Violence and Security

UN Agents Increase Scrutiny of Online “Hate Speech”

January 09, 2019

The Washington Post reports that UN human rights observers are increasingly studying the use of the internet to spread “anger and propaganda” to facilitate rights violations and is cultivating relationships with tech companies to persuade them to combat such content on their online platforms.
UNESCO Brief Outlines Educational Activities to Prevent Extremism

January 09, 2019

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently published a policy brief containing global guidelines on educational practices aimed at preventing violent extremism, seeking to target the impacts of such activities on the “individual,” “structural & organisational,” and “community & social” levels.
NGO Criticizes French Counterterrorism Measures

January 09, 2019

In November 2018, Amnesty International published a report characterizing counterterrorist “administrative control” measures in France as “bypassing the ordinary criminal justice system and its principles,” ripe for abuse, and subject to discriminatory application, including against the Muslim population.
McCarthy: ECtHR Case Shows Danger of Sharia Blasphemy Rules

January 08, 2019

Andrew McCarthy warns in the National Review that a European Court of Human Rights ruling upholding Austria’s conviction of a woman for making accurate historical comments about the Islamic prophet Muhammad highlights how “free speech has been supplanted by sharia blasphemy standards” in Europe.
ECtHR Upholds Austrian Conviction of Islam Critic

January 08, 2019

In October 2018, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held Austria had been within its rights to convict a woman of “disparaging religious doctrines” over her insulting comments about Islam’s prophet Muhammad, upholding Austria’s judgment that the comments had violated “the right of others to have their religious feelings protected.”
OSCE Event Pushes for NGO Coalitions to Promote “Tolerance”

January 08, 2019

In September 2018, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights hosted an event at which OSCE and nongovernmental organization leaders shared best practices regarding how NGOs can “promote tolerance and non-discrimination” by building “cohesive and sustainable coalitions” across the globe.
OSCE Body Publishes Guide on Treatment of “Foreign Terrorist Fighters”

January 08, 2019

In September 2018, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights published a set of guidelines on how governments should counter threats posed by fighters entering their territory after waging jihad in foreign countries in compliance with international human rights standards.
UN Body: France Violated Right of School Employee to Wear Islamic Veil

January 08, 2019

In August 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee found that France had violated the right of a Muslim woman to manifest her religion by upholding the decision of an educational childcare center to fire her for violating its policy against the wearing of an Islamic veil in the workplace.
NGO Paper Explores Global Policy Responses to Xenophobia

January 08, 2019

A paper published by the Centre for International Governance Innovation explores global policy responses to “xenophobia” toward refugees and other “forced migrants,” including by increasing government accountability for expressions of xenophobia and “fighting against policies that incentivize xenophobic behaviour.”
Jihadist Suicide Shootout Underscores Tunisia’s Extremism Threat

January 04, 2019

Two jihadists in the city of Tunis blew themselves up after clashes with Tunisian security forces who were searching for Islamist militants associated with a spate of terrorist attacks that have destabilized the country over the past three years.