Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Autonomy of Religious Groups in the Inter-American Case Law

Authors

  • Fernando Arlettaz Universidad de Zaragoza

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17561/tahrj.v20.7695

Keywords:

discrimimination, sexual orientation, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, autonomy of religious groups, religious freedom

Abstract

Religious freedom encompasses the right of religious groups to define the tenets of their faith and
to organise themselves according to these tenets, without arbitrary State interference. However, the limits
of religious groups’ autonomy are controversial, especially in those cases where the exercise of religious
autonomy seems to be at odds with non-discrimination standards. The Inter-American Court of Human
Rights has adopted many decisions on sexual orientation discrimination, but its case law on religious
freedom is much scarcer. The two issues converged in the recent decision Pavez Pavez v Chile, in which the
Court set the limits of the autonomy of religious groups when confronted with non-discrimination standards.

References

ARLETTAZ, F. (2011). ‘La libertad religiosa en el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos’, Revista Internacional de Derechos Humanos, 1, pp. 39-58.

ARLETTAZ, F. (2012). ‘La jurisprudencia del Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos sobre la libertad religiosa: un análisis jurídico-político’, Derechos y Libertades, 27, pp. 209-240. https://doi.org/10.18172/redur.4102

ARLETTAZ, F. (2013). ‘Paternalismo jurídico y convicciones religiosas’, Ius et Praxis, 19, pp. 223-254. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-00122013000100007

ARLETTAZ, F. (2018). Les groupes religieux, objet du droit international, Aix-en-Provence, Presses Universitaires d’Aix-Marseille.

BIELEFELDT, H.; GHANEA-HERCOCK, N.; WIENER, M. (2016). Freedom of Religion or Belief: An International Law Commentary, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

CAPDEVIELLE, P. (2021). ‘¿Tienen las Iglesias el derecho a discriminar? Algunos elementos para la reflexión’, in T. González Luna and J. Rodríguez Zepeda (eds.), Dioses, Iglesias y diversidad: la discriminación y el Estado laico, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, pp. 121-153.

CARRILLO-SANTARELLI, N. (2017). Direct International Human Rights Obligations of non-State Actors: A Legal and Ethical Necessity, Oisterwijk: Wolf Legal Publishers.

COMBALÍA SOLÍS, Z. (2013). La contratación del profesorado de religión en la escuela pública, Valencia, Tirant lo Blanch.

D’ASPREMONT, J. (2010). ‘International Law-Making by Non-State Actors: Changing the Model or Putting the Phenomenon into Perspective?’, in M. Noortmann and C. Ryngaert (eds), Non-State Actor Dynamics in International Law: From Law Taking to Law Making?, Surrey, Ashgate Publishing Group, pp. 171-194. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315598475-8

D’ASPREMONT, J. et al. (2015). ‘Sharing Responsibility Between Non-State Actors and States in International Law: Introduction’, Netherlands International Law Review, 62(1), pp. 49-67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40802-015-0015-0

DE MOL, M. (2011). ‘The novel approach of the CJEU on the horizontal direct effect of the EU principle of non-discrimination: (unbridled) expansionism of EU law?’, Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 18(1-2), pp. 109-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/1023263X1101800106

DE WITTE, B. (2009). ‘The crumbling public/ private divide: horizontality in European anti-discrimination law’, Citizenship Studies, 13(5), pp. 515-525. https://doi.org/10.1080/13621020903174670

FARRIOR, S. (ed) (2015). Equality and non-discrimination under International Law, Farnham, Ashgate.

GONZÁLEZ-VARAS IBÁÑEZ, A. (2018). La enseñanza de la religión en Europa, Madrid, Digital Reasons.

HESSBRUEGGE, J. A. (2005). ‘Human Rights Violations Arising from Conduct of Non-State Actors’, Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, 11, pp. 21-88.

KANALAN, I. (2016). ‘Horizontal Effect of Human Rights in the Era of Transnational Constellations: On the Accountability of Private Actors for Human Rights Violations’, European Yearbook of International Economic Law, 7, pp. 423-460. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29215-1_17

LERNER, N. (2003). Group rights and discrimination in International Law, The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004481541

LINDENBERGH, S. D. (2010). ‘Fundamental rights in private law. Anchors or goals in a globalizing legal order?’, in M. Faure and A. Van der Walt, Globalization and Private Law. The way forward, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, pp. 367-382.

MARTÍNEZ-TORRÓN, J. (2017). ‘La autonomía religiosa y la vida privada de los profesores de religión en la jurisprudencia de Estrasburgo: El caso Fernández Martínez’, in M. Moreno Antón, (ed.), Sociedad, Derecho y factor religioso. Estudios en honor del profesor Isidoro Martín Sánchez, Granada, Comares, pp. 374-390.

MCKEAN, W. (1983). Equality and non-discrimination under International Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/1288694

MOECKLI, D. (2010). ‘Equality and non-discrimination’, in D. Moeckli, S. mShah, S. Sivakumaran, and D. Harris (eds), International Human Rights Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 148-172.

MURDOCH, J. (2012). Protecting the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under the European Convention on Human Rights, Strasbourg, Council of Europe.

NAVARRO FLORIA, J. G. (2022). ‘Libertad religiosa y educación en el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos: primeras notas sobre la sentencia del caso Pavez vs. Chile’, Revista General de Derecho Canónico y Derecho Eclesiástico del Estado, 59, pp. 1-25.

NOWAK, M.; JANUZEWSKI, K. M. (2015). ‘Non-State Actors and Human Rights’, in M. Noortmann, A. Reinisch and C. Ryngaert (eds), Non-State Actors in International Law, Oxford: Hart Publishing, pp. 113-162.

POLLVOGT, S. W. (2014). ‘Beyond Suspect Classifications’, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, 16, pp. 739-803.

REINISCH, A. (2005). ‘The Changing International Legal Framework for Dealing with Non-State Actors’, in P. Alston (ed), Non-State Actors and Human Rights, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 37-89.

SABA, R. (2009) ‘Igualdad, clases y clasificaciones. ¿Qué es lo sospechoso de las categorías sospechosas?’, in R. Gargarella (ed), Teoría y Crítica del Derecho Constitucional, Buenos Aires, Abeledo Perrot, pp. 695-742.

SABA, R. (2011). ‘Igualdad de trato entre particulares’, Lecciones y Ensayos, 89, pp. 217-276.

SCHOKKENBROEK, J. (2004). ‘A New European Standard Against Discrimination: Negotiating Protocol n° 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights’, in J. Niessen and I. Chopin (eds), The Development of Legal Instruments to Combat Racism in a Diverse Europe, Leiden, Martinus Nijhoff, pp. 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789047413172_004

SCOLNICOV, A. (2010). The Right to Religious Freedom in International Law. Between Group Rights and Individual Rights, London, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203842638

STRAUSS, M. (1991). ‘Reevaluating Suspect Classifications’, Seattle University Law Review, 35, pp. 135-174.

TAYLOR, P. M. (2005). Freedom of Religion. UN and European human rights law and practice, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511616129

WEIWEI, L. (2004). ‘Equality and Non-discrimination under International Human Rights Law’, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights Research Notes, 3, pp. 1-26.

Published

2023-06-01

Issue

Section

ARTICLES

How to Cite

Arlettaz, F. (2023). Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Autonomy of Religious Groups in the Inter-American Case Law. The Age of Human Rights Journal, 20, e7695. https://doi.org/10.17561/tahrj.v20.7695