Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion

Attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines are in violation of international law. When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Most hate crimes are inspired by race and religion, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart and can escalate into actual crimes.

Governments must protect all people and places of worship, implement comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, and invest in education initiatives that foster inclusion and equal rights.

At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity.

The responsibility to protect.

Believers deserve respect because they are human beings.

Individuals and communities face violence based on religion or beliefs.

Political and religious leaders must unequivocally condemn hate speech, advance dialogue, and make clear that violence can never be an answer.

Digital public goods are changing the way international criminal law is disseminated, studied and consulted around the world. The Digital Public Goods Alliance has already certified a publisher that specializes in international criminal law (the Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher ('TOAEP')) and the leading e-learning platform in the field (Lexsitus), both built onto the award-winning ICC Legal Tools Database ('LTD').

Chaired by Professor Gregory S. Gordon (Chinese University of Hong Kong), this side-event discusses a significant new TOAEP-release on religious hate speech and a commentary in Arabic, English and French on Lexsitus:

Hate Speech in the Name of Religion: Are Religious Leaders and International Criminal Justice Doing Enough to Deter Such Hateful Expressions?

Online Commentary in Arabic, English and French Lexsitus: Has the Future of Digital Capacity-Building in International Criminal Law Arrived?

A side-event to the 22nd Session of the ICC Assembly of States Parties, convened by the Centre for International Law Research and Policy (CILRAP), co-sponsored by Norway, Indian Society of International Law, Coalition for International Criminal Justice, Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire (Université Laval), Stockholm Center for International Law and Justice, Human Rights Law Centre (University of Nottingham), Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and Canadian Partnership for International Justice, with financial support from Justitierådet Edvard Cassels stiftelse.

Freedom of religion and belief is an inalienable human right. Faith and belief should never attract violence.

Yet, around the world, people and communities, particularly minorities, face intolerance, discrimination and threats – to their places of worship, their livelihoods and even their lives. Hatred stirred on and off line is often the cause.

On this International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, we remember all those who have suffered. And we renew our resolve to stamp out the hate speech that fuels these terrible acts of intolerance. Initiatives like my Call to Action for Human Rights and the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech provide a blueprint to do so.

I urge all governments to prevent and address acts of violence based on religion and belief. I call on everyone, particularly political, community and religious leaders, to speak out against hate and incitement to violence. And I encourage governments, technology companies and other stakeholders to support the United Nations’ work in developing a voluntary Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, ahead of next year’s Summit of the Future, to tackle hate speech online. 

We call on all societies to collectively reject hate and exclusion, and for an end to impunity for violent acts driven by religion or belief.

UNAOC launched a global Call to Action #forSafeWorship to support the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites, inviting people around the world to submit multimedia stories about their personal, emotional connections to religious sites. This communications campaign is meant to engage the global youth and faith communities in celebrating the universality of religious sites as symbols of our shared humanity, history, and traditions. To date, UNAOC has received and featured multimedia stories from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Nepal, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and more! In addition, the campaign has reached 320,000+ people on social media. To find out more, visit forsafeworship.org to consult the communication toolkits available and submit your multimedia story about your special sacred place! Make sure to also follow the campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and to use the hashtag #forSafeWorship when posting your story!

The Plan is the result of an extensive and inclusive consultative process with major stakeholders, including UN entities, governments, religious leaders and faith-based organizations. The Plan emphasizes the importance of a mutually-reinforcing collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the safeguard of religious sites.

Freedom of religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association are interdependent, interrelated and mutually reinforcing. They are enshrined in articles 18, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Upholding these rights plays an important role in the fight against all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief.

The open, constructive and respectful debate of ideas, as well as interreligious, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, at the local, national, regional and international levels, can play a positive role in combating religious hatred, incitement and violence.