Feck! Ireland considers "blasphemous libel" law

by Monitor
MediaWatchWatch
April 29, 2009

http://www.legal-project.org/291/feck-ireland-considers-blasphemous-libel-law

Excerpt:

The government of Ireland is to decide whether or not to step back a couple of centuries by putting a blasphemy law on its statute books.

The extraordinary move is proposed by the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, who want to insert a blasphemy clause into the revised Defamation Bill, stating:

A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000.

"Blasphemous matter" is defined as matter

that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion; and he or she intends, by the publication of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.

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