The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution creating an “International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief” has been established by the United Nations. The day will be observed each year on 22 August.
The move has been welcomed by groups promoting religious freedom amid recent reports by both US and UK government entities that religious persecution is globally on the rise.
Kelsey Zorzi, President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the United Nations and Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International said nobody should be persecuted because of their faith.
“We welcome this clear statement from the United Nations that persecution on the basis of religion or belief cannot be permitted and the victims must never be forgotten”. She added that resolutions alone are not enough and urged all states to ensure that “their laws and policies are in line with their commitments to protect religious freedom under international law”.
