Denmark has charged two individuals under its law prohibiting the desecration of the Quran, authorities announced on Friday, according to the AFP news agency.
The charges mark the first use of the legislation introduced in the country following a series of high-profile holy burnings of the Quran.
The individuals, whose identities remain undisclosed, are accused of engaging in "inappropriate treatment of a Quran" during a June festival that brought together people from political, economic, and social spheres.
Details of their alleged actions have not been disclosed by Copenhagen's prosecution authority or local media.
"The actions took place publicly, were followed by a number of people, and were also broadcast to a wider circle by being filmed and streamed live on Facebook," prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas stated, as quoted by AFP.
The legislation, enacted on December 7, 2023, came into effect shortly after, amid international outrage in Muslim-majority countries over Quran desecrations in Denmark and neighboring Sweden.
Under the new law, public burning, tearing, or defilement of holy texts, including through widely shared videos, is prohibited. Violators face fines or prison sentences of up to two years.
Denmark and Sweden experienced a series of public protests in 2023, where anti-Islam activists burned or otherwise damaged copies of the Quran, triggering demands that the Nordic governments ban the practice.
In late July of that year, Denmark’s Foreign Minister said the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the country.
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