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December 07, 2020
Dec 7, 2020
There are 84 countries across the globe with criminal blasphemy laws on the books as of 2020. While only a handful of countries enforce these laws, there are still 84 countries in which a person could face criminal charges for insulting or offending religious doctrines in regions that include Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and others.
There are a plethora of ways that governments’ enforcement of blasphemy laws undermines human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRF
October 09, 2020
Oct 9, 2020
Welcome to USCIRF's new series! In USCIRF Spotlight, we discuss major topics in the news and explore how they impact religious freedom around the globe. For this week's episode, listen to what our research team has to say about the situation in Belarus.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Dr. Jason Morton, Policy Analyst, USCIRF
January 22, 2021
Jan 22, 2021
Targeting of religious minorities in Russia, mass atrocities in China, Nigeria as a country of particular concern, and Antisemitism on the rise worldwide. The events of 2020 cast a long shadow over religious freedom conditions as we enter into a new year. There are, however, some areas of progress such as Sudan and Uzbekistan. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin joins us to discuss the state of religious freedom worldwide.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF
February 12, 2021
Feb 12, 2021
Russia is currently experiencing ongoing, widespread anti-corruption protests. These protests demonstrate the largest challenge to government control in almost a decade. Meanwhile, the State Duma recently put forth legislation which has significant implications for religious freedom.
Religious freedom conditions in Russia have deteriorated rapidly in recent years. In fact, USCIRF has released several reports over the past year detailing why Russia should be designated a country of particular concern for its egregious violations of religious freedom. This week’s discussion explains why USCIRF makes this recommendation, and how recent events there impact religious freedom conditions.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Jason Morton, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF
May 27, 2021
May 27, 2021
Blasphemy laws criminalize expression that insults or offends religious doctrines. Such laws are often used to restrict freedom of religion or belief. As of 2020, 84 countries still had blasphemy laws. The severity of a blasphemy law on the books, however, is only the beginning of the story. The enforcement of such laws—either government enforcement or mob violence—undermines human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.
Joelle Fiss and Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum are the authors of the USCIRF report “Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws,” released in December 2020. They join us to discuss the findings of their report, and the impact of blasphemy laws on religious freedom.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Joelle Fiss, Member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Associate Professor of Clinical Law at Cardozo School of Law