Devising a Scale of Rights Violations in Democratic Countries
Central Europe Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief Launch Event – 4 February 2026
Research Fellow at the University of Lancashire
David Burrowes, a practicing criminal defense solicitor for over 30 years and former Member of the UK Parliament and Prime Minister’s Deputy Special Envoy for FORB
Dr Brandon Reece Taylorian AFHEA is a Research Fellow at the University of Lancashire specializing in freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and the legal governance of religious communities. His research examines how systems of state recognition and registration shape the rights, autonomy, and survival of religious organizations, and he has developed analytical frameworks for assessing the severity of state interference in religious life. Taylorian’s work has appeared in journals including the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion,
Religion & Human Rights, and the Journal of Law, Religion and State. He regularly presents internationally on issues of religious freedom and serves
on the Scientific Committee of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief. Dr Taylorian is also an alumnus of the Young Scholars Fellowship in Religion and the Rule of Law at Oxford organized by the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.
Peter Zoehrer is a Vienna-based journalist, media analyst, and committed defender of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). He co-founded the Forum for Religious Freedom Europe (FOREF https://foref-europe.org) and has served as its Executive Director since its formal establishment in 2005. FOREF originated in 1998 as a media response to Austria’s restrictive laws on minority religions. Under Zoehrer’s leadership, it developed into one of Europe’s most active independent watchdogs for FoRB, monitoring violations by both state and non-state actors. Zoehrer has participated in numerous international conferences, fact-finding missions, and advocacy campaigns. In recognition of his contributions to press freedom and civil society, he was awarded the Silver Pin by the Austrian Journalists Club (ÖJC) and is a member of Reporters Without Borders.
Deputy Director, Human Rights Without Frontiers
Hans Noot is a retired religious educator and human-rights practitioner with extensive leadership and governance experience across Europe and Central Asia. He holds a triple-major bachelor’s degree and an M.S. in organizational development, leadership, and global strategy from Brigham Young University. He co-founded EuroSeminar, a forum for emerging European scholars, leads three Dutch human-rights organizations, and serves as Deputy Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers. His work and research focus on organizational anthropology, religion, and human-rights advocacy in contemporary and historical contexts. He resides in the Netherlands with his wife.
Willy Fautré is the Director and Co-founder of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF),
a Brussels-based non-governmental organization founded in 1988. HRWF advocates for universal human rights, focusing particularly on religious and ethnic minorities, freedom of expression, and women’s rights.
Before establishing HRWF, Fautré served as chargé de mission in the Cabinet of the Belgian Ministry of Education and in the Belgian Parliament. He has conducted fact-finding missions in over twenty-five countries, including high-risk areas such as Iraq, Sandinista-era Nicaragua, and Maoist-controlled regions of Nepal.
He lectures at universities on international human rights and state-religion relations, and has authored numerous academic and policy publications in these fields. Fautré is a member of the Press Club Brussels Europe and a correspondent for The European Times. He also represents HRWF at the United Nations, the European Parliament, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).