Iceland

“Blasphemy” law ended: 2015!

Iceland abolished its blasphemy law in 2015.

Until 2015, “derision” of religious doctrines was criminalized and could lead to a prison sentence.

The country’s general penal code also established fines and imprisonment of up to three months for those who publicly derided or belittled the religious doctrines or the worship of a lawful religious association active in the country.

The motion to abolish the law, brought by members of the parliamentary Pirate Party, was explicitly a response to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris in January 2015.

The abolition in 2015 won cross-party support and was celebrated by a diverse cross-section of society.