Scotland proposes new hate crimes law to abolish blasphemy and expand protections
The parliament of Scotland introduced a bill on Friday to modernize hate crimes laws, including a section that would abolish the crime of blasphemy. The purpose of the proposed legislation is “to modernise, consolidate and extend existing hate crime law,” updating the list of protected characteristics, including for the first time adding age to the [...]
UN rights expert urges states to protect freedom of religion
A UN human rights expert presented a report to the Human Rights Council Tuesday highlighting an increase in the use of anti-blasphemy and anti-apostasy laws to crack down on dissent. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, noted the increased threat to freedom of expression, writing, “Freedom of religion or [...]
The Domestic Violence Act of 2018 went into effect in Ireland on Wednesday, which includes the offense of coercive control. The offense is committed when a person: knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that- (a) is controlling or coercive, (b) has a serious effect on a relevant person, and (c) a reasonable person would consider [...]
Ireland’s Vote to Remove Blasphemy from its Constitution and the Case of Asia Bibi
In a referendum held on Friday, October 26, 2018, the people of Ireland voted to amend the Irish Constitution to remove the word blasphemy from Article 40.6.1, which declared that “he publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law.” This constitutional amendment enables [...]
Pakistan Supreme Court overturns Catholic woman's blasphemy conviction and death sentence
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday overturned the 2010 blasphemy conviction and death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Catholic woman, for failure to proffer enough evidence that Bibi indeed committed the crime. The court’s decision rested on Pakistan’s Constitution and a 2016 decision in which the court emphasized that the state is “to ensure that [...]
The Irish people voted on Friday in favor of changing their constitution to remove the word blasphemy. Each of the 40 constituencies of Ireland voted in favor of the 37th amendment with 44 percent of eligible voters taking part in the poll. The constitution previously stated, in Article 40.6.1, “the publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, [...]
Europe rights court: conviction for insulting Prophet Muhammad did not violate freedom of expression
The European Court of Human Rights ruled Friday that an Austrian court’s conviction for disparaging religious doctrines did not violate the defendant’s freedom of expression. The case centered around two seminars hosted by Ms S in 2009. During the talks, titled “Basic Information on Islam,” Ms S referred to the Prophet Muhammad as a pedophile. Subsequently, [...]
The Irish cabinet voted on Tuesday in favor of the Removal of Blasphemy Bill , which will “provide for a referendum on removing the crime of blasphemy from the Constitution.” Charlie Flanagan , the Minister for Justice and Equality, proposed the bill. Article 40.6.1(i) of the Irish Constitution says, “The publication or utterance of blasphemous, [...]
Pakistan rights group: country failing to address human rights issues
The government of Pakistan has failed to resolve several human rights issues within the past year, according to a report released Monday by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) . According to the HRCP, issues such...
Here's the international legal news we covered this week: The Supreme Court of Ireland formally ruled in a unanimous decision on Friday that the complete employment ban on asylum seekers was unconstitutional. UN Commissioner for...
