The Freedom of Thought Report 2020 Key Countries Edition A global report on the rights, legal status and discrimination against humanists, atheists and the non-religious Credits Editor: Emma Wadsworth-Jones Lead researchers: Lillie Ashworth, Mahalet Tadesse, Tommaso Virgili Volunteer researchers: Moses Alusala, Yusuf Baraka, Katarina Branovacki, Adriana Buenaventura Martinez, Georgina Edwards, Sam Eisenkraft, Jaylyn Galloway, Kacem El Ghazzali, Pilar Gianni Rodriguez, Nia Hamedi, Gelila Kebede, Abigail Kendall, Clare-Marie Koh, Mario Kuçi, Kevin Makova, Jessica Marvata, Mxolisi Masuku, Soukaina El Mountassir, Pavlina Naydenova, Bishwa P. Pandey, Ferlin F. Pedro, Kethoseno Peseyie, Lawrence Rickard, Dominika Rozanska, Dennis Schutijser, Eleonora Vassanelli, Liam Whitton, Ekaterina Zemskova, and our anonymous contributors. The Freedom Contributors: Gary McLelland, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkheitir Special thanks to the following Humanists International’s Members and Associates: American Humanist Association of Thought Association of Atheism, Turkey Atheist in Kenya Society Atheist Ireland Cyprus Humanist Association Report 2020 demens.nu (Belgium) Danish Humanist Society (Humanistisk Samfund) Finnish Humanist Association French Atheist Union Humanist Alliance Philippines, International Humanist Society of New Zealand Key Countries Edition Humanist Association of the Netherlands (Humanistisch Verbond) A global report on the rights, legal status Humanists UK and discrimination against humanists, National Secular Society (UK) atheists and the non-religious Norwegian Humanist Association (Human-Etisk Forbund) Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (Italy) (Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionalisti) Special thanks to Matt Cherry who worked on the initial 2012 and 2013 editions of this Report, and on whose work the General Introduction is largely based, and to Bob Churchill, the Report’s editor and pioneer from 2012-2019. If you have updates, additions or corrections for this Report, please email [email protected] Freedom of Thought Report by Humanists International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The Freedom of Thought Report 2020: A Global Report on the Rights, Legal Status and Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists and the Non-religious, was created by Humanists International. Humanists International is the global representative democratic body of the humanist movement, which unites a diversity of humanist (and other non-religious) organizations and individuals. We want everyone to live a life of dignity in a world where universal human rights are respected and protected, including adherence to political secularism by all states. We work to build, support and represent the global humanist movement by defending human rights, particularly those of non-religious people, and promoting humanist values worldwide as exemplified in the Amsterdam Declaration (2002): hmnts.in/Amsterdam-Declaration. Humanists International is the trading name of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), a not-for-profit organization registered in New York, USA (501(c)3) and operating as a foreign company in the United Kingdom (FC020642). To receive updates and news from Humanists International, or to join as a supporter, visit humanists.international Constitution & Government Society & Community Education & Children’s Rights Expression & Advocacy of Humanist Values These maps depict the findings of the full Freedom of Thought Report which is Grave Violations available in a complete Online Edition at fot.humanists.international Severe Discrimination The maps correspond to each of the four thematic strands of the Report: Constitution & Government, Education & Children’s Rights, Society & Systemic Discrimination Community, and Freedom of Expression & Advocacy of Humanist Values. Each Mostly Satisfactory map shows the highest severity level (see key, right) of any boundary condition applied in each thematic strand. Free and Equal No Rating 4 Freedom of Thought 2020 | Maps Maps | Freedom of Thought 2020 5 7 This map depicts the findings of the full Freedom of Thought Report Grave Violations which is available in a complete Online Edition at fot.humanists.international Severe Discrimination Systemic The following maps color each country by the level of the most severe Discrimination boundary condition(s) applied in each category. For example: if the worst boundary condition that is found to apply in the “freedom of expression” Mostly Satisfactory category was at the level of “Severe discrimination” then this country will Free and Equal be colored red (see the key, right). No Rating 6 Freedom of Thought 2020 | | Freedom of Thought 2020 Preface to the 2020 edition Foreword to the 2020 edition By Andrew Copson By Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir Welcome to the ninth annual edition of the Freedom of Everything seemed to be normal in that land that had Thought Report. been dating the sea since eternity, the two gave birth to a city and agreed to call it: “Nouadhibou”. And it was a Today our world is in the grip of a global pandemic, female city … the likes of which we have not seen for a century. Governments and authorities around the world have And everything seemed normal… until I wrote my article introduced various policies of ‘distancing’ to reduce the about slavery and social injustice and their relationship risk of spreading the infection. These restrictions, whilst to religion, from then on everything turned upside completely necessary, have also had the secondary down: effect of undermining and destabilizing the lives of those who are most vulnerable. • I was placed in an isolation cell • I was denied the right to family visits Through good leadership, guided by science and • My wife was divorced from me and forcibly married to empathy, and our global solidarity, we will overcome another man this current crisis. By working together, and learning Andrew Copson is president of • Nothing was normal anymore ... Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir together, we will begin to contain this virus and to Humanists International ameliorate the damage it is doing. Raging waves of bloodthirsty extremists filled the streets and their only demand was my head. Everyone around the world has had to bear a burden, from the loss of financial security, the loss of contact campaign to promote proper scientific information in Why all this fuss? It was simply an article I wrote in which with our family and friends, and the loss of certainty in the face of harmful falsehoods, to the Humanist Society I demanded that slavery and racial discrimination should Because I said “no to slavery and caste discrimination” I a world we didn’t expect. We know that the lockdown of Singapore which quickly moved to develop a range be abolished. I knew that I had touched a nerve when had to spend six years of my life behind bars, six years in restrictions have put some humanists who were already of ‘Humanism at home’ resources for its members. I showed from the old and recent Islamic history and solitary confinement. After a year in imprisonment I was at risk, in a much more serious situation. We are working These responses should give us heart, in these difficult theology that slavery and the caste system in Mauritania sentenced to death, which was upheld by the Court of with many individuals who found themselves stranded times. You can read more of these amazing reports in and -other Muslim countries- are practices primarily Appeal two years later. The accusation was “apostasy,” in the process of fleeing harm, unable to access consular the ‘Global Humanism Now’ series on the Humanists stemming from and legitimated by religion and do not and the evidence against me was words I wrote in the or other support services. International website. resemble most of other types of slavery that existed aforementioned article and other articles where I called in other parts of the world, such as the United States, for freedom of religion or belief and individual liberties In 2020 we were joined by the UN Special Rapporteur By early April, the Board had approved plans from the which had an economic character. for all. for Freedom of Religion or Belief to launch a new Chief Executive to make available an additional fund of report, funded by the UK Government. This report, the small COVID-19 grants, payable directly to individual I do not regret any of the minutes, weeks and years I Humanists at Risk: Action report 2020, clearly highlights humanists in developing countries with the minimum spent in the corridor of death, because every change has some examples of the discrimination that humanists possible bureaucracy. So far we have made over 20 of “Because I said ‘no to slavery a price, and what would you say, if the change we aspire face around the world, such as: legal discrimination these grants, helping our friends and colleagues to buy for, would take us from darkness to enlightenment, from (such as ‘blasphemy’, ‘apostasy’ and other laws soap, food and other essentials for themselves and their and caste discrimination’ I slavery to liberty…? It is indeed a price worth fighting for. restricting so called ‘religious insult’); impunity for communities. had to spend six years of my attacks and killings; as well as bullying, discrimination, A large part of what I have experienced is the ostracism and social isolation. Amid the difficulties, we are glad to be able to report two life behind bars, six years in responsibility of some influential