Religious Freedom: Turkey

(asked on 12th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the right of Turkish citizens resident in the UK to freedom of religious worship.


Answered by
Lord Greenhalgh Portrait
Lord Greenhalgh
This question was answered on 26th May 2020

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights define us as a society.?The Government is determined to promote these values, working in partnership alongside all our faith communities.

Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right, and one which underpins many of the others.?Where freedom of religion or belief is under attack, often other freedoms are under attack too.? It is important that everyone has the right to speak freely, and our strong legal framework provides the appropriate space to do so.

Britain has a proud tradition of religious tolerance, within the law. The Government is committed to creating a society in which all people are free to express their religious identity and live without fear of harassment and crime because of it.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people are protected against discrimination because of religion or belief, and that they?are able to?exercise the right to hold and manifest their beliefs in a reasonable manner.

The Government will always protect people’s legitimate rights – for example, to free speech and to practise their religion within the law. The right to freedom of expression is a fundamental value of our democracy. It is protected by Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998, which incorporated into British law the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.

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