NEWS

Pakistan – religious leaders reject law protecting religious minorities The Pakistani constitution of 1973 grants in theory the same status to all citizens, but systemic discrimination and forced conversion to Islam continues. In August 2019 already, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, with representatives of other religious minorities in Pakistan, prepared a declaration in which they ask, […]

Spain The Report on International Religious Freedom: Spain from 2020 contains information about bringing by Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers to the Supreme Court a compliant against the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The complaint concerns numerous interruptions of services, despite churches’ compliance with safety regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These events were […]

Washington, USA. March of solidarity with persecuted Christians On September 25 in Washington the March for the Martyrs will take place again. The event will begin and end with speeches by various motivational speakers, including the founder of For the Martyrs, as well as humanitarian activists. There will also be a concert by the Radiant […]

After the Sunni Muslims, the largest religious group in Afghanistan are Shi’ite Muslims. They are represented mostly by the Hazaras, who are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan after the Pashtuns, making up 9% of the population. Aside from other Muslim denominations, religious minorities include, among others, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and Baha’is. At present, there […]

In 2019, the UN General Assembly established August 22 as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. Just like last year, the Religious Freedom Laboratory coordinated this year’s celebration of the Day in Poland. Also this time, the actions undertaken to commemorate those persecuted for their faith […]

August 22 is International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief The day was established on May 28, 2019 by the United Nations General Assembly, on the initiative of Polish diplomacy represented by Jacek Czaputowicz, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs. The role of this celebration is to draw […]

Ukraine – Russian authorities in Crimea prohibit officiating of Liturgy Since March 2014, the Russian occupation authorities have been in every way obstructing the activities of the communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, depriving them of the possibility of performing services, i.a. using the the help of local Russian courts. The most known incidents include attempts to seize by legal proceedings the building […]

FRANCE The anti-Islam draft bill threatens also the Christian religious freedom On February 16, a bill was passed, which is now called the separatist law or the law reinforcing republican principles. First Minister Jean Castex said in December that this „legislation is not legislation against religions, nor against the Muslim religion in particular. It is […]

CUBA – REPRESSIONS AGAINST PRIESTS DURING MANIFESTATION AGAINST THE COMMUNIST AUTHORITY Castor José Álvarez Devesa, a Catholic priest, was arrested and beaten on July 11 in Camagüey. He was released on Monday, after Sunday’s silent demonstration by the Catholic community in front of the place where the clergyman was detained. Rev. Jatniel Peréz, rector of […]

PAKISTAN – A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL FIGHTS TO SURVIVE According to the Catholic Church’s directory, by 2010, there were 504 Christian educational institutions in Pakistan, currently there are 355. Research by Suneel Malik from the Center for Social Justice showed a very large difference in learning outcomes between Christian and Muslim students to the disadvantage of […]