The 26th of January 2015 in Rome (Italy) at str. Viale Angelico 38, the association named European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), has been officially incorporated by law.
Founders are: Prof. Pietro Nocita (Chairman), Attny. Fabrizio D’Agostini (Councillor), Dr. Raffaella Di Marzio (Secretary), Camillo Maffia (Councillor). Vice-chair is Attny. Alessandro Amicarelli. Other member of the Steering Committee is Prof. Sonia Bartol.
18 January 2015 — Dear Director, FOB (Freedom Of Belief) wishes to express their deep shock at the article “Cults and gurus grow up – the institutions turn a blind eye” by Carmine Gazzanni, published by your magazine on the 8th of January 2015. The word “cult”, whose use was already discouraged as long as fifteen years ago by the Council of Europe, is devoid of any scientific value and is used solely to arbitrarily stigmatize some religious minorities. This kind of propaganda already generated several violations of human rights in our continent as well as in our country: since two years the Italy case is being carried out at the OSCE, due to the persecution of harmless groups labeled as “cults”.
17 Novembre 2014 — While on the State Police big cuts have been made affecting our daily and immediate needs of our forces remain standing teams and counselors of which utility not everybody agree. On this subject the Radicali (Radical party) have spoken on the 5th of November with a parliamentary inquiry: the senator Marco Perduca addressed himself to the Interior Ministers , Minister of Justice and Labor and Minister of Social Policy to know how much it costs the department anti-sects ndt: cults) of the State Police in relation to the academic competences of its representatives and at its necessity according to the cases in which the phenomenon of “sects” affects the public order.
10 July 2014 — In the ideological and political view of the European States, there is principle which cannot be negotiated: the guarantee for each individual to consider his State of belonging as a common home both for believers of all faiths and for non-believers alike. Discrimination of any citizen, based on his/her faith or his non-faith, is not allowed. Each State must prevent anybody from persecuting or discriminating any person based on his religious faith.
10 July 2014 — According to the 2013 Annual Report on the State of International Religious Freedom by The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF): «The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability. These forces include the rise of violent religious extremism coupled with the actions and inactions of governments.» said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF’s Chair.
