Freedom of Religion or Belief
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
22 August marks the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly to condemn acts of violence targeting individuals on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief. Such violence is ever-growing around the world, in its various manifestations, and requires urgent and comprehensive responses.
On 22 August 2022, to mark the UN day, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) hosted an international webinar: Turning Words into Action. It followed the previous month’s Ministerial on Freedom of Religion or Belief hosted, in London, by the United Kingdom Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. That event brought together government, civil society, faith and belief groups to agree action to promote internationally freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
The IBAHRI webinar speakers included:
- Fiona Bruce MP, UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on FoRB, Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA)
- David Burrowes, UK PM’s Deputy Special Envoy on FoRB
- Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London
- Bani Dugal, Bahá'í International, Member of the IRFBA panel of experts
- Pari Ibrahim, Free Yezidi Foundation
- Prof. Nazila Ghanea, Oxford University, UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB
- Nury Turkel, Chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
- Dr Dmytro Vovk, Director, Center for the Rule of Law and Religion Studies at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Kharkiv, Ukraine
The session was moderated by IBAHRI Programme lawyer Dr Ewelina Ochab, author of the initiative to establish the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, and Emily Foale, IBAHRI project manager.