On December 21, 2015, the European Federation for Freedom of Belief held its presentation conference at the Chamber of Deputies.
The event, organized in the prestigious “Hall of Globe” of Montecitorio Palace thanks to Hon. Luciano Ciocchetti, was attended by about seventy people, among whom also representatives of nine religious and spiritual minorities:
New Delhi: On 10th December two people were injured when attackers threw crude bombs and fired gun shots at a Hindu religious gathering of over two thousand devotees at the temple of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Kaharol region of Dinajpur. “Luckily, the bombs did not explode,” said ISKCON general secretary of Bangladesh Caru Candra Dasa who was present at the place of incident, “however, the attackers opened fire at the entrance, injuring two people."
The European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB) supports Lord David Alton’s request addressed to UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - to review the guidelines about the Pakistani refugees matter.
According to Lord Alton, the UNHCR is denying the existence of an ongoing persecution against Pakistani Christians, reducing such dramatic situation to a case of simple discrimination.
In this section you can find documents and videos about the activities of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB) and the NGOs CAP, Soteria International and AIDLR, concerning freedom of religion and belief and human rights issues, at the Europe’s largest annual human rights conference. It was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in Warsaw, from 21 September to 2 October 2015.
“The Italian government shall clarify about the anti-mosque legislation passed by Lombardy and about the Anti Cult Squad of the State Police”, Alessandro Amicarelli, spokesman of FOB (European Federation for Freedom of Belief), has addressed with his statement the plenary assembly of OSCE/ODIHR at Warsaw (see the video).
TOKYO, 01.10.2015 (FOREF) – Japan’s Supreme Court has handed Touru Goto final victory in his civil case stemming from his 12 year and 7 month confinement by faith breakers. Japan’s Supreme Court on September 29 dismissed appeals by the defendants in the case and let stand a previous verdict by Tokyo High Court. This ended Mr. Goto’s 7-year legal battle to receive justice. Mr. Goto released the following statement.
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2015
Working session 15: Fundamental freedoms II
Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
6 September 2015 — Many NGOs and leaders, including the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), signed a letter sent to the Members of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal in order to draw their attention to the issue of religious freedom in Nepal, and to ask that they review and consider revising the language in an alarming section of the most recent draft of their new constitution.
Here is the letter and the signatories:
To the Members of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal,
Report for the OSCE Second Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) on FoRB, Fostering Mutual Respect and Understanding
By FOREF Europe
On 12th June 2015, the Steering Committee of FOB sent a letter in support of the LAYMS’s campaign in favor of the Natha Yoga School.
In 2013, two secret reports on Scientology from the State Security, the Belgian secret services, leaked into the media. One was on the alleged “infiltration” of Scientology into the Belgo-Congolese community, and the other about contacts Scientology had made with Belgian politicians.
The European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance (EP Intergroup on FoRB & RT) presented its first Annual Report on the 'State of Freedom of Religion or Belief' at an event hosted by the Intergroup in collaboration with United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Speakers included the Chairs of the EP Intergroup on FoRB & RT and USCIRF as well as the Director of Human Rights at the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Representatives from civil society, governments and international organizations explored the challenges, including discrimination and hate crime, Christian communities face in the OSCE region at a conference held in Vienna on 18 May 2015.
The “Conference on Enhancing Efforts to Prevent and Combat Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, Focusing on Hate Crimes, Exclusion, Marginalization and Denial of Rights” was organized by the OSCE Serbian Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The "anti-mosque act" violates EU's rules. That's what emerges from a report by FOB (European Federation for Freedom of Belief), sent to the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, the proper committees, coordinators and bureaus at the European Parliament and the OSCE/ODIHR, with the support of IRF Roundtable.
On March 30, Soteria International, NGO member of FOB, attended an important event hosted by the European Parliament, a public hearing on fundamental rights in the European Union. Speakers looked into the Human Rights inside European Union in order to make steps in admitting that problems exist and to start truly respecting the Human Rights.
FOB (European Federation for Freedom of Belief), supports the Japanese Victims Association against Religious Kidnapping and Forced Conversion’s Petition for the rescue of Masato Ishibashi (26), a member of the Unification Church, who has been missing since January, 2014, while he was visiting his parents' home in Chiba Prefecture.
In few days more than 3000 people signed the petition.
The answer from the French Government to the letter promoted by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable (IRF), and subscribed by various NGOs, amongst which the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), and private citizens and sent on the 30th November 2014, was not long-awaited.
If one found out that an NGO1 (non-government organisation) was targeting new or traditional religious groups, and if this NGO (FECRIS) was a federation of groups with similar aims, one would have every right to be surprised. The information presented in this document goes far beyond what you might imagine—and that’s probably what has allowed it to remain relatively unnoticed until now.
On the 11th of February 2015, the proceedings against the MISA Yoga group in Romania has been concluded with full acquittal of the 21 defendants by the Court.
