A new report has identified eleven more countries with blasphemy laws since 2020, bringing the total number to 95.
The report, produced by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), lists Bahamas, Barbados, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cambodia, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Monaco, Portugal and Cape Verde as countries with newly-identified blasphemy laws. This represents an increase of 13% since 2020.
Portugal's law states whoever "publicly offends another person or mocks him because of his belief or religious function" may be imprisoned for up to a year. Publishing a "blasphemous or obscene book" in Bahamas can be punished by two years' imprisonment.
In El Salvador, repeatedly and publicly 'offending the feelings or beliefs' of a religious group or 'mocking their dogmas' can lead to an eight year custodial sentence. "Writing or uttering words with intent to wound religious feelings" is now a misdemeanour in Tuvalu. 'Outraging ministers of religion' in Monaco is criminalised.
Blasphemy remains a capital offence in Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia.
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