Defending the Freedom to Worship—Iranian Christian Pastor Released from Prison
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Christian-convert and leader of a 400-member house church, has been released from prison in Iran.
ADVOCATES
ADVOCACY OFFICER, EUROPE
Martina Divković serves as Advocacy Officer, Europe with ADF International in Brussels, Belgium advocating for fundamental freedoms and human rights at the institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
Martina Divković serves as Advocacy Officer, Europe with ADF International advocating for freedom of religion, life, and other fundamental human rights and freedoms at the institutions of the European Union in Brussels and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Prior to joining ADF International, Martina Divković interned at the Embassy of Sweden in Zagreb working with the diplomatic staff and was also a board member of the Association of Foreign Affairs at Lund University promoting debates on politics and foreign affairs through collaborations with politicians, diplomats, and various experts. She also has experience working with the media as a PR consultant.
Divković holds a double bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in European and International Trade and Tax Law from Lund University, Sweden. She grew up in Sweden and has Croatian roots from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is multilingual, speaking fluent Swedish, Croatian and English as well as having a working proficiency in French.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Christian-convert and leader of a 400-member house church, has been released from prison in Iran.
The former Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU, Dr. Ján Figeľ, has brought a challenge to the 2021 COVID restrictions on public worship in Slovakia at the European Court of Human Rights.
Let’s take Finnish MP Räsänen’s words to heart: “Now it is time to speak. Because the more we are silent, the narrower the space for freedom of speech and religion grows.”
Will free speech in Finland prevail? Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen is hopeful as the anniversary of her acquittal approaches. The Finnish state prosecutor has continued her censorship campaign against Räsänen as she faces a second trial over her Bible tweet post.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bolivia challenges the forcible closure of their teachers college, shut down by the 2010 General Education Act.