On the eve of the 80th anniversary of AIDLR, the new edition of Conscience and Liberty aims to offer a space for reflection on freedom of conscience, religion or belief, at a time when this fundamental right is being challenged by disturbing changes.

In this issue, the International Association for the Defence of Religious Liberty intends to encourage broader reflection on the challenges to religious freedom in today’s world, which is characterized by the rise of religious nationalism, democratic tensions, and the rapid development of new technologies.

The edition opens with an in-depth interview with Professor Nazila Ghanea, United Nations Special Rapporteur on FoRB whose reflections help to place violations of this right in their global context and to recognise dynamics that sometimes go unnoticed. Alongside this, the thematic articles address issues such as the historical evolution of religious freedom, the impact of religious nationalism in different scenarios, and the implications of artificial intelligence—both its opportunities and risks—for conscience, ethics, and human rights.

This volume also includes contributions that analyse the role of European institutions, as well as legal and ethical reflections on the regulation of artificial intelligence and its relationship with freedom of religion or belief. All of them share a common concern: how to protect human dignity and pluralism in increasingly complex societies.

We hope that these pages will be useful to those working in academia, institutions or society, as well as to those who, out of personal interest, wish to better understand the challenges of our time.

We invite readers to explore this edition with an open mind, confident that they will find reflections that are worth considering and sharing.

For more information about this publication, or to request a copy, please contact us at info@aidlr.org.