“Registration & Legal Status of Places of Worship: Negative Impacts on Religious Minorities” is a Human Rights Council 58th session side event co-organized by the World Evangelical Alliance, the Anglican Communion, the World Council of Churches, Open Doors International, and Stefanus Alliance.
The event took place on 5th March 2025, 1PM, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.
Side Event Background
Freedom of religion includes the ability to have a legally recognized place of worship. When Christians cannot rent, buy or build a place to hold a legal worship service, we see pastors fined or arrested for holding informal meetings because these are considered “illegal meetings” by government officials. This side event includes speakers from several countries where Christians find it difficult to secure legal status or obtain the required church registration to hold legal worship services.
Panelists
- Nazila Ghanea, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
- Susan Kerr, Senior Adviser on Freedom of Religion or Belief at OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
- Samuil Petrovski, General Secretary of the Serbia Evangelical Alliance, Serbia.
- Mike Gabriel, Head of the Religious Liberty Commission of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), Sri Lanka.
- Ramazan Arkan, Chair of the Protestan Kiliseler Derneği (TeK), Senior Pastor of the Antalya Evangelical Churches of Antalya, Türkiye.
- Fikiru Mehari, East Africa Sub-regional Research Manager, Open Doors International (video presentation).
Moderated by Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of the Geneva office of the World Evangelical Alliance.
Recording of the Side Event