Essay: Vietnam’s accelerating crackdown on minority communities should disqualify it from a place on the UN Human Rights Council
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says international community must hold Vietnam to the highest standards of international human rights given its role on the council…
Essay: As the government returns to hardline tactics of yesteryear, the Cuban people need our prayers and support
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says there is no sign of a let-up in a government crackdown on religious leaders and religious freedom advocates in Cuba…
Biden administration finalises rule on religious liberty protections
United States RNS Nine agencies of the Biden administration have finalised a new rule that officials say will improve religious freedom by protecting the rights of beneficiaries of social services funded by the government. In particular, the rule will affect those receiving help from the many social service providers that are faith-based and will ensure […]
Essay: The international community must keep bringing the repression of the Nicaraguan Government into the light
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, looks at the findings of a new report into President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown on churches…
Belarus’ authoritarian leader tightens control over the country’s religious groups
Tallinn, Estonia AP Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law into effect that significantly tightens control over various religious denominations and organisations. The law, published on the presidential website this week, mandates that all denominations and religious groups reapply for state registration, which authorities reserve the right to refuse. In this photo provided by […]
Essay: Remembering those for whom freedom is not a reality this Christmas
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, urges us to pray for those Christians will not be with their families at Christmas…
Unable to go to church: Burkina Faso’s Christians living under threat of attacks
TONNY ONYULO reports on attacks from Islamist extremist groups have left thousands of Christians living in fear and skipping church services for fear of being murdered or kidnapped…
Essay: Inter-religious harmony and dialogue on fundamental human rights could bring about the change Cuba has needed for decades
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says recent gatherings to discuss religious freedom illustrate the change that is sweeping across Cuba…
Essay: Building on 25 years of religious freedom advocacy
KNOX THAMES and PETER MANDAVILLE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, write that a quarter of a century after passing the International Religious Freedom Act, global persecution continues while domestic battles around religious liberty have become increasingly partisan and high-profile…
Pope calls for freedom of worship for Catholics in China
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis called on Wednesday for freedom of worship for Catholics in China, a religious minority that has faced historic harassment and persecution in the communist country, causing friction between the Vatican and Beijing. Francis invoked prayers during his weekly audience that the Gospel “may be preached in its fullness, beauty and [in] […]