Superando la brecha: La importancia de encontrar puntos en común entre los grupos religiosos y las organizaciones seculares de derechos humanos

Los gobiernos opresivos dependen, en parte, de dos factores: la unidad entre quienes los apoyan y las divisiones dentro de las comunidades que no las apoyan. Uno de los mayores desafíos para abordar la libertad de religión o creencias (LdRC) en países donde este derecho se viola con frecuencia, es superar las divisiones entre los diferentes grupos dentro del sector religioso, así como la brecha que a menudo existe entre el sector religioso y las organizaciones seculares de derechos humanos y otras organizaciones independientes de la sociedad civil. 

En general, los grupos religiosos suelen ocupar una posición única dentro de la sociedad civil independiente. Están interconectados y organizados, en distintos grados, con miembros que asisten y participan regularmente en sus actividades. Suelen contar con un espacio físico, donde pueden realizar sus actividades con mínima interferencia externa. Algunos grupos religiosos realizan actividades orientadas al exterior, prestando servicios sociales. En muchos casos, los líderes religiosos no solo ejercen una importante influencia dentro de su respectiva comunidad, sino que también pueden ser percibidos como jueces morales de forma más amplia, incluso por personas que no comparten sus creencias religiosas. 

Los regímenes opresores reconocen el peligro que representa el sector religioso comprometido socialmente y el de aquellos líderes religiosos que se oponen abiertamente al sistema, y que están dispuestos a colaborar estrechamente con la sociedad civil, para generar la defensa de los derechos civiles y políticos. Por lo tanto, las agencias de inteligencia y de seguridad del régimen, fomentan y avivan deliberadamente la división interna de los grupos religiosos, con el objetivo de neutralizar o cooptar a la sociedad civil independiente organizada. 

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Crucial Response: The Significance of Information Inflow into North Korea

By Ju Il-Lyong (North Korean Defector & Chair of Tong-il Majoong (TIMJ), a non-profit organisation dedicated to North Korean human rights and evangelisation).

Have you ever considered how a fragile chick comes into the world? When a fertilised egg is kept at the right temperature, it begins to develop quietly under the hen’s warmth. After about three weeks, the moment of hatching arrives. From inside the shell, the tiny creature starts to gently tap with its beak. But for the chick to break free and be born into life, something more is needed: the mother hen must hear that subtle sound and respond from the outside, pecking the shell in unison. Only through this simultaneous action—inside and out—can life emerge.

In many ways, this mirrors the journey of the North Korean people in their pursuit of freedom—freedom that is their inherent right. For nearly 80 years, they have lived under the iron grip of the Kim dynasty, isolated from the world by a regime-built shell of fear, deception and control. To the outside world, their voices have been muted, heard only faintly through the distorted lens of state propaganda.

And yet, while the world has not always seen it, something remarkable has been happening within. The North Korean people, through their own quiet resilience, have created spaces of resistance—building grassroots markets within a planned economy, shifting the economic balance from state to citizen. In some instances, the state has even been forced to apologise for failing these very people.

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Combating Hate Speech: The True Beginning of Peace and Human Dignity

This article by Ján Figeľ  and Sheikh Al Mafoudh bin Bayyah was originally published by The Diplomat Magazine on 30 July 2025.

‘Peace is built in the heart.’ Pope Leo XIV
‘War begins with words.’ – Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah

In an age marked by overlapping crises – from armed conflicts and ideological extremism to ethical breakdowns in public discourse – a need to return to the essence of words and their meaning is more urgent than ever. Words are not mere tools of expression; they are often sparks that ignite or extinguish fires. This is precisely what Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, President of The Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, warns of in his profound message: ‘War begins with words.’

With this statement he encapsulates an entire philosophy: that every physical war is preceded by a war of words, and every act of violence is rooted in a prior act of verbal aggression. Unless speech is restrained, purified of hatred, and founded on mutual respect, the path to peace will never begin.

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The UK government’s efforts to produce a definition of Islamophobia could prove counterproductive 

In February 2025 the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced the convening of a working group chaired by Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC to provide a definition of Islamophobia. She insisted that the definition would be non-statutory and align with the UK’s values of free expression, including the right to criticise a religion. Nevertheless, this action raises several concerns. 

While it can initially appear to be a useful tool for defining acts of religious hatred and incitement, in reality phobia terminology tends to hinder rather than assist efforts to address religion-related violations.  

It is imprecise, and is invariably used to shut down legitimate debate. Additionally, discussion about whether or not a given phobia is indeed occurring can often eclipse efforts to highlight and address the actual violations.   

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Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas dared to speak out against injustice in Nicaragua. For that he has been labelled a murderer and a terrorist. 

On the evening of Thursday 17 July, armed police officers – some in uniform and others dressed in black or blue and with their faces covered – arrived in a coordinated operation at the homes of Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas and several of his friends and family in Jinotepe Municipality, Carazo Department, Nicaragua. 

The police, who did not show any arrest warrants, broke down the doors of each house using their rifle butts and a tool called a ‘pig’s foot’ before proceeding to arrest Pastor Palacios Vargas, his sister Jéssica Palacios Vargas and brothers-in-law Pedro José López and Armando José Bermudez. Mauricio Alonso Petri, a political activist and friend of the pastor, and his adult son of the same name, who is a part of the worship team at Pastor Palacios Vargas’ church were detained as well. Family friend Olga María Lara Rojas, a former political councillor, who is a Protestant Christian but not a member of Pastor Palacios Vargas’ church, was also arrested at her home. 

The officers confiscated the detainees’ cell phones and other electrical devices and were reported to have taken them to the 3rd Police District, though the authorities initially refused to provide their family members with any information as to their whereabouts. 

Continue reading “Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas dared to speak out against injustice in Nicaragua. For that he has been labelled a murderer and a terrorist. “