Panel Event: International Religious Freedom

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission will host a panel event at the Conservative Party Conference on 10 October, International Religious Freedom: a human right for everyone, discussing why Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is increasingly violated around the world and how to respond.

The panel will be hosted by Robert Buckland MP and features New Statesman journalist and lawyer David Allen Green, Sarah Snyder from the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, and writer and human rights activist Benedict Rogers. They will discuss religious freedom issues including apostasy, blasphemy, conversion, discrimination and the threat of violence or death on account of one’s beliefs.

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

CSW will also take part in a prayer breakfast focusing on the Persecuted Church on 10 October at Birmingham Christian Centre, in association with the Conservative Christian Fellowship, Open Doors and Release International. Dominic Grieve QC MP will be joined by Andrew Johnston from CSW, Stephen Rand from Open Doors and Colin King from Release International for a briefing outlining the challenges faced by Christian communities in Eritrea, the Arab World and China, and how Christians in the UK can offer support and solidarity.

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, email kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

Notes to Editors:

1. Event details: Prayer breakfast for The Persecuted Chruch

Date: Wednesday 10 October

Time: 8-9am

Venue: Birmingham Christian Centre, The Parade, B1 3QQ (outside the secure zone)

All welcome.

2. Event details: International Religious Freedom: a human right for everyone

Date: Wednesday 10 October

Time: 8-10am

Venue: Room 7A in the ICC (main conference zone), Birmingham

All welcome, must have conference zone pass.

3. Robert Buckland MP is Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission and MP for Swindon South.

4. David Allen Green, an atheist and “distinguished supporter” of the British Humanist Association, is legal correspondent for the New Statesman and blogs as “Jack of Kent”. David covers legal and policy topics for the New Statesman and has particular interests in media and criminal law. He was recently one of the few mainstream media journalists to cover the Pastor Nadarkhani story.

5. Sarah Snyder works with the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, bringing together Jews, Christians and Muslims to engage with contemporary issues through their reading of Scripture. She is producing a multimedia series on Christianity for the Coexist Foundation’s “Understanding Faiths” trio, and chairs a biblical think tank in Cambridge called the Jubilee Centre.

6. Benedict Rogers is East Asia Team Leader at CSW, specialising in Burma, Indonesia and North Korea and oversees work in China, Vietnam and Laos. He is co-founder and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, and in 2005 he stood as the Conservative Party parliamentary candidate in the City of Durham. He has travelled extensively in Asia, and is the author of five books, including Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads (Random House, 2012). He is a regular contributor to national and international media, including Conservativehome.com, The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post.