The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), together with its national member the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance (Aliança Evangélica Portuguesa, or AEP) representing 355 local churches, expressed concern over political instability, rising populism, racism, xenophobia, and restrictions on religious freedom in Portugal during the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
The council, meeting from Feb. 24 to April 4, is reviewing the human rights records of several member states through its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, which occurs every four and a half years. On March 24, Markus Stefan Hofer, UN communications and advocacy officer for the WEA, delivered an oral statement regarding the UPR outcome for Portugal.
Hofer commended the Portuguese government’s efforts to “tackle discrimination, Islamophobia, hate speech and other related intolerance against ethnic and religious minorities,” and welcomed the country’s recognition of the need to protect religious freedom and conscience rights for medical professionals and patients.
However, he also raised alarm over “ongoing political instability in the country, the increasing sympathy for populist political groups, and the rise of xenophobic and racist extremism.”
The WEA and AEP expressed particular concern over Portugal’s refusal to accept a recommendation to include safeguards for religious freedom and conscience rights in its law criminalizing so-called conversion therapies.
“Teaching religious views to believers according to their theology should never be considered a crime, but the way Portuguese law is worded can give rise to interpretations along these lines, which can lead to serious limitations on freedom of religion and expression,” said Hofer at the session.
“We call on Portugal to review all legislation regarding gender self-determination to ensure recognition of social and religious perspectives that do not accept personal gender self-determination.”
The evangelical alliances also urged Portugal to promote more training within government departments to help civil servants uphold religious freedom laws. Additionally, they called for new legislation to allow evangelical theological schools and seminaries to be included in the country’s national education system.
In April 2024, the WEA, AEP, and the European Evangelical Alliance jointly submitted a stakeholder report to the 47th UPR session, outlining the issues now raised at the council.
In the report, the alliances traced the development of religious freedom in Portugal following the April 25, 1974, revolution and highlighted the passage of the Religious Freedom Law on June 22, 2001. That law, they noted, “enshrined the rights and duties of religious groups in Portugal, with specific privileges for religious collective entities established in Portugal.”
They described the legal framework in Portugal as “exemplary in the democratic space and one of the best in the world” but cited widespread “religious illiteracy” due to “centuries of Roman Catholic influence, exacerbated by the secularist and laicist attempt to push everything related to faith out of the public space.”
The report also noted limitations on freedom of expression regarding Christian morality in public settings, including schools, and said secular media often restricts coverage of religious viewpoints outside of designated religious spaces.
The alliances reiterated concerns about Portugal’s political instability. Corruption scandals involving government officials led to the dissolution of the Assembleia da República (Portugal's parliament) and national elections called as a result.
Additional concerns included nationwide protests by professionals such as teachers and police officers over working conditions and cost-effective housing. Some foreign workers are forced to live in tents due to unaffordable accommodation, the report said.
“Equal access to chaplaincies in prisons, hospitals, and military forces is not guaranteed to religious communities,” added the alliances in the report. “Evangelicals still depend more on the goodwill of those who run the organisations than on the strict and necessary compliance with the law.”
The report also raised objections to the government’s stance on gender identity. Since 2017, Portugal has implemented laws embracing a “sociological perspective that considers gender self-determination possible,” the alliances said.
They warned this has led to the criminalization of professionals who oppose the view that gender is self-determined rather than apparent at birth, with repercussions for health professionals, teachers, and people of faith.
“This severely limits conscience rights, parents’ freedom of education, religious teaching, and freedom of expression rights,” the report stated.
