Author: Marek Olšanský
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Arguments submitted at Europe’s top human rights court on COVID worship ban
Strasbourg (28 July 2023) – Are blanket bans on public worship compatible with the international human right to the communal exercise of religious freedom? This is the question brought by former EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr. Ján Figeľ, who has filed a challenge at the European Court of Human Rights…
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Náboženská sloboda je testom ostatných slobôd, uviedol Ján Figeľ pred americkými absolventmi
Ján Figeľ predniesol pred absolventmi HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership v New York City prejav, v ktorom upozornil na nenahraditeľnosť a dôležitosť náboženskej slobody ako jedného zo základných kameňov demokratickej spoločnosti. Slovenský preklad prejavu priniesol denník Postoj. Figeľ na začiatku svojho prejavu spomínal na roky, ktoré strávil ako vôbec prvý osobitný vyslanec pre…
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Náboženská sloboda je lakmusovým testom všetkých ľudských práv
V roku 2016 som sa stal vôbec prvým osobitným vyslancom pre podporu slobody náboženstva alebo viery mimo Európskej únie. Bol to čas masového vraždenia príslušníkov náboženských a etnických menšín v Iraku a Sýrii zo strany teroristov a militantov ISIS. Počas štyroch náročných rokov som navštívil veľa krajín s cieľom podporiť slobodu nespravodlivo prenasledovaných, medzináboženský dialóg…
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Religious freedom requires vigilance
In 2016, I became the first-ever Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) outside the European Union. It was a time of mass atrocities committed by terrorists and militants of so-called ISIS against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, and for four demanding years, I visited many countries…
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Religious freedom requires vigilance
In 2016, I became the first-ever Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) outside the European Union. It was a time of mass atrocities committed by terrorists and militants of so-called ISIS against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, and for four demanding years, I visited many countries…
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The EU must not support a caretaker government in Bangladesh
Almost nine years ago, newly appointed EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was being lauded for leading the world in standing up to the junta who usurped power away from the elected government in Thailand four months prior. Alongside the accolades came a foreboding warning: Once the military has its grip on power, it will…
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Why Japan Should Guarantee Religious Liberty to the Unification Church/Family Federation
Why Japan Should Guarantee Religious Liberty to the Unification Church/Family Federation: A Letter to the Government Four prominent specialists of freedom of religion or belief—Willy Fautré, Ján Figel’, Massimo Introvigne, and Aaron Rhodes—call for an end to what increasingly appears as a witch hunt. From left to right, Willy Fautré, Ján Figel’, Massimo Introvigne, and…
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Schuman Talk (episode 34) – Ján Figeľ
June’s edition of the Schuman Talks touches on the subject of “Defending religious freedom”, with our special guest, dr. Ján Figeľ, former EU Special Envoy for promotion of freedom of religion (2016 – 2019).
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Defending Faith from Fear
During COVID, Western nations did the unthinkable by banning religious gatherings and services. Many states deemed ‘inessential’ what all believers consider most essential: the act of gathering together to worship God. Ludwig Graf von Brühl I can still vividly remember how determined my 94-year-old grandma was to find a Sunday church service. She traveled across…