Religious Freedom

Freedom of worship—of belief and nonbelief—is an important element of democracy, contributing to social peace, encouraging full political participation, and strengthening pluralism more broadly. Free religious communities can make important contributions to society, and individual conscience can serve as a last bastion of liberty and a source of great resolve in highly repressive settings.

Freedom House provides emergency assistance to religious freedom defenders, civil society organizations, and survivors of religious persecution in dozens of countries. This assistance has benefitted individuals from more than a dozen different faiths. It covers medical treatment, legal representation, prison visits, trial monitoring, dependent support, and temporary relocation. We also support local initiatives to promote tolerance and proactively address hostility toward religious minority groups and ongoing tensions between different faith communities. If you would like to interview a Freedom House expert on this topic, please email [email protected].