A/RES/65/224
national and religious tolerance and respect for all religions, religious values, beliefs
or cultures and prevent the vilification of religions;
9.
Deplores the use of the print, audio-visual and electronic media,
including the Internet, and any other means to incite acts of violence, xenophobia or
related intolerance and discrimination against any religion, as well as the targeting
and desecration of holy books, holy sites, places of worship and religious symbols
of all religions;
10. Emphasizes that, as stipulated in international human rights law,
everyone has the right to hold opinions without interference and has the right to
freedom of expression, the exercise of which carries with it special duties and
responsibilities and may therefore be subject to limitations as are provided for by
law and are necessary for respect of the rights or reputations of others, protection of
national security or of public order, public health or morals;
11. Reaffirms that general recommendation XV (42) of the Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 15 in which the Committee stipulated that the
prohibition of the dissemination of all ideas based upon racial superiority or hatred
is compatible with freedom of opinion and expression, is equally applicable to the
question of incitement to religious hatred;
12. Notes the work undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary
forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of
opinion and expression in accordance with their mandates as defined by the Human
Rights Council in its resolutions 7/34 and 7/36 of 28 March 2008; 16
13. Strongly condemns all manifestations and acts of racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance against national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities and migrants and the stereotypes often applied to
them, including on the basis of religion or belief, and urges all States to apply and,
where applicable, reinforce existing laws when such xenophobic or intolerant acts,
manifestations or expressions occur in order to eradicate impunity for those who
commit xenophobic and racist acts;
14. Calls upon all States to adopt necessary measures, including by adopting
legislation, according to their international obligations, to prohibit the advocacy of
national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination,
hostility or violence, and encourages States, in their follow-up to the World
Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance, to include aspects relating to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic
minorities in their national plans of action and in this context to take forms of
multiple discrimination against minorities fully into account;
15. Invites all States to put into practice the provisions of the Declaration on
the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on
Religion or Belief;3
16. Urges all States to provide, within their respective legal and
constitutional systems, adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination,
_______________
15
See Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 18 (A/48/18),
chap. VIII, sect. B.
16
Ibid., Sixty-third Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/63/53), chap. II.
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