All cases

UPDATE: Maltese court clears Matthew Grech of all charges

March 4, 2026, Malta

Matthew Grech, a Maltese Christian, has been cleared by a Maltese court following charges related to his participation in a TV show in April 2022. During the interview, Grech shared his personal testimony of leaving a homosexual lifestyle after finding the Christian faith. The case was brought under Malta’s ban on “conversion practices,” but the court concluded that the programme constituted a public discussion and that Grech had merely shared his personal experience about sexual morality.

Court Orders Removal of Hilltop Cross in Robion

February 16, 2026, France

In February 2026, the Administrative Court of Nîmes ordered the mayor of Robion to remove a wooden cross located on a hill overlooking the village, ruling that it had been installed after the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State.

ECtHR takes up Turkey’s bans on Christians based on religion

February 5, 2026, Turkey

The European Court of Human Rights has formally taken up 20 cases of Christians banned from Türkiye solely for practicing their faith. Turkish authorities applied internal security codes to classify long-term, peaceful Christian residents as “threats to national security”, despite no criminal conduct. These measures constitute targeted religious discrimination and violate key protections under the European Convention, including freedom of religion and prohibition of discrimination.

Freshers’ Fair Ban on Church Successfully Challenged

January 24, 2026, United Kingdom

A Christian church, Grace Church Greenwich, was denied the chance to book a stall at Goldsmiths University’s Freshers’ Fair because the booking contractor, Native, stated it could no longer “facilitate bookings for religious groups at these events.” Grace Church challenged the policy as discriminatory, and the company subsequently suspended the ban, allowing bookings from the church and similar groups.

Vienna Court: Prayer Vigil Outside Abortion Facilities Permitted

January 23, 2026, Austria

In January 2026, the Vienna Administrative Court ruled that a peaceful prayer vigil held in the proximity of an abortion facility in Vienna falls within the scope of the constitutionally protected freedom of assembly. The decision overturned an earlier prohibition issued by the Vienna police authorities.

UK Police Ban Christian March Over Fear of Muslim Community Reaction

January 23, 2026, United Kingdom

The Metropolitan Police blocked a UK Independence Party “Walk With Jesus” march scheduled for 31 January in Whitechapel, east London, citing fears it would provoke a hostile reaction from the local Muslim community and lead to “serious violence and disorder.”

Call to Remove Religious Symbols Hits European Court

January 16, 2026, France

In July 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) communicated Union of Atheists v. Greece (Application No. 001-244533), a case seeking the removal of Christian icons from Greek courtrooms. The application reflects a broader attempt to eliminate longstanding religious symbols from public institutions across Europe, raising concerns about whether state neutrality is increasingly interpreted as requiring the erasure of religious heritage from public life.

UPDATE: Woman criminally charged for silent prayer

December 17, 2025, United Kingdom

British charitable volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has been criminally charged in Birmingham under the UK’s new national abortion “buffer zone” law for silently praying near an abortion facility, with her trial scheduled for 29 January 2026. This is the first known prosecution under the Public Order Act 2023, highlighting tensions between public-order regulations and freedom of conscience.

Estonia’s Actions Threaten Religious Freedom, Warn UN Experts

December 15, 2025, Estonia

UN human rights experts have raised alarm over legislative and administrative measures in Estonia that target the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC). They warned that these actions—ranging from legal amendments to restrictive treatment of clergy—could disproportionately limit religious freedom.

Prayer Outside Abortion Clinic Protected by Law, Spanish Court Rules

December 9, 2025, Spain

A criminal court in Vitoria, Basque Country, has acquitted 21 pro‑life volunteers accused of harassment for praying peacefully outside an abortion clinic, ruling that they had “done nothing more than exercise their free right of assembly” and behaved in an “exquisitely peaceful manner.” The court found no evidence of intimidating conduct under the penal code’s anti‑harassment provision.

France’s Catholic Schools Under Abusive State Scrutiny

December 8, 2025, France

Based on a report, Catholic schools in France are facing state inspections criticised as abusive and humiliating. Teachers reported unannounced classroom visits, students being questioned about their faith, and pressure to remove Christian symbols, all of which undermine the schools’ Catholic identity. Catholic education authorities warn that these practices violate both educator dignity and parents’ right to provide religious education.

Street Preacher Plans Court Case Over Repeated Arrests

November 24, 2025, United Kingdom

Shaun O’Sullivan, a UK Christian preacher, arrested 16 times and acquitted each time, now plans to challenge the repeated prosecutions in court as he believes he is being targeted for proclaiming the gospel.

Spanish Bishop Faces Investigation Over Remarks on Homosexuality

November 20, 2025, Spain

Madrid’s Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has launched a preliminary investigation into José Ignacio Munilla, Bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, following remarks he made criticising a proposed ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” The bishop warned that the draft legislation could jeopardise the freedom of pastoral care offered to individuals with homosexual inclinations, in line with Catholic teaching. His statements, made during a Radio María broadcast, were reported as “hate speech” by a local NGO. Bishop Munilla has firmly rejected the accusation, stating that he merely criticised a government proposal and denounced the investigation as an attempt to intimidate the Church.

Päivi Räsänen Faces Supreme Court in "Bible Tweet" Case

October 30, 2025, Finland

In October 2025, the Finnish Supreme Court heard the case of Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who is facing prosecution for alleged “hate speech” after tweeting a Bible verse and questioning how the Lutheran Church could reconcile its support for Helsinki Pride with biblical teaching. Despite two unanimous acquittals, the state prosecutor has pursued a further appeal, extending the case into its seventh year and seeking financial penalties and the removal of her published statements.

Bavarian Court Upholds Right to Peaceful Prayer in Public

September 23, 2025, Germany

In a landmark decision, the Bavarian Higher Administrative Court has ruled that there is no general 100-metre exclusion zone (“Bannmeile”) around medical practices that could prohibit peaceful prayer or assembly. The court rejected a ban of the city of Regensburg against a prayer gathering of a Christian group near an abortion facility, arguing that there was no evidence whatsoever that the group’s behaviour had caused any form of harassment or intimidation.

Christian Schools in Slovakia at Risk after School Funding Reform

September 19, 2025, Slovakia

The Slovak government has introduced a proposal to reform state subsidies for private and church schools. Under the new policy, full funding would be limited to schools that meet specific public-service criteria, including enrolling at least 70% of students from local school districts, refraining from charging tuition, and signing contracts as public education providers. Christian leaders and private school associations have raised concerns that the reform could undermine parental rights and threaten the sustainability of faith-based education.

Crucifix Ban in Bavarian School Raises Concerns Over Religious Freedom

August 8, 2025, Germany

A recent ruling by the Bavarian Administrative Court has ordered the removal of a crucifix from a state secondary school, finding that its display violates students’ negative freedom of religion and constitutes unlawful state endorsement of Christianity. The judgment, however, diverges from European Court of Human Rights case law (Lautsi v. Italy) and has raised concerns about the narrowing of religious expression in public institutions and the broader implications for religious freedom and state neutrality in education.

Catholic Hospital’s Right to Uphold Its Institutional Religious Freedom

August 8, 2025, Germany

The Labour Court of Hamm has affirmed the right of a Catholic hospital in Germany to prohibit a senior gynaecologist from performing procedures that go against its religious mission, both within the hospital and in his private practice.

New Law on Religious Leadership Risks Criminalising Religious Practice

June 18, 2025, Romania

In June 2025, the Romanian Parliament adopted a legislative amendment to the country’s Law on Religious Communities, criminalising the “unauthorised exercise” of clerical or priestly functions. The new provision effectively grants the state and officially recognised religious denominations exclusive authority to determine who may lead religious communities. The amendment raises serious concerns regarding the protection of religious freedom.

Spanish Evangelicals banned from using funeral chapels

May 31, 2025, Spain

In May 2025, the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE) filed a formal complaint with the Spanish ombudsman, denouncing discrimination against the evangelical community in Spain, including a ban on using funeral chapels.