The United Nations Press Centre reports that on July 14, the United Nations Human Rights Council
concluded its fifty-third regular session after adopting 30 resolutions and holding an urgent debate on the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries.
The Council adopted Resolution A/HRC/53/L.23, Countering Religious Hatred Constituting Incitement to Discrimination, Hostility or Violence (full text), which reads in part:
Affirming that burning the Holy Qur’an or any other holy book is offensive, disrespectful and a clear act of provocation, constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence and a violation of international human rights law, ...
Condemning any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, whether it involves the use of print, audiovisual or electronic media or any other means...
1. Condemns and strongly rejects the recent public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Qur’an, and underscores the need for holding the perpetrators of these acts of religious hatred to account in line with obligations of States arising from international human rights law....
ADF-UK issued a press release criticizing the Council's Resolution as an anti-blasphemy resolution that infringes free expression rights.
