Submissions to the OSCE 2008
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Report to the Prime Minister 2008
PREMIER MINISTRE REPORT TO THE PRIME MINISTER 2008 F Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Sectarian Aberrations MIVILUDES This document is a translation of the French version. Only the original French version is legally binding. Contents Foreword by the Chairman ............................................................................... 5 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 7 Section 1 Sectarian risk ..................................................................................................... 11 Contribution of the general delegation for employment and professional training ..................................................... 13 Contribution by the Ministry of the Interior .................................................... 19 Satanic aberrations hit the headlines in Europe ........................................... 27 The Internet: amplifying the risk of sectarian aberrations ............................. 39 International influential strategies in 2008: examples of action by sectarian movements within the UN.......................... 45 Section 2 Combating sectarian aberrations..........................................................57 Contribution by the Ministry of the Interior ................................................... 59 Assistance provided for the victims of sectarian aberrations in Europe ............................................................... 63 Section 3 Close-up: health risks............................................................................... -
The Israeli Center for Victims of Cults Who Is Who? Who Is Behind It?
Human Rights Without Frontiers Int’l Avenue d’Auderghem 61/16, 1040 Brussels Phone/Fax: 32 2 3456145 Email: [email protected] – Website: http://www.hrwf.eu No Entreprise: 0473.809.960 The Israeli Center for Victims of Cults Who is Who? Who is Behind it? By Willy Fautré The Israeli Center for Victims of Cults About the so-called experts of the Israeli Center for Victims of Cults and Yad L'Achim Rami Feller ICVC Directors Some Other So-called Experts Some Dangerous Liaisons of the Israeli Center for Victims of Cults Conclusions Annexes Brussels, 1 September 2018 The Israeli Center for Victims of Cults Who is Who? Who is Behind it? The Israeli Center for Victims of Cults (ICVC) is well-known in Israel for its activities against a number of religious and spiritual movements that are depicted as harmful and dangerous. Over the years, the ICVC has managed to garner easy access to the media and Israeli government due to its moral panic narratives and campaign for an anti-cult law. It is therefore not surprising that the ICVC has also emerged in Europe, in particular, on the website of FECRIS (European Federation of Centers of Research and Information on Cults and Sects), as its Israel correspondent.1 For many years, FECRIS has been heavily criticized by international human rights organizations for fomenting social hostility and hate speech towards non-mainstream religions and worldviews, usually of foreign origin, and for stigmatizing members of these groups.2 Religious studies scholars and the scientific establishment in general have also denounced FECRIS for the lack of expertise of their so-called “cult experts”. -
Endc Proceedings 12/2009
ENDC PROCEEDINGS 12/2009 ■ ENGLISH SUMMARIES 3 ESTONIAN NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE CULTURAL, PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES SERIES ■ SERIES EDITORS: ANDRES SAUMETS AND ALAR KILP VOLUME 1: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN MULTICULTURAL EUROPE: PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES Alar Kilp and Andres Saumets Proceedings 12/2009 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Andres Saumets (Estonia) EDITORIAL BOARD: Ken Kalling (Estonia) Alar Kilp (Estonia) Peeter Kukk (Estonia) Rain Liivoja (Finland) Enno Mõts (Estonia) Erik Männik (Estonia) Andreas Pawlas (Germany) Claus Freiherr von Rosen (Germany) Volker Stümke (Germany) LANGUAGE EDITORS: Reet Hendrikson (Estonia) Karen Kuldnokk (Estonia) Epp Leete (Estonia) Roy Lowthian (United Kingdom) EDITORIAL COUNCIL: Aarne Ermus (Estonia) Wilfried Gerhard (Germany) Rudolf Hamann (Germany) Jakob Kübarsepp (Estonia) Ants Laaneots (Estonia) Raul Mälk (Estonia) Ago Pajur (Estonia) Eric Allan Sibul (USA) Villu Tamul (Estonia) Peeter Tulviste (Estonia) Matti Turtola (Finland) ISSN 1736–0242 ISBN 978–9985–9513–7–8 Copyright: Estonian National Defence College, 2009 Tartu University Press www.tyk.ee CONTENTS ■ FOREWORD ............................................................................................ 9 RELIGION AND POLITICS IN MULTICULTURAL EUROPE Alar Kilp and Andres Saumets ................................................................ 13 1. Theoretical Considerations .................................................................. 18 1.1. Culture ......................................................................................... -
From the Jehovah's Witnesses to Scientology and Beyond
$ The Journal of CESNUR $ Research Notes Scientology, Anti-Cultists, and the State in Russia and Hungary On October 5–6, 2017, Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, hosted the conference Religion(s) and Power(s), organized by the the Lithuanian Society for the Study of Religions in co-operation with the Estonian Society for the Study of Religions and the Latvian Society for the Study of Religion. We publish the texts of the session “‘Cults,’ Anti-Cultists, and Power in Russia. Anti-Extremism Laws and the Case of the Church of Scientology.” To document how Russian concepts of “spiritual security” are being exported in other countries, we also include a paper on Hungary by Patricia Duval, from the seminar Religion and Civil Society in the Post-Soviet Era: Central Asia and Beyond, co-organized by CESNUR at the American University of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on March 19–20, 2018. The Social Construction of “Extremism” in Russia: From the Jehovah’s Witnesses to Scientology and Beyond Massimo Introvigne Center for Studies on New Religions [email protected] ABSTRACT: After the 2017 “liquidation” of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Russia moved to liquidate other new religious movements, including the Church of Scientology. While international criticism often focused on the Russian anti-proselytization laws of 2016, it was in fact the anti-extremism law of 2002, as amended in 2006, that became the main tool for “liquidating” unpopular minorities. In the Russian context, the local anti-cult movement led by Alexander Dvorkin and by radical sectors of the Orthodox Church, accredited itself as the custodian of the nationalist doctrine of “spiritual security,” aimed at shielding Russian from “foreign” spiritual and cultural influences. -
The French-Russian Orthodox Connection
Human Rights Without Frontiers Int’l Avenue d’Auderghem 61/16, 1040 Brussels Phone/Fax: 32 2 3456145 Email: [email protected] – Website: http://www.hrwf.eu OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting Warsaw, Tuesday 12 September 2017 Side-event Antisect movements and Laïcité: The French-Russian Orthodox Connection About FECRIS member association in Russia: St. Irenaeus of Lyons Religious Studies Research Centre The Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Centre for Religious Studies, which is FECRIS member association in Russia, was founded in 1993 with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II. The Centre is also a missionary faculty department of St Tikhon's Orthodox University in Moscow the objective of which is “to spread credible information on doctrines and activities of totalitarian sects and destructive cults”. Since then, A.L. Dvorkin has been the president of this Centre affiliated to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Centre for Religious Studies is the head centre of the Russian Association of Centres for Religious and Sectarian Studies (RATsIRS). The president of RATsIRS is also A.L. Dvorkin; the vice-presidents are Archpriest Alexander Novopashin and Archpriest Alexander Shabanov; the executive secretary is priest Lev Semenov, Ph.D., associate professor. Apart from the Saint Irenaeus of Lyons Centre, there is a global network of so-called "parents’ initiatives" and other similar organizations in Russia the majority of which have become members of RATsIRS in Russia (some are missionary departments of Orthodox dioceses). There are also a number of so-called “rehabilitation centres” which aim at reconverting followers of “non-traditional religions” to Orthodoxy. -
The Role of FECRIS and Anti-Cult Organizations in Russia
The Role of FECRIS and Anti-Cult Organizations in Russia This contribution concerns the role played by anti-cult organizations in Russia in the repression of religious minorities, and in particular the members of FECRIS, the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Sectarianism. In order to understand how and when the anti-cult movement came into play, we should briefly discuss the background of religious unrest in Russia. The concept of “Spiritual Security” – Background In October 1990, a Law on Freedom of Religion was adopted under the Gorbachev regime, which was one of the last and most decisive liberalizing legislative reforms introduced in the old Soviet system. For the first time in Russian history, practicing religion was declared "the unalienable right of Russian citizens". This right also applied to all those residing in Russia, irrespective of their citizenship. The law maintained strict separation between Church and State, provided State ideological neutrality and guaranteed equal rights for all faiths, regardless of their origins and size. As an immediate consequence of the Law, Russia's religious landscape started to be deeply modified. There was resurgence of the Russian Orthodox Church and other “traditional” religions, Muslim, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist and their missionary activities from abroad, as well as proselytizing efforts of religions that were new to Russia. This evolution gave rise to a strong anti-cult movement, focused in the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, which started to push the concept that Russia’s “spiritual security” and traditional values were somehow at risk. In November 1996, then Orthodox Bishop Kirill, who was subsequently elected in 2009 as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, publicly spoke about the problem of proselytism facing the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). -
General Assembly Distr.: General 21 June 2021
United Nations A/HRC/47/NGO/178 General Assembly Distr.: General 21 June 2021 English only Human Rights Council Forty-seventh session 21 June–9 July 2021 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Written statement* submitted by Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience, a non-governmental organization in special consultative status The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. [31 May 2021] * Issued as received, in the language(s) of submission only. GE.21-08322(E) A/HRC/47/NGO/178 State Funding of anti-religious associations in France CAP Freedom of Conscience is a secular European NGO with United Nations Consultative Status, created in 1995 and dedicated to protecting the Right of Freedom of Religion and Belief. It combats all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief, inter alia, by alerting European and International bodies to abuses and violations of international standards. It collects testimonies of discrimination and human rights violations affecting religious or belief communities disseminating them to international bodies, to broadly raise awareness on the subject and to generate debate on the need for protection of freedom of religion or Belief. CAP Freedom of Conscience also advocates for any religious or spiritual group facing discrimination and supports the right to have their freedom of religion or belief recognized. CAP Liberté de Conscience is concerned about the relaunch of the fight against religious minorities in France since the recent reorganization of MIVILUDES (the Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Fight Against Cultic Deviances) has been implemented. -
2006-2010-France-MIVILUDES-OSCE.Pdf
HDS.NGO/19/06 11 May 2006 SUBMISSION FROM CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE 10TH May 2006 Upholding the Rule of Law and Due Process in Criminal Justice Systems: Violations of the Right to Equal Protection and Non-Discrimination in Matters Relating to Religion in France and Belgium “All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone should be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law”. Art. 14(1) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law will prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground”. Para. 5.9, Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the OSCE, Copenhagen 29 June 1990. Introduction The principles of equal protection and non-discrimination under the law are fundamental components of the rule of law. They ensure that all laws are applied uniformly and objectively, regardless of race, religion, gender, culture or minority status. These principles form a critical foundation to the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings. OSCE participating States have committed themselves to adhering to the principles of equal protection and non-discrimination in the administration of criminal justice. This submission concerns the contravention of the right to a fair trial and the impartiality of the judiciary in cases regarding minority religious associations and their adherents in France and Belgium. -
Comparing U.S
COMPARING U.S. AND FRENCH MODELS OF CRIMINAL PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATION PARTY-PROSECUTOR v. NEUTRAL JUGE D’INSTRUCTION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE STANFORD PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDIES AT THE STANFORD LAW SCHOOL, STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF THE SCIENCE OF LAW By Virginie Laure Schwartz April 2007 © Abstract The criminal procedure of the United States is being exported to France. It started with “pick-and-choose” reforms, such as the cross-examination of trial witnesses and the guilty plea mechanism. In late 2005, a bill was presented to the French legislature to vote on the abolition of the “investigating magistrate” (juge d’instruction) and follow the adversarial Anglo-Saxon judicial structure, thus transferring his fact-finding role to the public prosecution service. In France, the preparation of criminal matters for trial is directed, not by the prosecutor with the assistance of investigating agencies, as is the case in the United States, but by a judge, distinct from the prosecutor, who is positioned between the latter and the putative criminal defendant. His raison d’être is to uncover the truth through “seeking out both incriminating and exculpatory evidence (instruction à charge et à décharge);” he does not take part in the adjudication phase. This thesis raises the overlooked issue of the impact of the party affiliation of the prosecutor on the orientation of the pre-trial investigation and, consequently, its results. This thesis claims that it is a material determination to make, given (i) the distinctive nature of the virtue of impartiality of the investigating magistrate, (ii) the fact that the impossibility to fulfill such obligation is offered as one of the main justifications for abolishing this institution, and (iii) the conventional wisdom opinion that prosecutors, because they are the charging authority, are biased towards a finding of guilt. -
Volume 4, Issue 6 November—December 2020
The Journal of CESNUR $ Volume 4, Issue 6 November—December 2020 $ The Journal of CESNUR $ Director-in-Charge | Direttore responsabile Marco Respinti Editor-in-Chief | Direttore Massimo Introvigne Center for Studies on New Religions, Turin, Italy Associate Editor | Vicedirettore PierLuigi Zoccatelli Pontifical Salesian University, Turin, Italy Editorial Board / International Consultants Milda Ališauskienė Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania Eileen Barker London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom Luigi Berzano University of Turin, Turin, Italy Antoine Faivre École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, France Holly Folk Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA Liselotte Frisk (†) Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden J. Gordon Melton Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA Susan Palmer McGill University, Montreal, Canada Stefania Palmisano University of Turin, Turin, Italy Bernadette Rigal-Cellard Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Bordeaux, France Instructions for Authors and submission guidelines can be found on our website at www.cesnur.net. ISSN: 2532-2990 The Journal of CESNUR is published bi-monthly by CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), Via Confienza 19, 10121 Torino, Italy. $ The Journal of CESNUR $ Volume 4, Issue 6, November—December 2020 Contents Articles 3 An Introduction: Scapegoating the Jehovah’s Witnesses to Maintain the Cohesion of National Communities Bernadette Rigal-Cellard 11 Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia: The Cultural Roots Rosita Šorytė 25 Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia: The Anti-Cult Context. The Role of Anti-Cult Myths About Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Increasing Persecution of This Denomination in the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanenko 41 Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia: Legal Measures Willy Fautré 58 The Rights of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and Beyond: The Role of the European Court of Human Rights James T. -
FECRIS Russian Branch Behind the Persecution of Non- Orthodox Minorities in Russia
FECRIS Russian branch behind the persecution of non- Orthodox minorities in Russia For years, the French anti-sect umbrella organization has been funded – almost entirely – by the French government which, under the principle of laïcité, is supposed to be neutral in religious matters • The concept of ‘spiritual security’ • Extremism without violence • The Russian Orthodox Church hailed the ban of Jehovah’s Witnesses • FECRIS member association in Russia: St. Irenaeus of Lyons Religious Studies Research Centre • FECRIS involvement in the hate campaign against religious minorities in Russia • French laïcité betrayed • Conclusions HRWF (12.06.2017) - “The persecution of non-Orthodox minorities of foreign origin, or without a ‘historical’ presence in Russia, is based on the philosophy of ‘spiritual security’ which is promoted by the Kremlin, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian branch of the France-based European Federation of Research and Information Centers on Sectarianism (FECRIS),” declared French attorney Patricia Duval at a conference on religious freedom in Russia co-organized by MEP Hannu Takkula (Finland, ALDE) and Human Rights Without Frontiers on 6 June at the European Parliament in Brussels. The concept of ‘spiritual security’ In the 2000 National Security Concept, the Putin Administration stated: “Assurance of the Russian Federation’s national security also includes protecting the cultural and spiritual-moral legacy and the historical traditions and standards of public life, and preserving the cultural heritage of all Russia’s peoples. There must be a state policy to maintain the population’s spiritual and moral welfare, prohibit the use of airtime to promote violence or base instincts, and counter the adverse impact of foreign religious organizations and missionaries.” This spiritual understanding of national security began with the adoption of the Russian federal law on security in March 1992. -
ECPM Together Against the Death Penalty ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 CONTENTS
ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 ECPM TOGetHER AGAINST THE DEATH peNALTY ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 CONTENTS EditoriaL 3 Strengthened international action in 2016 3 ECPM acts everywhere in the world 3 RESULTS 4 ECPM’s Main Activities on the Ground in 2016 4 UnitinG 5 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty 5 www.ecpm.org En route towards the 7th World Congress 7 StrenGTHENING 8 Taking Action in a Changing Arab World 8 The key moments of 2016 9 Summary of the Morocco project 9 Supporting Parliamentarians from French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa 10 Developing the Abolitionist Movement in South East Asia 10 AdvocatinG 11 Diplomacy and Advocacy 11 Iran Under Constant Surveillance 11 ECPM’s Work at the United Nations 12 Campaign for a Moratorium 12 NHRIs: Emerging Actors 12 Responding urgently to a death sentence 12 and supporting abolition activists 12 Justice and Prison 12 EDUcatinG 13 Teaching citizens about human rights and abolition of the death penalty 13 Meeting French young people 13 The volunteer group moves into action! 14 Fundraising contact: : Ariane Grésillon Teaching beyond our borders 14 Email : [email protected] They work with ECPM 14 VOLUnteerS 15 Director: Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan Email : [email protected] Take action with Ecpm against the death penalty and discrimination 15 69, rue Michelet COMMUnication tooLS 16 93100 Montreuil - France ECPM promotion 16 Tel. : +33 1 57 63 03 57 Communication to serve advocacy 16 Fax : +33 1 80 87 70 46 Email : [email protected] THE ORGANISation 17 Developing the structure, functioning www.ecpm.org and management