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of article 19, paragraph 3, as well as such articles as 2, 5, 17, 18 and 26. Thus, for instance, it would be impermissible for any such laws to discriminate in favor of or against one or certain religions or belief systems, or their adherents over another, or religious believers over non-believers. Nor would it be permissible for such prohibitions to be used to prevent or punish criticism of religious leaders or commentary on religious doctrine and tenets of faith.
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Section 123 proceed without change. The bill passed second reading on 11 December 2018, the
Committee of the Whole House on 20 February 2019, and the third reading on 5 March 2019. The royal assent was received on 11 March and the Act came into force on 12 March 2019 repealing Section 123 of the Crimes Act 1961 on that date.
411:
ruled that the
Constitution had extinguished the common law offence of blasphemous libel, since when "it is impossible to say of what the offence of blasphemy consists". The Defamation Act 2009 defines a new offence of "Publication or utterance of blasphemous matter", which was held to be required by
207:
Prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the
Covenant, except in the specific circumstances envisaged in article 20, paragraph 2, of the Covenant. Such prohibitions must also comply with the strict requirements
331:
The question is, is the language used calculated and intended to insult the feelings of and the deepest religious convictions of the great majority of the persons amongst whom we live? If so, they are not to be tolerated any more than any other nuisance is tolerated. We must not do things that are
246:
The 1924 Criminal Code of
Tasmania includes the offences of both blasphemy and blasphemous libel, and also abolished both common law offences, while in New South Wales, the Crimes Act recognises blasphemous libel and the common-law offences have not been abolished: in both states, the relevant laws
257:
In South
Australia, Victoria, and the Northern Territory, the situation is uncertain as the local Criminal Codes (or Crimes Act in Victoria) do not mention blasphemy or blasphemous libel, but did not specifically abolish the common law offences: in the event, these laws have not been enforced for
455:
On 19 March 2018, Justice
Minister Andrew Little introduced a Crimes Amendment Bill which included repeal of section 123. The bill passed the first reading on 28 March and was referred to the Justice select committee which reported back on 28 September with the recommendation that the repeal of
277:
Blasphemy and
Blasphemous libel were common law offences before the Criminal Code Act of 1892 abolished the common law offence of Blasphemy but included the offence of Blasphemous libel. Before repeal in December 2018, blasphemous libel was an offence under section 296 of the
178:
as part of a Royal
Commission in England in 1879. The Stephen Code included the offence of blasphemous libel but omitted blasphemy. The common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were abolished in England and Wales with the passage of the
376:
passed the bill with amendments on 30 October 2018. The House, however, notified the Senate on 10 December that it disagreed with the amendments, so on 11 December the Senate voted not to insist on them and the bill was passed. On 13 December, the
295:(3) No person shall be convicted of an offence under this section for expressing in good faith and in decent language, or attempting to establish by argument used in good faith and conveyed in decent language, an opinion on a religious subject.
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In both Canada and New
Zealand and other jurisdictions that adopted versions of the Stephen Code under their respective legislation, it was not blasphemous libel to express in good faith and decent language any opinion on a religious subject.
242:
These offences were abolished completely in
Queensland and Western Australia when those jurisdictions adopted Criminal Codes that abolished the common-law offences, in 1899 and 1913 respectively, and did not replace them with code offences.
347:
The words "calculated and intended to insult the feelings and the deepest religious convictions of the great majority of the persons amongst whom we live", which the court used, were adopted from the summing up of Lord Coleridge, LCJ. in
173:
as common law offences in British colonies and territories. From the late 19th century, several colonies and countries replaced the common law offences with adopted versions of the draft code called "the Stephen Code" written by Sir
307:, which protects freedom of expression. Before the law's repeal, no court was asked to consider whether blasphemous libel was consistent with the Charter's guarantee of freedom of expression, which came into force in 1982.
445:
It is not an offence against this section to express in good faith and in decent language, or to attempt to establish by arguments used in good faith and conveyed in decent language, any opinion whatever on any religious
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Article 40.6.1.i. of the Constitution, which states "The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law". The
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punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years. The offence of blasphemous libel, like all other laws of Canada, was subject to section 2 of the
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to publish any blasphemous libel. The maximum punishment was one-year imprisonment. No one could be prosecuted without the consent of the Attorney General.
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but the offences remain as part of the common law, criminal code, or criminal statute in various countries, states, territories, and legal jurisdictions.
403:, §13 of the Defamation Act, 1961 prescribed penalties for blasphemous libel, but did not define the offence. The only attempted prosecution since the
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The offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel in English common law were carried over to the Australian colonies and "received" into state law.
289:(1) Every one who publishes a blasphemous libel is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years
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to scurrility, vilification, ridicule, and contempt, with material that must have the tendency to shock and outrage the feelings of Christians.
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Blasphemy and blasphemous libel are not criminal offences under Australian federal law, and the common law offences were abolished by the
591:
Patrick, Jeremy (2008). "Not Dead, Just Sleeping: Canada's Prohibition in Blasphemous Libel as a Case Study on Obsolete Legislation".
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on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1976, concerning freedoms of opinion and expression. Paragraph 48 states:
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to repeal the blasphemous libel law, among other provisions that were found to be unconstitutional or obsolete. The bill passed the
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An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Department of Justice Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act
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The Australian Capital Territory abolished the common law offence of blasphemous libel, but not blasphemy, with the
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Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46, s. 296; formerly s 260 of the Criminal Code, RSC 1970, c C-34.
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Historically, the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were adopted from the
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guilty of blasphemous libel for his aspersions upon the Roman Catholic Church.
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have not been enforced for many years, and are generally regarded as obsolete.
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Contempt of sovereign or statute (breach of any statutory wording as a crime)
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The last prosecution of a charge of blasphemous libel was in 1935, in
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In 1985, the Law Commission (England and Wales) published a report,
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Until-dawn detention for being a stranger passing a night-watchman
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957:. Dáil Committee on Justice, Equality Defence and Women's Rights
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612:, 3 D.L.R. 230 (Court of Sessions of the Peace, Quebec, 1935).
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that consists of the publication of material which exposes the
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Criminal Law: Offences against Religious and Public Worship
723:"COMMENTARY: At long last, Canada's blasphemy law is dead"
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The information on blasphemous libel in Canada comes from
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subsequently deleted "blasphemous" from the constitution.
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of blasphemous libel was abolished on 8 July 2008 by the
327:(unreported) in 1926. Mr. Murphy put the issue this way:
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Blasphemous libel is an offence under the common law of
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For an overview of blasphemy laws across the world, see
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Former common law criminal offence in England and Wales
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International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
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139:. Today, it is an offence under the common law of
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
360:On 6 June 2017, Bill C-51 was introduced into the
926:Corway v Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited
272:
1437:
441:Section 123(3) of the Crimes Act 1961 provided:
340:, the Court found the Rev. Victor Rahard of the
969:"Irish law makes it illegal to speak blasphemy"
834:"Statutes of Canada 2018 Chapter 29 Bill C-51"
252:Law Reform (Abolitions & Repeals) Act 1996
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991:"Justice Minister moves on year and day rule"
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1047:
258:many years, and are regarded as obsolete.
593:University of British Columbia Law Review
489:Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
191:Blasphemy laws are incompatible with the
181:Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
1476:Common law offences in England and Wales
882:
856:"LEGISinfo - House Government Bill C-51"
395:Blasphemy law in the Republic of Ireland
955:"Amending the Law on Blasphemous Libel"
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430:It was an offence in New Zealand under
305:Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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883:Zimonjic, Peter (13 December 2018).
493:Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
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466:Blasphemy law in the United Kingdom
199:released a 52-paragraph statement,
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721:Breakenridge, Rob (10 June 2017).
654:217 at 230. The court also cited
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1301:Forgery, personation and cheating
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187:United Nations General Comment 34
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526:. c. 60) and section 8 of the
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273:Summary of offence and defence
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385:making the repeal official.
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195:(ICCPR). In July, 2011, the
143:, but has been abolished in
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570:"Blasphemy laws are lifted"
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666:(1925). 63 Que. S.C. 483.
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362:42nd Canadian Parliament
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1232:and kindred offences
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50:improve this article
511:creates a defence.
507:. Section 7 of the
401:Republic of Ireland
389:Republic of Ireland
366:Minister of Justice
65:"Blasphemous libel"
1419:History portal
1384:; informal use of
1364:Criminal behaviour
1105:Arrestable offence
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864:. 13 December 2018
814:. 11 December 2018
758:. 11 December 2017
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155:. It is a form of
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1129:Inchoate offences
1088:Classes of crimes
786:. 30 October 2018
702:. 31 October 2017
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1371:Common scold
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762:13 December
728:Global News
650:(1883), 15
432:section 123
420:New Zealand
282:of Canada.
153:New Zealand
1466:Defamation
1440:Categories
1355:Felo de se
1137:Incitement
1080:common law
971:. CBC News
664:R v Kinler
610:R v Rahard
556:References
550:Defamation
325:R v Sperry
321:R v Rahard
313:R v Rahard
299:It was an
266:See also:
133:common law
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1376:Loitering
1339:Embracery
1254:Blasphemy
1192:Treachery
806:"Debates"
778:"Debates"
599:(2): 237.
540:Blasphemy
524:32 Geo. 3
222:Australia
161:Christian
1456:Sedition
1308:Cheating
1244:Sedition
1170:or state
1146:Defences
890:CBC News
534:See also
446:subject.
164:religion
1282:Larceny
1210:Buggery
1001:6 April
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840:6 March
434:of the
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364:by the
213:Defence
137:England
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1451:Crimes
1386:stocks
1095:Felony
1082:series
652:Cox CC
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356:Repeal
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