The
Constitution of Tuvalu was amended in 2023, its preamble states that the people of Tuvalu are "thankful that our islands and oceans, known by its ancient name as the Tuvalu Islands, were given by God as our home in the Pacific Ocean", and later affirms "our identity as a Christian nation", and reaffirms Tuvalu as a "free and democratic sovereign nation based on Christian Principles, Tuvaluan values and culture and the Rule of Law". Section 23 (2) of the Constitution specifically establishes the freedom of belief, which is stated as including – "(a) freedom of thought, religion and belief; and (b) freedom to change religion or belief; and (c) freedom, either alone or with others, to show and to spread, both in public and in private, a religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance." Section 23 (8) states that: "The protection given by this section to freedom of religion or belief applies equally to freedom not to have or hold a particular religion or belief, or any religion or belief."
Court protection In 2003, some members of the Tuvalu Brethren Church on
Nanumanga reported that discrimination, including acts and threats of violence, hindered their religious freedom on that island, which prompted them to commence proceedings in the
High Court of Tuvalu in 2004; the case moved through the courts, and in 2009 the
Court of Appeal of Tuvalu determined that the constitutional rights of these members had been breached. In 2008, four members of the Tuvalu Brethren Church on Nanumaga sued in the High Court claiming unlawful dismissal from their employment on grounds that included unlawful discrimination on the basis of religion and that their constitutional right to freedom of belief, expression and association had been denied. Three of the claims were dismissed, with a fourth plaintiff being awarded general damages and aggravated damages. ==See also==