Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauds the passage of legislation in Canada’s Senate removing the offense of blasphemy from the country’s criminal code. The offense will be officially removed once the bill receives Royal Assent. The last time someone was convicted for blasphemy in Canada was almost 100 years ago. However, these laws are dangerous even when dormant in Western democracies, as they can unexpectedly be enforced to prosecute offenders for speech deemed blasphemous, as a recent incident in Spain shows. “Laws criminalizing blasphemy are detrimental to religious freedom and other human rights,...