Efforts to Promote Religious Freedom and Peaceful Coexistence in Bahrain

Alsadig Khalafalla is a member of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence and currently serves as an advisor for strategic affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The following post is based on his remarks during the panel “Religious Perspectives on Religious Freedom and Peace” at the ICLRS 31st Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 7 October 2024.

Bahrain, a small island nation in the Arabian Gulf, has been a focal point for discussions surrounding religious freedom and peace, stemming from its diverse religious landscape. Bahrain is a Sunni Muslim country with a significant Shia population, but it is also home to various religious minorities, including Christians, Jews, Hindus, and members of other faiths. This diversity in Bahrain has shaped the discourse on religious freedom, often reflecting the broader political and social dynamics at play in the region. Historically, Bahrain has been characterized by its tolerance toward different religions. The Bahraini Constitution guarantees freedom of worship, allowing various religious communities to practice their faith openly. Houses of worship belonging to numerous faiths can be found across the country, symbolizing the degree of open society.

(more…)

Continue Reading Efforts to Promote Religious Freedom and Peaceful Coexistence in Bahrain

Fairness or Failure? The Punitive Nature of South Korea’s Alternative Service

Ihntaek Hwang is an affiliated researcher at the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) in Finland.

Since 1951, South Korea has conscripted all physically eligible males over the age of 18. For more than half a century, the South Korean state imprisoned conscientious objectors in large numbers lest they “jeopardize the military and, hence, the vital common interest of national security upon which the constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals stand.”[1] As of 2017, around 19,000 South Korean men had been imprisoned for refusing military service, most of whom received a sentence of 18 months. South Korean conscientious objectors even accounted for more than 90% of those imprisoned worldwide for conscientious objection.

(more…)

Continue Reading Fairness or Failure? The Punitive Nature of South Korea’s Alternative Service

Conscientious Objection: Context and Developments in Armenia

Nikolay Hovhannisyan is a senior program manager at Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF).

Introduction

The right to conscientious objection to military service is recognized under international law as a facet of the broader right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Although not an independent right, conscientious objection is considered an inherent part of these fundamental freedoms, as articulated in key international instruments. Regionally, Europe has been particularly progressive in codifying this right, exemplified by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which has set significant legal standards for the recognition of conscientious objection. Under the ECHR, the right to conscientious objection is based on Articles 9 and 4.[1] It was first examined by the ECtHR in Thlimmenos v. Greece (2000), decades after an initial review by the European Commission of Human Rights in Grandrath v. Germany (1966). In its latest decision, on 12 March 2024, the ECtHR in Kanatlı v. Turkey clarified that the right extends to refusal of reserve military service, expanding the understanding of conscientious objection.

(more…)

Continue Reading Conscientious Objection: Context and Developments in Armenia