Freedom of Religion under the European Convention on Human Rights: A Precious Asset

As the voice coming from Europe and as a modest contribution to the work of this conference, the speaker shall touch on two issues, which are of course interrelated. First, how, in the European Convention on Human Rights, freedom of religion has built itself as a fundamental human right, and how this right has been interpreted by the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in the context of their contemporary society. Secondly, he will address the question of conflicting rights and the various approaches used by the European Court of Human Rights to judge them. As far as the key elements of the Convention are concerned, its preamble is highly significant. It traces the outlines of a European ordre public. The rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Convention are the foundation of justice and peace in the world and are best maintained by an effective political democracy. Democratic society is the focal point of human rights, the unifying force within a Europe of human rights in which the Convention acts as a basic law.