Media advisories Special Procedures

UN expert on freedom of religion or belief to visit Sweden

06 October 2023

GENEVA (6 October 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, will conduct an official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden from 11 to 20 October 2023.

During her visit, Ghanea will assess freedom of religion or belief in the country, identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of this right and make recommendations to overcome any obstacles. Amongst the broad issues under review, there will be a consideration of instances of religious or belief intolerance in Swedish society.

The Special Rapporteur will meet with Government officials, civil society organisations, representatives of religious or belief communities, faith-based actors and academics. She will visit Stockholm, Malmö and Lund.

The expert will hold a press conference on Friday 20 October 2023 at 14:00 local time in the Moon Conference Room, Birger Jarlsgatan 57 C, 113 56 Stockholm. Access is strictly limited to journalists.

Ghanea will present her report to the Human Rights Council in March 2024.

In July 2022, the Human Rights Council appointed Dr. Nazila Ghanea of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and she took up the mandate on 1 August 2022. Dr. Ghanea is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Director of the MSc in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. She has researched and published widely in international human rights law, including on freedom of religion or belief, and served as consultant to numerous agencies.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

For more information and media requests, please contact Ms. Helle Dahl Iversen (+41 788661746 / e-mail: helle.iversen@un.org) or write to hrc-sr-freedomofreligion@un.org.

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)

Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts.

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