Eighty-four countries around the world have criminal blasphemy laws, according to a recent report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Mob activity, threats, and violence based on accusations of blasphemy are also common in some of these countries. The result is the silencing of millions of people and the direct persecution of hundreds of people every year, by law or vigilantism, for merely expressing their ideas and opinions. Speakers will highlight this global threat to freedom of speech, with special attention to Pakistan, which is home to the highest number of blasphemy-related prosecutions as well as societal violence.

• USCIRF Releases Groundbreaking Report on the Enforcement of Blasphemy Laws Globally
• Are You Committing Blasphemy? by Doug Bandow
• True Islam Does Not Kill Blasphemers by Mustafa Akyol
• In Pakistan, a Tweet Can Bring a Death Sentence by Marvi Sirmed