Reprint of an article published by HRWF.
HRWF (11.08.2017) – In the name of the “concept of spiritual security” and on the basis of its “anti-missionary legislation”, Russia is violating one of the most fundamental rights to religious freedom that was however fully recognized by the European Court of Human Rights in the case Kokkinakis v. Greece in 1993: The right to share one’s beliefs with others.
We relay here the following press release of HRWF, which thoroughly describes what FOB has been informing about for some time, too, i.e. the pressures and the manipulation of information performed by FECRIS and its representatives, in order to ban "undesirable" religious confessions.
Not yet the echo has turned off, of the uproar created by the clamorous Russian decision of last 21 April, whereby the Russian Supreme Court actually banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses; now, even more draconian measures are coming up against religious groups.
(Unsolved Crimes [Odessa])
Professor Massimo Introvigne, an internationally well-known Italian sociologist and director of CESNUR[1], has been at the forefront of several international initiatives protesting the “liquidation” of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. In international conferences in Italy, Israel, and the U.S. he called it “one of the most serious assaults to religious liberty in recent times. He kindly gave an exclusive interview to the “Unsolved Crimes” newspaper.
We cannot fail to utter our most lively worry for what is happening in Russia versus the religious minorities as well as for the disturbing similitude between nowadays draconian application of a law for national safety, so become freedom-killing (the Yarovaya law) and what happened less than one century ago not just in the soviet sphere but also elsewhere in the world, in countries later become the stage of the worst historical facts and the most heinous tragedies of the twentieth century. However, it is also mandatory to investigate the occurrence so as to understand the root of it.
Our French partner EIFRF (European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom), was one of the most active NGOs to support the proposal of the Rapporteur Valeriu Ghiletchi, fighting to get the approval by the Parlementary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of a proposed resolution and a recommendation for "The Protection of the rights of parents and children belonging to religious minorities". Here follows the announcement posted on EIFRF's website.
Video and text of the introductory speech by prof. Silvio Calzolari, Secretary of FOB, at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy, and greetings by Honourable Luciano Ciocchetti.
FLORENCE – Friday, April 7, 2017, at 3.30 PM in the "Sala dei Gigli" of the "Palace of Pegaso" of the Tuscany Regional Council there has been the presentation of the volume of the acts of the Conference held on 21 December 2015 by FOB in Rome, in the Globe Hall of the Chamber of Deputies.
Video and text of the speech of dr. Alessandro Lo Presti, Institutional Relations and Representation Regional Council of Tuscany, opens the meeting waiting for the President of the Regional Council of Tuscany, dr. Eugenio Giani.
Video and text of the speech by dr. Eugenio Giani, President of the Regional Council of Tuscany.
Video and text of the speech by professor Luigi Berzano, of the University of Turin, held on 7 april 2017 at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy.
Video and text of the speech by Hon. Riccardo Migliori, Past President OSCE Parliament, held on 7 april 2017 at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy.
Video (in Italian) and text of the speech by professor Silvio Calzolari, Secretary of FOB, held on 7 april 2017 at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy.
Video and text of the speech by Dr. Nelly Ippolito Macrina, held on 7 april 2017 at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy.
Video and text of the speech by lawyer Fabrizio D'Agostini, Councillor of FOB, held on 7 april 2017 at the presentation of the Acts of the 1st Conference by FOB, Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy.
Introducing now a pragmatic endeavor, addressing the European Union, to implement an official appointment of some figure dealing with the issues connected to the monitoring, advancing and execution of FoRB, i.e. the Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Under the guise of the fight to terrorism, in Putin’s Russia a new war has started for some time, not a cold war indeed, versus several religious groups.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Adventists, Pentecostal, Baptist, Scientology, Hare Krishna, are only a few of the targets of this attack started over fifteen years ago through federal laws “against extremism and terrorism” as wanted by the now-deceased former president Boris Eltsin and the Orthodox Church.
FOB – The 60th Anniversary of the Treaties of Rome will be celebrated in the Italian capital city on Saturday march 25th, by government leaders or prime ministers of the EU.
It will be an occasion to go over the current state of the Union and the future of the integration process.
Certainly an appraisal will be done on the past sixty years and according to us, it should not be regardless of the discussion of issues, which in this period of our history, are mercilessly imposed on us as far as human rights and civil liberties are concerned.
On January 26, the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Guido Raimondi, presented the activities of the ECHR in 2016 and the state of affairs in Europe (Press Conference Speech by President Guido Raimondi [in French] and Press Release).
