In the wake of the ongoing anti-cult campaigns featuring so-called “defectors” – or apostates – we repost the article “The Defector's Syndrome” signed by FOB counsel Fabrizio d'Agostini. The occasion comes to us from Zona Bianca, the TV program that is treating the issue of religious minorities with a questionable approach. In fact, the narration of the life of and in the targeted religious communities (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.
The European Times (13.02.2025) - Last 27 January 2025 in Rome, the signing of the Agreement (Intesa) between the Italian Republic and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy (DOR) represents a significant moment for religious pluralism in the country.
The Chinese government's anti-religious activities against religious minorities disliked by President Xi Jinping's Communist Party continue unabated. The following article reveals the uneducational behaviour of universities in Henan province, which, in essence, demand students who are believers of the Church of Almighty God to abjure their religion under penalty of being reported to the police. For those who do not adhere to the invitation, the gates are opened to forced indoctrination centers run by the CCP, often the scene of beatings, abuse and torture.
In this interview published by VaticanNews, Father Jens Petzold bears witness to a path of active pursuit of inter-religious coexistence between Muslim and Christians. Father Petzold's admirable philosophy can be encapsulated in his sentence: ‘Drinking tea together is probably much more effective for peacebuilding than having long discussions about human rights’.
by CAP Liberté de Conscience — The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) in association with CAP Liberté de Conscience has continued to draw the world’s attention to the severe persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Pakistan.
Letter to the authorities of the Czech Republic about the announced liquidation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
This letter was sent (in Czech) to
By Willy Fautré (The European Times) — On 20 and 26 December 2024, Tbilisi City Court held hearings to decide whether Georgia should extradite Adina Stoian and her husband Mihai arrested in August 2024 on the Turkish-Georgian border on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant issued on France’s request.
On December 2, 2024, UNADFI was condemned by the Marseille Magistrates’ Court, and forced to publish CAPLC’s right of reply on its website within 48 hours, subject to a penalty of 50 euros per day of delay. Convinced it could escape the law, UNADFI appealed in summary proceedings to obtain suspension of the decision. This action was curtly dismissed by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal.
by Massimo Introvigne — When Petr Pavel was inaugurated as the new President of the Czech Republic in March 2023, he vowed to align the country with European Union human rights standards. He also emerged as a staunch critic of the human rights violations in Russia. Some developments with respect to small minority religions were in fact regarded by local human rights activists as hopeful.
France's state grants funded with taxpayers’ money said to be misused by anti-cult groups stigmatizing and inciting hostility against some religious or belief groups and their members. In the framework of its 2023 Call for Projects, MIVILUDES (Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Cultic Deviances) generously allocated a state subsidy of 150,000 EUR to CAFFES (Family Support Center Facing Cultic Control). This represents a considerable, if not completely disproportionate, grant for a small association with 90% of its annual budget funded with public money.
Washington, DC — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauds the December 19 decision of a court in Bauchi State, Nigeria, to acquit Christian nurse Rhoda Jatau. On May 20, 2022, officials arrested her on allegations of blasphemy after she reportedly shared a message on social media condemning the murder of Christian student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu.
In the lead-up to the 2024 International Human Rights Day, Waldensian Church of Piazza Cavour in Rome hosted a human rights art exhibition sponsored by Amnesty International and European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE, Institut des droits de l’Homme des Avocats européens).The event aimed to peacefully honor those whose rights have been violated. Artists gathered in the Dionigi Hall to use their paintings to highlight their concerns for human rights.
By a Minghui correspondent in Jilin Province, China (Minghui.org - Dec. 14, 2024) — Ms. Zhang Xiufang, 63, from Dongfeng County, Jilin Province, was recently sentenced to seven years for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
CAP Liberté de conscience (09.12.2024) — On December 2, 2024, the Marseille Magistrates’ Court ordered UNADFI (Union Nationale des Associations de Défense des Familles et de l’Individu) to publish a right of reply from CAP Liberté de Conscience on its website within 48 hours, subject to a penalty of 50 euros per day of delay. UNADFI had argued that its status as an organization of public utility meant that the law did not apply to it but the judge ruled that UNADFI was not above the law.
On the occasion of Human Rights Day 2024 we publish the press release of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) and the press release of COMECE (The Catholic Church in the European Union). These are two reports of the round table, entitled ‘Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Europe: Current Challenges and Future Prospects’, organised by the European Parliament.
By Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (The European Times, 04.12.2024) — On 22 November, the Hindu community of Belgium celebrated the first legal step to the recognition of Hinduism by the Belgian Government and Parliament with their decision last year to grant a subsidy to the Hindu Forum Belgium, the official interlocutor of the Belgian State. This platform for all Vedic spiritual traditions will coordinate cooperation among various Hindu/Vedic communities and organisations in Belgium towards full recognition.
One year ago, on November 28, 2023, a French SWAT team raided several houses and appartments where yoga practitioners, members of MISA yoga school in Romania, had gathered for their spiritual retreats. A few days earlier, on November 15 2023, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, Minister Delegate for Citizenship and City Development of the French government and overseer of MIVILUDES, lodged a bill aimes to ‘reinforce the fight against sectarian drifts' prompted by a specious increase in “saisines” (dubious and controversial reports) received by the MIVILUDES.
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following report: Religious Freedom Challenges for Jehovah’s Witnesses – Four years after USCIRF’s 2020 publication on the global persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, countries continue to prosecute and impose harsh penalties on the community for their religious beliefs and peaceful religious activities.
by Alessandro Amicarelli and Massimo Introvigne — Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (in short, Shincheonji) is a South Korean Christian new religious movement that has frequently suffered slander and discrimination at home and abroad. Its members have even been submitted to the criminal practice of deprogramming, and two of them died during violent deprogramming attempts.
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns the persistent egregious violations of religious freedom in Iran. This month, Iranian authorities executed a 20-year-old Jewish man, Arvin Ghahremani. He was sentenced to death after reportedly killing a Muslim man in self-defense. His irregular judicial proceedings and denial of alternate recompense were both rooted in his identity as a Jew.
