This event aims to gather together advocates, activists and first hand witnesses to extrajudicial violence as a result of apostasy and blasphemy charges. We hope this event will help bring attention to these egregious violations of human rights and urge states to be proactive in preventing future extrajudicial killings driven by intolerance against individuals for exercising their freedom of conscience, religion and belief.

The side-event will recommend concrete actions states can take today to prevent and protect individuals at risk of unlawful killings based on anti-apostasy and anti-blasphemy laws and how UN member states can help combat the culture of impunity surrounding these unlawful killings. It builds on the goal of the global coalition of over 90 individuals and organisations of diverse beliefs and backgrounds calling for the repeal of the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy.

Objectives

• To elevate awareness around the challenges in holding perpetrators of unlawful killings for alleged religious offence and expression accountable in environments which condone the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy; and provide recommendations from experts and survivors on how to tackle them.

• To inspire and equip policymakers to implement the Minnesota Protocol in investigating unlawful killings of individuals accused of apostasy or blasphemy

• To raise awareness about the chilling effect that impunity for unlawful killings has on the right to freedom of expression.