August 22 is International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief (#UNIDVRBV). It was established in 2019 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution in response to the growing number of cases of persecution and discrimination based on faith.

Join the celebration!

August 22 at 9 PM

• Throughout Poland, buildings of offices and cultural institutions as well as public utility buildings will be highlighted
• We will light candles and grave lanterns as a personal commemoration of the victims of persecution.

How to take part?

• Encourage your local authority or institution to attend the event.
• Share a photo of the lit candle and its symbolism on Facebook or Twitter. Tag the Laboratory, add a hashtag: # UNIDVRBV, #August22, #FoRBmatters, #religiouspersecution, #ikropka
• You can also set up a special profile picture overlay that we have prepared for this occasion.

Why are we celebrating this day?

• According to Open Doors estimates, about 340 million Christians are currently facing severe persecution. This is 80 million more than in the previous year.

• Last year, 4,761 Christians were killed because of their faith, and 4,277 were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.

• Between 2019 and 2020, the number of Christians murdered because of their beliefs increased by almost 60%.

• In 2020, 304 cases of widely understood violations of the freedom of conscience and religion were recorded in Poland among Christians.

Here you can find the report of last year’s celebrations:

https://laboratoriumwolnosci.pl/podsumowanie-obchodow-22-sierpnia-mduoap/