful terms ICERD Racial Discrimination 1 and acronyms Freedom Defining faith-based organization FBO Religion of or Belief or 2 the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief International human rights advocacy is notorious for its usage of acronyms. FoRB In this section we cover some of the main terms and acronyms you are likely to come across while working on FoRB. International legal legal International background and background the right of Freedom of Expression FreedEx sources 3 ACHR the American Convention on Human Rights the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an inter-governmental OIC body aimed at advancing the interests of Muslim-majority states How does FoRB interact interact FoRB does How ACHPR African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights protected with other rights? the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 by the UNGA and 4 SDGs intended to be achieved by 2030 ACHPR the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which is the (Commission) institution tasked with interpretation of the ACHPR The instrumentalization The SRHR sexual and reproductive health and rights FoRB of and distortion the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination CEDAW Against Women 5 UDHR the Universal Declaration of Human Rights CRC the Convention on the Rights of the Child the United Nations FoRB of The siloing UN of and the Role Special Envoys ECHR the European Convention on Human Rights 6 the General Assembly of the United Nations, which is the main policy- UNGA making body of the United Nations, headquartered in New York the European Court of Human Rights, which is the institution tasked ECtHR with the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights Summary of Summary the Human Rights Council, an inter-governmental body (consisting Points Key of 47 member states elected for 3-year terms) established by the UN 7 General Assembly, which replaced the Human Rights Commission in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is tasked with UNHRC 2006. The HRC holds regular sessions three times a year (in March, IACHR enforcing the ACHR June and September). Not to be confused with the Human Rights Committee, which is a body of 18 experts established under the ICCPR Useful Resources Useful Resources and Background and Background ICCPR the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Reading 8 UNSR or the individual expert charged by the United Nations Human Rights UN Special Council to investigate a specific set of human rights concerns. Their ICESCR the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Rapporteur roles are independent and voluntary 4 5 Index of useful of Index terms and terms acronyms 1 Defining Freedom Are there any limitations to FoRB? The ‘inner’ freedom to choose one’s religion or belief is absolute, meaning 2 of Religion or Belief that there are absolutely no circumstances in which it can be limited. Freedom Defining The ‘outer’ element (i.e. the right to manifest) is not. Religion of or Belief or In other words, a State may set boundaries on the outward expression 2 or practice of religious belief. Where any restrictions on FoRB do exist, they must be prescribed by law and be necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.2 For a restriction to be “necessary” it cannot be made on the basis of populism or prejudice. Evidence-based, non-discriminatory COVID-19 legal International Who is protected? and background measures that temporarily limited public gatherings at places of worship sources are an example of a legitimate form of restriction put in place to safeguard 3 FoRB is a right1 that protects the individual conscience of all human public health. beings. Under FoRB, the meaning of ‘belief’ and ‘religion’ is broadly construed. FoRB is not limited to traditional religions or to religions and Such restrictions on the outer aspect of FoRB are necessary in a diverse beliefs with institutional characteristics or practices. It encompasses the society where people of different religions coexist with those who are right of an individual to reject any religion or belief, to identify as humanist non-religious. There must be a balance to ensure that everyone’s beliefs interact FoRB does How or atheist, and to manifest non-religious convictions through expression, are equally respected, and care must be taken to ensure that freedom protected with other teaching and practice. FoRB is thus a universal right; it does not grant of religion or belief is not used as a cover to discriminate against minority rights? 3 special privileges for religious people, but rather extends broad protection groups, such as women and LGBTI+ people (more on this below). 4 to everyone equally. The instrumentalization The and distortion of FoRB of and distortion What actions does the right to FoRB protect? Key takeaway: 5 There is both an ‘inner’ and an ‘outer’ element to FoRB. It is important to keep these two elements distinct. While the inner element lives within every human being, and is a personal The right to manifest and express one’s Freedom of Religion matter known to themselves only, the outer expression of FoRB is one which can implicate others and is where the potential for differences arises. or Belief can be subject to restrictions, because it has the potential to affect other people’s rights and freedoms. FoRB of The siloing and the Role of and the Role Special Envoys 6 FoRB grants each individual FoRB also grants the outer the inner ability to hold and to freedom to manifest, practice and change their inner convictions express a religion or belief. This and beliefs. It protects both the includes the right to teach others Summary of Summary right to have a religion or belief, about one’s beliefs or to write and Points Key as well as the right not to have publish literature about a religion 7 a religion or belief. Importantly, or belief. It includes the right to no person can be coerced or express a religion or belief through forced into believing something clothing, rituals and symbols, and against their will. to use buildings for worship. Useful Resources Useful Resources and Background and Background Reading 8 2 ICCPR, Art. 18(3); UN HRC, General Comment 22. 6 1 See Section 2 for the international legal background of the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief 3 https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Religion/A_HRC_43_48_AdvanceUneditedVerison.docx 7 Index of useful of Index terms and terms acronyms 1 Why is FoRB important to the global International humanist community? 3 Freedom Defining FoRB protects anyone whose personal belief system is a central aspect legal background of Religion of to their identity. It is a right that is essential to humanists. Belief or It is a particularly important right for many of our members who are and sources 2 based in countries where their humanist, atheist, or non-religious beliefs are routinely undermined by the State or the religious majority. Anyone imprisoned for criticizing religion or identifying as an atheist is known as a ‘prisoner of conscience’ and has had their right to FoRB, as well as their International legal legal International right to freedom of expression, violated. The right of FoRB is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): and background The status of FoRB is a good indicator of the general human rights situation sources 3 in a given country. When religious or non-religious expression is restricted, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and this tends to signal a shrinking space for other civil and political rights, religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, such as the right to life, privacy, assembly and expression, as well as social, economic and cultural rights.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion Or Belief
    Level 1, 4 Campion St 594 St Kilda Rd DEAKIN ACT 2600 MELBOURNE VIC 3004 T 02 6259 0431 T 02 6171 7446 E [email protected] E [email protected] 14 February 2018 The Expert Panel on Religious Freedom C/o Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet By email: [email protected] RE: Submission to the Commonwealth Expert Panel on Religious Freedom 1. The Human Rights Law Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby welcome this opportunity to make a submission to the Inquiry into the Status of the Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief. 2. The Human Rights Law Alliance implements legal strategies to protect and promote fundamental human rights. It does this by resourcing legal cases with funding and expertise to create rights-protecting legal precedents. The Alliance is especially concerned to protect and promote the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. In the past 24 months, the Alliance has aided more than 30 legal cases, and allied lawyers appeared in State Tribunals and Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts as well as the Federal Court. 3. With more than 100,000 supporters, ACL facilitates professional engagement and dialogue between the Christian constituency and government, allowing the voice of Christians to be heard in the public square. ACL is neither party partisan or denominationally aligned. ACL representatives bring a Christian perspective to policy makers in Federal, State and Territory parliaments. 4. This submission focusses on the intersection between freedom of religion and other human rights first in international law, second in Australian law, and third in the lived experience of Australians.
    [Show full text]
  • DOWNLOAD 2019 UK Audited Accounts
    H. \I-t Hurnanists INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL HUMANIST AND ETHICAL UNION (operating as HUMANISTS INTERNAIIONAL) FINANGIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2019 COMPANY NUMBER FC O2O6r',2 Humanists lnternational is a trading name of the lntemational Humanist and Ethical Union. INTERNATIONAL HUMANIST AND ETHICAL UNION REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2019 The Directors of the lnternational Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), operating as Humanists lnternational, present their annual report with the annualaccounts of the company for the year ended 31st December 2019. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in Note 1 and comply with current statutory requirements. IHEU is the world federation of organizations making up the global humanist movement, inclusive of all nontheistic traditions such as humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, laique, ethical culture, freethought, and skeptic. We want a secular world in which human rights are respected and everyone is able to live a life of dignity. We work to build and represent the global humanist movement that defends human rights and promotes Humanist values world-wide. Our Aims are: o We will have successful and sustainable member organisations in every part of the world o We will create a coordinated global movement by supporting and developing our network o We will influence and shape international and regional government policies o We will have sufficient reputation, resources, and effectiveness to achieve our objectives LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS The IHEU is a Membership Corporation pursuant to the Membership Corporation law of the State of New York. lt is registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act as an overseas company having established a place of business in England and Wales.
    [Show full text]
  • Humanism and Christianity: Shared Values?
    Shipton et al.: Humanism and Christianity: Shared Values? WARREN SHIPTON, YOUSSRY GUIRGUIS, AND NOLA TUDU Humanism and Christianity: Shared Values? Introduction The word humanism is derived from the Latin humanitas that originally meant the study of human nature. The idea was to elevate humanity with a focus on human dignity and potential through education (Ritchie and Spencer 2014:15, 16). The meaning attributed to the word humanism, in its broadest sense, allowed Christians and non-believers initially to oc- cupy common territory (64-78). In the early-middle Christian era, some thinkers sought to acquaint themselves with the achievements, literature, and thought of past civilizations, particularly Greek, with a view to rec- onciling theology with the philosophy of the classical philosophers (New World Encyclopedia n.d.; Odom 1977:126-128, 183-186). Outside Christian circles, elements supportive of the pre-eminence of human thought and abilities have long been seen among philosophers; however, not all forms of humanism were atheistic, as seen in Confucian thought (Gupta 2000:8- 12). There also are those who have been called “religious” or “spiritual” humanists (Eller 2010:10). The Medieval civilization that followed the collapse of the Roman Em- pire (AD 476) was marked by the rule of kings with nobles supporting the king in return for privileges. The majority of the population existed in serfdom; the Church reigned supreme. A change came in the 14th century helped by the fact that famine and disease created disaster. The abuses in the Church and the pessimism prevalent in society created a climate for change in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • The Freedom of Academic Freedom: a Legal Dilemma
    Chicago-Kent Law Review Volume 48 Issue 2 Article 4 October 1971 The Freedom of Academic Freedom: A Legal Dilemma Luis Kutner Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Luis Kutner, The Freedom of Academic Freedom: A Legal Dilemma, 48 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 168 (1971). Available at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol48/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons @ IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Chicago-Kent Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarly Commons @ IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE FREEDOM OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM: A LEGAL DILEMMA Luis KUTNER* Because modern man in his search for truth has turned away from kings, priests, commissars and bureaucrats, he is left, for better or worse, with professors. -Walter Lippman. Complete liberty of contradicting and disproving our opinion is the very condition which justifies us in assuming its truth for purposes of action.... -John Stuart Mill, On Liberty. I. INTRODUCTION IN THESE DAYS of crisis in higher education, part of the threat to aca- demic freedom-which includes the concepts of freedom of thought, inquiry, expression and orderly assembly-has come, unfortunately, from certain actions by professors, who have traditionally enjoyed the protection that academic freedom affords. While many of the professors who teach at American institutions of higher learning are indeed competent and dedicated scholars in their fields, a number of their colleagues have allied themselves with student demonstrators and like organized groups who seek to destroy the free and open atmosphere of the academic community.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
    Freedom of thought, COUNCIL CONSEIL conscience OF EUROPE DE L’EUROPE and religion A guide to the implementation of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights Jim Murdoch Human rights handbooks, No. 9 HRHB9_EN.book Page 1 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:08 PM HRHB9_EN.book Page 1 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:08 PM Freedom of thought, conscience and religion A guide to the implementation of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights Jim Murdoch Human rights handbooks, No. 9 HRHB9_EN.book Page 2 Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:08 PM In the “Human rights handbooks” series: No. 1: The right to respect for private No. 6: The prohibition of torture. A Directorate General and family life. A guide to the implemen- guide to the implementation of Article 3 of Human Rights tation of Article 8 of the European Con- of the European Convention on Human and Legal Affairs vention on Human Rights (2001) Rights (2003) Council of Europe F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex No. 2: Freedom of expression. A guide to the implementation of Article 10 of the No. 7 : Positive obligations under the © Council of Europe, 2007 European Convention on Human Rights European Convention on Human Cover illustration © Sean Nel – Fotolia.com (2001) Rights. A guide to the implementation of No. 3: The right to a fair trial. A guide to the European Convention on Human 1st printing, June 2007 the implementation of Article 6 of the Rights (2007) Printed in Belgium European Convention on Human Rights (2001; 2nd edition, 2006) No. 8: The right to life.
    [Show full text]
  • The Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion Or Belief
    Level 1, 4 Campion St PO Box 232 DEAKIN ACT 2600 DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600 T 02 6259 0431 T 02 6171 7446 E [email protected] E [email protected] 04 May 2017 Committee Secretary Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade PO Box 6021 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 RE: Inquiry into the status of the human right to freedom of religion or belief 1. The Human Rights Law Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby welcome this opportunity to make a submission to the Inquiry into the Status of the Human Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief. 2. The Human Rights Law Alliance implements legal strategies to protect and promote fundamental human rights. It does this by resourcing legal cases with funding and expertise to create rights-protecting legal precedents. The Alliance is especially concerned to protect and promote the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. In the past 12 months, the Alliance has aided more than 20 legal cases, and allied lawyers appeared in State Tribunals and Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts as well as the Federal Court. 3. With more than 80,000 supporters, ACL facilitates professional engagement and dialogue between the Christian constituency and government, allowing the voice of Christians to be heard in the public square. ACL is neither party partisan or denominationally aligned. ACL representatives bring a Christian perspective to policy makers in Federal, State and Territory parliaments. 4. Broadly, the terms of reference invite submissions concerning the status of the right in Australia and around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Freedom and Education in Australian Schools
    laws Article Religious Freedom and Education in Australian Schools Paul Babie Adelaide Law School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; [email protected] Abstract: This article examines the constitutional allocation of power over primary and secondary education in Australia, and the place of and protection for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Australian government and religious non-government schools. This article provides both an overview of the judicial treatment of the constitutional, legislative, and common law protection for FoRB and a consideration of emerging issues in religious freedom in both government and religious non-government schools, suggesting that the courts may soon be required to provide guidance as to how the available protections operate in both settings. Keywords: Australia; education; freedom of religion; constitution; free exercise; section 116; implied freedom of political communication 1. Introduction This article examines the place of and protection for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Australian government primary and secondary education (‘government schools’) 1 and in religious non-government schools. In order to understand that place, it is necessary to outline the legal foundations for education in Australia as well as the protection of FoRB Citation: Babie, Paul. 2021. Religious in Australian law. Australia, like the United States, is a constitutional federal democracy; Freedom and Education in Australian as such, the legal foundations for education involve an uneasy balance of federal (national, Schools. Laws 10: 7. https://doi.org/ or Commonwealth) and state and territory (regional) law and policy. This means that no 10.3390/laws10010007 one unitary source exists for the foundation of government schools, its funding, and for the protection of FoRB.
    [Show full text]
  • Limits to Freedom of Expression?
    LIMITS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION? CONSIDERATIONS ARISING FROM THE DANISH CARTOONS AFFAIR (Published in IFLA Journal, 32 (2006) 181-188) Paul Sturges Professor of Library Studies Loughborough University, UK INTRODUCTION In September 2005 a Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten published a group of cartoons containing satirical depictions of the Prophet Mahommed. As Islamic communities throughout the world gradually became aware of the publication of the cartoons there were many passionate expressions of distress and anger, largely on two grounds: first that Muslim belief does not accept pictorial representations of the Prophet and second that the cartoons associated the Prophet, and Muslims generally, with terrorism. Public demonstrations, some of them violent and resulting in loss of life, and protests directed mainly at the newspaper and the Danish government followed, whilst the cartoons were reprinted by a number of newspapers in other countries in solidarity with the original publishers. The complex of issues contained within this case is obviously of deep concern to librarians for a number of reasons, most notably the commitment of the profession to freedom of expression as a basic value of library and information work, but also because of the global role of libraries in contributing to providing access to the widest possible range of information and ideas for communities whatever their beliefs. IFLA’s FAIFE core activity provides a central professional focus for addressing these issues and has called for informed and tolerant contributions to the debate. The present article is intended to respond to that call. The essence of the debate is a clash between two opposed views of freedom of expression.
    [Show full text]
  • DOWNLOAD 2019 Annual Report File Type
    Annual Report 2019 Bold and brave. We are the global representative body of the humanist movement. 2 Foreword 3 Foreword Much of 2019 was marked by the ongoing persecution of my dear friend and Board colleague Gulalai Ismail. You will read more in this report about the ongoing requests we continue to receive from humanists at risk around the world. I Annual Report and my fellow members of the Board take these concerns seriously, and in late 2019 2019 approved plans from the Chief Executive to greatly increase the resources available to support humanists at risk. These are needed Contents more than ever. 2019 also was the year where I was re- Introduction 4 elected for the second time directly by our members at the General Assembly. It is a Our objectives 6 Gulalai was detained by Pakistani security huge privilege to be President of Humanists services on her way home from a Humanists International, and I am very grateful to you Our people 7 International Board meeting in October all for your continued support. Our joint 2018. Within minutes of her being detained work for human rights and human progress Key figures 8 our staff were alerted and had begun the has never been more vital and I thank you process of compiling information and Update on Gulalai 10 for allowing me to serve in leading it in the coordinating our global campaign to ensure coming years. her safety. Report on the General Assembly 12 Thank you. Almost an entire year of campaigning and Advocacy 14 lobbying followed. You may remember that when we met in Reykjavik in June 2019, we Our members 20 took a moment to reflect on the situation for our friend, and to redouble our efforts Growth and development 22 to bring her to safety.
    [Show full text]
  • Testimony of Rafida Bonya Ahmed, Humanist Activist and Author On
    Testimony of Rafida Bonya Ahmed, Humanist Activist and Author On behalf of the American Humanist Association Before the United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and Oversight and Reform Committee Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Joint Hearing on “Ending Global Religious Persecution” January 28, 2020 Washington, District of Columbia 1 Chairman Raskin, Ranking Member Roy, Members of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Chairwoman Bass, Ranking Member Smith, and Members of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, thank you for this opportunity to testify on behalf of the American Humanist Association concerning the harm caused by the numerous prohibitions against blasphemy that exist around the world. My name is Rafida Bonya Ahmed. I am a Bangladeshi-American author and blogger. I am a humanist and atheist. I am a mother to a recent John’s Hopkins graduate. I am a U.S. citizen and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics Human Rights Centre. And I am here today to provide a much-needed voice for the nonreligious communities and individuals harmed by religious persecution. While I would not venture to represent the interests of all nonreligious people, I am a person who knows first-hand the violence accusations of blasphemy can incite. I appreciate that the committees are putting an overdue spotlight on the egregious violations of human rights conducted in the name of religion, and I urge both committees and Congress to pursue policies that hold bad actors to account.
    [Show full text]
  • 12 04 30 LM Thailand
    Public Prosecutor, Office of the Attorney General (OAG) v Mr Somyot Pruksakasemsuk Written Comments of ARTICLE 19 ARTICLE 19 Free Word Centre 60 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3GA UK Tel: +44 207 324 2500 Fax: +44 207 490 0566 www.article19.org 24 April 2012 I. Introduction 1. ARTICLE 19 respectfully submits this amicus brief for the benefit of the Court’s consideration of the salient issues raised by the above-referenced case. 2. The present case before the Court involves the criminal prosecution of Mr Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, editor of the magazine “Voice of the Oppressed” (“Voice of Taksin”), under the lèse-majesté law of Thailand, specifically, Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code on lèse-majesté which states: “Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years”. Lèse-majesté is also entrenched in the Thai Constitution, Section 8, which states: “The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action”. Furthermore, the 2007 Computer Crimes Act has been used as a law on lèse-majesté. 3. Mr Pruksakasemsuk was arrested and charged under Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code on lèse-majesté on 30 April 2011 and has remained in pre-trial detention since then despite repeated bail requests. As well as being the editor of “Voice of the Oppressed”, Mr Pruksakasemsuk is a labour rights activist and is affiliated with the Democratic Alliance of Trade Unions.
    [Show full text]
  • Protecting the Right to Freedom of Expression Under the European Convention on Human Rights
    PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION This handbook, produced by the Human Rights National Implementation Division of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, is a practical UNDER THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION tool for legal professionals from Council of Europe member states who wish to strengthen their skills in ON HUMAN RIGHTS applying the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in their daily work. Interested in human rights training for legal professionals? Please visit the website of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP): www.coe.int/help Exergue For more information on Freedom of Expression and the ECHR, have a look at the HELP online course: 048117 Prems Citation http://www.coe.int/en/web/help/help-training-platform www.coe.int/nationalimplementation ENG The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human Dominika Bychawska-Siniarska rights organisation. It comprises 47 member states, A handbook 28 of which are members of the European Union. All for legal practitioners www.coe.int Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The European Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation of the Convention in the member states. PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION UNDER THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS A handbook for legal practitioners Dominika Bychawska-Siniarska Council of Europe The opinions expressed in this work are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe.
    [Show full text]