11/07/2025 08:30
- 17:30
HALL: Lecture Hall 16
Proponent:
Opacic L.,
Vanoni L.
Chair:
Kopaleishvili T.
Speaker:
Berkmann B.,
Corsalini M.,
Creemers J.,
Gholami R.,
Haider S.F.,
Kopaleishvili T.,
Kudla W.,
Opacic L.,
Relaño Pastor E.,
Van De Graaf C.,
Vanoni L.
The interplay between religious freedom and other fundamental rights represents a critical area of tension within constitutional and international normative frameworks, as well as in everyday life of individuals, communities, and diverse societies. The right to freedom of religion or belief safeguards pluralism and individual conscience but often conflicts with other rights, such as equality, freedom of expression, non-discrimination, education, women's rights, sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights, and more. These tensions pose significant challenges, raising questions about how to reconcile competing rights claims and the principles that should guide such adjudications.
This panel investigates these dynamics from a comparative and multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on global case studies where claims to religious freedom intersect with other rights. Through an analysis of diverse constitutional and policy approaches and by looking at religious norms, expectations and experiences, the discussion will strive to identify novel approaches to rights conflicts at both conceptual and practical levels.
By examining constitutional frameworks, cultural contexts, and methodologies, the panel aims to uncover transformative pathways for reconciling conflicting rights. Emphasizing mutual harmonization and concordance, the discussion aims to offer constructive perspectives for achieving equitable solutions in the face of challenges posed by culture wars, identity politics, rising illiberalism, and global backlash against human rights.
We welcome multidisciplinary contributions engaging with this topic from the following perspectives:
• Strategic litigation before national, regional, and international courts.
• The use of the right to FoRB in relation to other human rights.
• Intersectional discrimination based on multiple vulnerabilities, e.g. religion or belief, socio-economic status, disability, SOGI, age, etc.