Forum 18

Description

Forum 18 is a Norwegian human rights organisation that reports on and defends religious freedom worldwide.

It takes its name from Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, summarised as the right to believe, worship and witness, the right to change one’s belief or religion, and the right to join together and express one’s belief. Its Forum 18 News Service, launched on 12 March 2003, reports on threats and actions against the religious freedom of people of any faith, in an objective and timely way.

Coverage concentrates on Eastern Europe, including Belarus and Russia, the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan and Georgia, and Central Asia, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It has also reported on countries such as Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, China, Mongolia, North Korea and Vietnam. It publishes a weekly news summary and an almost daily news edition, plus a searchable archive of reports, country surveys and commentaries on religious freedom.

Its reporting is widely used by international bodies such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as by news outlets of different religious affiliations.