GENEVA — On March 5, 2025, a packed room at the Palais des Nations in Geneva bore witness to a sobering reality: governments around the world are using registration laws to systematically silence religious minorities. Hosted by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), the event brought together advocates, pastors, and human rights experts to expose how bureaucratic hurdles and legal restrictions are being weaponized against communities seeking to worship freely.
From Sri Lanka to Burundi, speakers painted a vivid picture of systemic discrimination, where arbitrary membership thresholds, surveillance, and land-use restrictions have become tools of control. Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of WEA’s Geneva office, opened the session by emphasizing that Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees freedom of religion or belief—but these rights are increasingly under threat due to restrictive laws.
Susan Kerr, Senior Advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), highlighted the dangers of conflating registration with recognition. “State permission is not… […].
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