Thousands of members of the Church of Almighty God (CAG) have been incarcerated in China, following a further crackdown on unauthorized religious organizations. According to the rough statistics, more than 300,000 members of CAG were incarcerated and detained in China from the beginning of the persecutions in the 1990s to 2017.
Last August 2017 representatives of CAG contacted FOB seeking help and advice about their ongoing situation being denied freedom of belief in their country and being neglected protection in some European and non-European countries, that were not acknowledging they were being persecuted on the basis of their faith. FOB started a research with the support of leading experts and scholars who carried out a in-depth study on this matter. After a meeting in Warsaw at the HDIM OSCE Meeting between representatives of FOB and of CAG, further contacts have been developed.
FOB is growing bigger and now enlists amongst its federated associations the British All Faiths Network (AFN).
Active since December 2010, All Faiths Network's purpose is to promote religious harmony for common benefit, working toward an inclusive and positive dialogue.
Currently AFN includes representatives of 25 creeds and denominations and is actually the Great Britain bigger coalition of diverse confessions.
Being composed of individuals having deep religious and non religious convictions, AFN holds a set of common values based on:
The European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB) has taken part in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017 as we did in the previous years.
From the 11th to the 22nd of September 2017 the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017 has taken place in Warsaw at the Narodowy Stadium being organised by the OSCE ODIHR - Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
FOB – A secretive and very close conference against religious minorities took place in the city of Salekhard – which is the regional capital of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Russia (YANAO). Subject of the conference was “Destructive and pseudo-religious organizations, sects and cults: challenges and solutions”. It took place from 27 to 29 September 2017 in the administration building of the YANAO Government.
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017.
Working session 12: Fundamental freedoms I (continued), including
freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief
27 September 2017
In this page you can find documents and videos about the activities of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB) and the associated NGOs, 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 19 to 30 September 2017.
The recommendations made by FOB at the OSCE 2017 Meeting in Warsaw
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017.
Working session 11: HUMANITARIAN ISSUES AND OTHER COMMITMENTS
Gregorian Bivolaru, a Romanian yoga teacher who was illegally arrested by Romanian authorities, has been finally released. FOB published several articles in defense of Bivolaru and now we are glad to spread the following press release by our federated Soteria International who, together with our federated LAYMS, for long time has fought to free Gregorian Bivolaru.
Professor Massimo Introvigne attended in the last few days a conference at the University of Hong Kong, where he spoke on the Chinese notion of xie jiao. The aim of the conference was a dialogue between the Chinese Anti-xie-jiao Association, which is connected with the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese authorities and scholars, and Western scholars, on xie jiao an on one particular movement China regards as xie jiao, the Church of Almighty God.
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017.
Working session 9: Tolerance and non-discrimination
15 September 2017
It is a major obligation of all OSCE member states to combat discrimination and substantial resources are invested to diminish the symptoms of discrimination and non-tolerance. Still, discrimination and non-tolerance continue to challenge our societies.
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017
Working session 6: Fundamental freedoms II, including
Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion and Belief
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017.
Working session 7: Tolerance and non-discrimination, 1
14 September 2017
CAP is a FOB's federated association which operates mostly in France to contrast anti-religious activities by groups like the French UNADFI (member of FECRIS) and the governamental body MIVILUDES.
On 25 August, the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the United Nations published its Concluding Observations about the report from the Russian Federation.
In this interview given to the Christian information Aleteia.org web site, Prof. Massimo Introvigne analizes, tra l'altro, the situation of China and Russia, where religious freedom is still a mirage.
Interview with sociologist Massimo Introvigne, founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions
by Jesús Colina | Agu 28, 2017
The governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback, is slated to become the next ambassador at large of the United States for international religious freedom, if the Senate approves President Donald Trump’s nomination.
