Soteria International, in collaboration with:

• Gerard Noodt Foundation for Freedom of Religion or Belief
• Human Rights Without Frontiers - www.hrwf.eu
• Universal Peace Federation - www.upf.org
• and EMISCO - European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion

Invite you to the Annual SPIRITUAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE – 2025:

Date & Time: Wednesday, 10 DECEMBER 2025 from 10.00 – 12.00 CET

Venue: Kulturhuset Union DYNAMO room
Address: Nørre Allé 7
2200 København N Denmark

Or ONLINE through ZOOM:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86941072113?pwd=SSNbVSZt6lavuR1SEyuwM5Pz2qVcDx.1

Meeting ID: 869 4107 2113 Passcode: 207751

Working in the field of freedom of religion and belief, Soteria International comes across cases, worldwide, where the individual belief system or religious practice is restricted by national law and prejudices of society.

In our present, globalised world, people of different religious traditions share the same society and law, but not the same system of values. In our society, we are witnessing a restriction on the freedom to choose or apply a spiritual path, due to the fact that institutions and society understands the actions of individuals in a local paradigm of behaviour that is appropriate to the rules of social life in a respective region. As national law and society have their roots in local history, these two aspects risk failing in properly recognising unfamiliar religious practices from cultural backgrounds other than their own.

Therefore, social order and the rules of social coexistence must adapt to changes at the social level, without abusively restricting fundamental human rights and freedoms. To ignore, for example, the practices and outward expression of a given spiritual path, and to analyse the behaviour of people without regard for the social system of values from which that spiritual path comes, inevitably lead to a violation of freedom of conscience, thought, and religion.

The individual human right to freedom of spiritual belief and practice has been ratified by all EU member states, and is, therefore, legally binding. When it comes to the freedom of religion and belief, there are many differences in interpretation and application.

Let us not forget that the purpose of law is to regulate social relations. Rules of conduct are in constant evolution, bearing the imprint of each individual as a part of that society. Analysis of a person's actions must take into account their spiritual particularities, and ignoring them is a clear violation of their fundamental right to religion, thought and conscience, limiting their freedom to choose a spiritual path consistent with their personal intrinsic values.

The annual Spiritual Human Rights conference in Copenhagen and Online aim to facilitate a debate from this perspective. We invite religious practitioners to share their concrete experiences, concerns and hopes with scholars and human right experts.

During the event, we will raise and debate a variety of questions, such as:

1.      Even though the laws are there, are they being respected with regard to freedom of religion and belief?

2.      Are there existing repressions of spiritual groups?

3.      Considering the globalisation and EU values, will we have a protective system for Human Rights?

4.      Can the law make exceptions depending on intent and culture?

5.      Regarding upholding Human Rights – what initiatives are done to uphold them?

We look forward to uniting forces and to sharing many perspectives on this important topic.