Court case may decide fate of religious symbols in public buildings

The European Court of Human Rights is reviewing a case that could determine whether religious symbols may be displayed in courtrooms and other public buildings. The case arises from complaints by Greek atheists who say the presence of Christian icons violated their right to a fair trial and religious freedom.

The legal challenge involves two separate hearings held in 2018 and 2019 in the Greek Supreme Administrative Court. In both cases, the applicants requested the removal of a Christian Orthodox icon of Jesus Christ from the courtroom, arguing that its display breached Article 6 and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantee the right to a fair trial and freedom of religion, respectively, according to the legal advocacy group ADF International.

The Greek court rejected both requests and allowed the religious symbol to remain in place, according to the case summary published by the European Court.

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