Keep updated about the latest developments and receive helpful information!
Governmental and non-governmental religious freedom representatives met on the margins of this year’s High-Level Conference of the Article 18 Alliance (A18A) in Prague, held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic, to discuss responses to recent reports by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe), and Hungary Helps, confirming a troubling global rise in Christian persecution and discrimination.
“All taboos have been broken when it comes to church vandalism.” With this statement, the German Bishops’ Conference has warned of a rise in church vandalism in Germany. It is not only the number of cases, but also their severity, that raises concern.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published a Guide on anti-Christian hate crimes, which highlights security needs of Christians in the OSCE region. The guideline complements existing OSCE guides on anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crime prevention and issues a strong call for government action.