Human Rights
2 January 2010
EHF protests to Socialist group over reactionary attitude The European Court of Human Rights has delivered a judgement of huge significance to secularism and human rights. It is subject to appeal and an immense campaign is being mounted to get the full (Grand Chamber) Court to reverse the judgement. The Socialist Group in the European Parliament has joined right-wing parties in seeking to undermine the judgement with talk of subsidiarity and the rights of majorities… read more »
18 December 2009
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against Italy’s compulsory display of crucifixes in State school classrooms. Meantime in a referendum Switzerland has voted to ban construction of minarets. The EHF, IHEU and the two principal Belgian organisations have jointly published an article in the Belgian newspaper Le Soir applauding the judgement, deploring the referendum and explaining the reasons why.
1 December 2009
The European Convention on Human Rights is of fundamental importance to humanists and secularists, both because of our support for human rights in general and because some of the Articles protect us from discrimination and lend support to separation of religion and politics. It is enforceable in countries that have adopted the Convention (including all states in the EU) through the European Court of Human Rights. Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights,… read more »
21 November 2009
A rally was organised by One Law for All in Hyde Park, London, on 21 November 2009 to protest at the iniquities of sharia (Islamic religious) law and its infiltration into European Muslim communities. Among many other speakers was David Pollock, president of the EHF: watch his speech on YouTube. He said: Why are we against sharia law? For the same reason that centuries ago our ancestors in Britain were against ecclesiastical courts intruding into secular… read more »
10 November 2009
On 10 November 2009 we sent an email via his official website to the Iranian Head of Judiciary as follows: Your Excellency I write to you on behalf of the European Humanist Federation, which represents 42 organisations in about 20 countries in Europe. We appeal to you to cancel the execution, scheduled for tomorrow, of Ehsan (Esma’il) Fattahian and colleagues of his for apostasy and so-called enmity against God. Capital punishment for apostasy, or in… read more »
30 September 2009
Pierre-Arnaud Perrouty, David Pollock, Vera Pegna and Staffan Gunnarson outside the conference hotel The EHF held a side meeting at which David Pollock explored the limits that need to be placed on legal recognition of conscientious objections to legal obligations and duties – see his paper and a brief intervention he made in the plenary session on religion or belief. Vera Pegna spoke in the session on rule of law about the relevant principles and… read more »
21 July 2009
The following message was sent via the Kremlin website to President Medvedev on 21 July 2009 about the prosecution of the curators of the Forbidden Art exhibition: Dear President Medvedev I write on behalf of the European Humanist Federation, which represents forty-two organisations in nineteen countries. We wish to protest at the prosecution of the art critic and former head of the Department of Modern Art at the Tretiakov Gallery, Andrei Yerofeev, and the former… read more »
10 July 2009
The OSCE held a special conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Vienna on 9-10 July 2009. This was in part a result of EHF’s representations. Our representative at this Special Human Dimension Implementation Meeting was Vera Pegna, our permanent representative with OSCE. Also attending were Andrew Copson, EHF Board Member, representing the British Humanist Association, and Catherine Lützeler of the Centre d’Action Laique, Belgium. This is Vera Pegna’s report on the event: You may recall… read more »
31 March 2009
Article 2 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights This provides that the State should not interfere with parents’ right to bring up their children according to their own beliefs: No person shall be denied the right to education. In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity… read more »
(a) Should the state support schools committed to religious or other beliefs? Religious schools committed to teaching as true the beliefs of a particular Christian denomination or another religion are traditional in many states and are almost invariably supported to a greater or lesser extent from taxation. Equality, non-discrimination and a degree of state neutrality can be obtained if all parents have the choice of a school reflecting their own beliefs – including humanist or… read more »