Freedom of religion, freedom of expression and the United Nations: recognizing values and rights in the “defamation of religions” discourse

Contributo sottoposto a valutazione.SOMMARIO: 1. Limits to free speech, incitement to hatred and a “third case” - 2. UN Resolutions on Defamation of Religions (1999 – 2010). The role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation - 3. Recognizing values and rights in the defamation of religions discourse - 4. The interplay between racial and religious offences and its effect on limitations to free speech - 5. Balancing freedom of expression and freedom of religion in the work of the UN Human Rights Committee - 6. Concluding Remarks.ABSTRACT:Freedom of religion, freedom of expression and the United Nations: recognizing values and rights in the “defamation of religions” discourse (Lecturer in Law and Religion, University of Perugia)The article focuses on the issue of religious freedom and freedom of expression from the point of view of the United Nations. In particular, it examines the so called Defamation of religions, which has been the topic of a series of Resolutions voted by the Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Council and the Assembly General, from 1999 to 2010. In the Defamation of religions debate, the UN institutions appear to tend to highlight the conflict between rights rather than the positive interrelation between them. Nonetheless, it has been repeatedly argued that it should be possible for political institutions and religious majorities to use anti-defamatory legislation in order to stem the activities of religious minorities. Applying penal anti-defamation laws might not be the best way to deal with the potential conflict between two fundamental rights. The more recent trends show a shift toward what seems to be a more suitable accommodation of the interests at stake. In this regard, the article will consider the Human Rights Council’s Resolution about discrimination on religious grounds (2011), the Ad Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards to the ICERD and the new General Comment on article 19 of the ICCPR

La nuova intesa con l’Unione Buddhista Italiana: una doppia conforme per il Sangha italiano

SOMMARIO: 1. Nuovi accordi e aggiornamenti nel quadro delle intese - 2. Le novità in tema di obbligatorietà del servizio militare - 3. L’insegnamento religioso nella scuola pubblica - 4. Il diritto di istituire scuole e istituti di educazione - 5. L’interesse all’intesa, tra tempi della politica ed esigenze confessionali

The Children Act: alla ricerca del “superiore interesse del minore” tra famiglie, comunità religiose e giudici

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Primo Movimento: Il minore nel contesto familiare e nel gruppo religioso - 3. Secondo Movimento: Il ruolo del giudice, tra autodeterminazione in materia sanitaria e best interests of the child - 4. Terzo Movimento: Conclusioni. L’evoluzione del minore in una società plurale.The Children Act: Finding the best interests of the child between family, religious community and the courtABSTRACT: Connections that bring together law and literature unceasingly prove to be very meaningful. Ian McEwan’s novel, The Children Act, offers an intriguing example of law in literature, cannily managing the complex theme of religion and justice. A young Jehovah’s Witness affected by a severe disease refuses to have his life saved by a blood transfusion. The Family Court finds in favour of the medical treatment against the child and his family’s convictions but the ruling triggers an unpredictable chain of events culminating in a tragic epilogue. Similarities between the novel and real law cases about refusals of medical treatments on religious grounds are traced throughout the article, which aims at analysing the controversial relations among the subjects and interests involved when dealing with a child medical consent and conscientious objections, mainly the duties of the family, the rights of the child and the responsibilities of the state. Concluding remarks will highlight that, in order for the child to express an autonomous and informed consent, a thorough and critical education is needed, provided through a pluralistic learning environment and an inclusive social framework, as international bodies - like the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - clearly suggest

L’accesso dei ministri di culto islamici negli istituti di detenzione, tra antichi problemi e prospettive di riforma. L’esperienza del Protocollo tra Dipartimento dell’Amministrazione penitenziaria e UCOII

SOMMARIO: 1. L’Islam tra le mura del carcere: le ragioni di un intervento, gli obiettivi del Protocollo - 2. Uno spiraglio di libertà: la fede in regime di detenzione, le garanzie normative e le risposte alla diversità religiosa - 3. Mediatori o ministri di culto? Un ruolo ‘sospeso’ tra definizioni giuridiche e prassi - 4. Visitate i detenuti: La questione dell’ingresso negli istituti detentivi, criticità applicative e novità del Protocollo - 5. Conclusioni.Granting Islamic religious ministers admission to prisons, amid long-lasting issues and reformation perspectives. The Agreement between the Prison Administration Department and the Islamic Communities Union.ABSTRACT: As religious diversity in Italian prisons grows, accommodating prisoners’ religious needs tries legal paradigms and instruments out. In 2015 the Prison Administration Department signed an agreement with UCOII, one of the largest Islamic associations in Italy, in order to grant admission in prisons to intercultural mediators and religious ministers. This article seeks to situate the covenant in the wider context of the Italian legal protection of religious freedom in prison, highlighting three main purposes of the agreement: providing Islamic prisoners with religious assistance, enforcing rehabilitative programs and combating violent radicalization in jail. After two years the experience has shown good evidences. Nonetheless, contended issues still remain unsettled. While evaluating feasible solutions, the article advocates a legislative intervention that could assess criteria and procedures for religious ministers’ access to prisons fulfilling the principle of equality and non-discrimination

The phylogenetic and evolutionary history of Kokobera virus.

Abstract Objective To estimate the genetic diversity of Kokobera virus, the date of origin and the spread among different viruses in the endemic regions of Australia. Methods Two datasets were built. The first consisting of 29 sequences of the NS5/3′ UTR region of Kokobera group downloaded from GenBank, the second including only 24 sequences of Kokobera viruses, focus is on this group. Results Bayesian time analysis revealed two different entries in Australia of Kokobera virus in the 50s years with the dated ancestor in 1861 year. Clades A and B showed a clear separation of the Kokobera sequences according to the geographic region. Conclusions Data from the study showed as Kokobera virus, despite of its ancient origin and its circulation before the European colonization, remained limited to the Australian country and nowadays limited mostly to the regions were Australian marsupials are mostly found

HIV-2 infection in a migrant from Gambia: the history of the disease combined with phylogenetic analysis revealed the real source of infection

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection prevalence is increasing in some European countries. The increasing migratory flow from countries where HIV-2 is endemic has facilitated the spread of the virus into Europe and other regions. We describe a case of HIV-2 infection in a migrant individual in the Asylum Seeker Centre (ASC) in Italy. The patient's virus was sequenced, and found to be a typical HIV-2 genotype A virus. Bayesian evolutionary analysis revealed that the HIV-2 sequence from migrant dated back to 1986 in a subcluster including sequences from Guinea Bissau. This was coherent with the migrant history who lived in Guinea Bissau from his birth until 1998 when he was 13 years old. Monitoring for HIV-2 infection in migrants from western Africa is necessary using adequate molecular tools to improve the diagnosis and understand the real origin of infection

Sars-cov-2 envelope and membrane proteins: structural differences linked to virus characteristics?

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new viral infection caused by the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Genomic analyses have revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is related to Pangolin and Bat coronaviruses. In this report, a structural comparison between the Sars-CoV-2 Envelope and Membrane proteins from different human isolates with homologous proteins from closely related viruses is described. The analyses here reported show the high structural similarity of Envelope and Membrane proteins to the counterparts from Pangolin and Bat coronavirus isolates. However, the comparisons have also highlighted structural differences specific of Sars-CoV-2 proteins which may be correlated to the cross-species transmission and/or to the properties of the virus. Structural modelling has been applied to map the variant sites onto the predicted three-dimensional structure of the Envelope and Membrane proteins

Looking for an objective parameter to identify early vocal dysfunctions in healthy prceived singers

The finding of minimal laryngeal dysfunctions in professional voice users is essential to prevent the onset of organic vocal pathologies. The purpose of this study is to identify an objective parameter that supports the phoniatric evaluation in detecting minimal laryngeal dysfunctions in singers. 54 professional and non-professional singers have been evaluated with laryngostroboscopy, Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI), maximum phonation time (TMF), minimum intensity of sound emission (I-min), maximum frequency (F-max), voice handicap index (VHI), singing voice handicap index (SVHI), manual phonogram and audiometric examination. The SVHI of all the “healthy” singers was on average 23.7 ± 22.5, while that of the “dysfunctional” 20.9 ± 18. No statistically significant difference was found between the SVHI scores of the total of healthy singers compared to the scores of the dysfunctional ones on the VSL (p = 0.6). The between-group comparison of the means of individual parameter values of DSI, TMF, F-max, Jitter, Shimmer, NHR, and SPI was not statistically significant (respectively p = 0.315, 0.2, 0.18, 0.09, 0.2, 0.08, 0.3). The only parameter analyzed that was statistically significant was the I-min (p < 0.05). SVHI is a valid instrument for the evaluation after a therapy but in our experience, it is not useful in distinguishing healthy from dysfunctional patients. The minimum intensity of sound emission measured with the sound level meter (I-low2) resulted a reliable parameter to identify minimal laryngeal dysfunctions and a useful tool in supporting the phoniatric diagnostic-therapeutic process in singers

Utility of preoperative systemic inflammatory biomarkers in predicting postoperative complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy: Literature review and single center experience

BACKGROUNDThe role of preoperative inflammatory biomarkers (PIBs) in predicting postoperative morbidity has been assessed in colorectal and otorhinolaryngeal surgery. However, data regarding the role that preoperative inflammatory biomarkers have on morbidity after pancreaticoduodenectomiy (PD) are less consistent.AIMTo assess the utility of PIBs in predicting postoperative complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy.METHODSA database of 317 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomies performed from April 2003 to November 2018 has been retrospectively analyzed. Data regarding preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR and C-reactive protein (CRP), and postoperative complications of 238 cases have been evaluated. Exclusion criteria were: age < 18-years-old, previous neoadjuvant treatment, absence of data about PIBs, concomitant hematological disorders, and presence of active infections at the moment of the surgery. PIBs were compared using Mann-Whitney's test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to define the cutoffs. The positive predictive value (PPV) was computed to evaluate the probability to develop complication. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.RESULTSAccording to the literature findings, only four papers have been published reporting the relation between the inflammatory biomarkers and PD postoperative morbidity. A combination of preoperative and postoperative inflammatory biomarkers in predicting complications after PD and the utility of preoperative NLR in the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) have been reported. The combination of PIBs and postoperative day-1 drains amylase has been reported to predict the incidence of POPF. According to our results, CRP values were significantly different between patients who had/did not have postoperative complications and abdominal collections (P < 0.05). Notably, patients with preoperative CRP > 8.81 mg/dL were at higher risk of both overall complications and abdominal collections (respectively P = 0.0037, PPV = 0.95, negative predictive value [NPV] = 0.27 and P = 0.016, PPV = 0.59, NPV = 0.68). Preoperative derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) (cut off > 1.47) was also a predictor of abdominal collection (P = 0.021, PPV = 0.48, NPV = 0.71). Combining CRP and dNLR, PPV increased to 0.67. NLR (cut off > 1.65) was significantly associated with postoperative hemorrhage (P = 0.016, PPV = 0.17, NPV = 0.98).CONCLUSIONPIBs may predict complications after PD. During postoperative care, PIB levels could influence decisions regarding the timing of drains removal and the selection of patients who might benefit from second level diagnostic exams