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A 'good faith' interpretation of the right to manifest religion? The diverging approaches of the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 02:38 authored by Stephanie BerryStephanie Berry
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and UN Human Rights Committee have reached contradictory decisions in cases concerning the right to manifest religion. This discrepancy calls into question the universality of the right and is problematic from the perspective of legal certainty. Consequently, this article explores the extent to which the diverging decisions of these two bodies are compatible with a good faith interpretation of the right to manifest religion. A good faith interpretation of the right is identified by utilising the travaux préparatoires and subsequent interpretations. It is argued that by failing to scrutinise the necessity of restrictions and the role of secularism, the ECtHR has undermined this good faith interpretation and, in so doing, is not fulfilling its role as ‘the conscience of Europe’.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Legal Studies

ISSN

0261-3875

Publisher

Wiley

Issue

4

Volume

37

Page range

672-694

Department affiliated with

  • Law Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-08-25

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-05-17

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-08-25

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