Articles

Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, widely known as Chairman Lee, has been arrested today on accusations that many consider deeply disproportionate to the case at hand. Whatever the final legal outcome, the image itself is deeply concerning: an elderly faith leader facing detention on the basis of charges that appear, to many observers, laughable in a country long regarded as a democracy. As Massimo Introvigne’s analysis suggests, this moment should prompt reflection on how, at a time when religious freedom is already under sustained pressure, the case risks crossing a line that should never have been approached in the first place in a democratic society.art

Japan’s treatment of the Unification Church signals and reinforces a broader erosion of religious freedom across the region. The concern is not confined to Japan alone: in South Korea, the arrest today of Chairman Lee, the 95-year-old leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, on what appear to be unreasonable and politically charged accusations raises serious questions about the direction in which Seoul is heading. Likewise, in Argentina, Konstantin Rudnev remains in detention on allegations that are not merely weak but, critics argue, entirely void, a development that sits uneasily with a country founded on the rule of law and makes it look, at least in this case, uncomfortably similar to more authoritarian systems in the region.

by Alessandro Amicarelli — In recent years, Argentina has witnessed a series of criminal cases that reveal a troubling pattern: prosecutors expanding their mandates far beyond the limits set by law, interpreting statutes creatively, and handling evidence with a degree of carelessness that raises serious human rights concerns. As an international human rights lawyer, I have followed these developments with increasing apprehension. The issue is not confined to one field or one community. It affects religious minorities stigmatized as cults, dissidents, indigenous activists, and ordinary citizens caught in the gears of a prosecutorial system that sometimes appears to operate without adequate checks.

by Massimo Introvigne — The European Court of Human Rights has delivered a judgment that reshapes the relationship between the Italian State and minority religions. On 11 June 2026, the Court unanimously held that Italy discriminated against the association representing Jehovah’s Witnesses in Italy, by keeping them outside the system of agreements known as intese. These agreements are the gateway to the country’s main religious funding mechanism, the “eight per thousand,” which allows taxpayers to choose religious bodies that receive 0.8% of their taxes.

By Alessandro Amicarelli — The June 4 decision of the Court of Cassation of Argentina in the case of Konstantin Rudnev invites a careful examination through the lens of international law. The principles governing preliminary detention are among the most developed in global human rights jurisprudence. They exist to prevent a procedural measure from becoming a form of punishment. They require strict necessity, individualized assessment, and a constant evaluation of proportionality.

by Massimo Introvigne — The case of Russian spiritual teacher Konstantin Rudnev, detained in Argentina since 2025, has taken a dramatic and deeply worrying turn. CAP-LC and United for Human Rights have now submitted a new written statement to the UN Human Rights Council, warning that the situation has “significantly worsened” since their previous filing at the Council’s last session. That earlier statement, as “Bitter Winter” reported in January, already documented the role of Russian-generated disinformation in shaping the Argentinian proceedings.

by Massimo Introvigne — Germany is known for its reliability. Sometimes this is impressive—like with its precise engineering, on-time trains, and organized archives. Other times, it leads to oddities, such as the fact that for almost thirty years, the country’s domestic intelligence service monitored Scientology, long after the political fears of the 1990s had faded. The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Office for the Protection of the Constitution) has now discreetly ended this monitoring, much like someone quietly shutting a door they wish they had never opened.

By Alessandro Amicarelli — When I first wrote about the case of Konstantin Rudnev in Argentina, I described it as an extraordinary example of prosecutorial overreach, a proceeding driven more by imagination than by evidence. At that time, I emphasized the misuse of pretrial detention, the construction of a trafficking narrative connected to a “cult” but unsupported by facts, and the institutional mistreatment inflicted on a young woman, E., whose vulnerability was transformed into the cornerstone of an accusation that collapsed the moment one examined the record.

By Marco Respinti — For fourteen months, the life of Konstantin Rudnev unfolded behind the walls of Rawson, Argentina’s most remote maximum‑security prison. Fourteen months without a conviction. Fourteen months without a trial. Fourteen months during which the Constitution seemed to apply to everyone except him. His case, as The European Times has documented, became a troubling example of how prosecutorial narratives can override judicial orders, medical evidence, and basic human rights.

We are pleased to receive and publish the report sent to us by the Italian Falun Dafa Association on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) transnational repression against Falun Gong. FOB has on several occasions addressed the dire situation faced by Falun Gong practitioners (and others) in China, who are victims of abuse, arbitrary detention, killings and forced organ harvesting. The issue had also come to the attention of the European Parliament, which, in a resolution dated 18 January 2024, took a stand against the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

By Hans Noot, HRWF — Across Europe, the relationship between the state and religion is changing. Studies show that government restrictions on religion have reached their highest levels in the last 20 years. New reports point to growing legal and social pressure on religious minorities. Instead of the older model that gave people wide freedom to live out their beliefs, we now see a kind of “managerial” secularism.

In the aftermath of the Orbán era, Hungary faces the long and difficult task of repairing the profound damage inflicted on its religious landscape. Over a period of 15 years, hundreds of minority religious communities were stripped of their legal status, de-registered, and pushed to the margins through a system that placed political discretion above basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. This pattern — where the government delegitimises minority faiths, centralises State control over religious recognition, and rewards only politically aligned groups— has been observed in several non‑democratic countries.

On 29 April 2026, the Norwegian Supreme Court quashed the ruling that had revoked the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ registration and their consequent access to state funding.

The Court also emphasised that the threshold for denying access to state funding and registration is high, and that Article 6 of the Norwegian Act on Religious Communities must be interpreted in the light of the autonomy of religious communities enshrined in Article 9 of the ECHR, read in conjunction with Article 11.

by Alessandro Amicarelli — Before Taiwan’s 228 Peace Memorial Day, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is currently in power, posted on social media that the scars of history live not only in the hearts of the victims’ families but also in the public sphere. Remembering the truth, clarifying responsibility, and remaining vigilant to avoid repeating past mistakes are duties shared by all Taiwanese—regardless of political party, ethnicity, or generation, the DPP wrote.

By Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers — At the beginning of April, various parties publicly expressed, with complete impunity, their strong opposition to the freedom of worship and assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses wishing to publicly commemorate their annual “Memorial of Jesus’ death” in various towns across France, which corresponds to the Catholic celebration of Easter.

Her husband, Tony Ortega – best known as a fierce opponent of religions, with a particular ‘penchant’ for Scientology – has made headlines in the US – or rather, caused a scandal –  for becoming a staunch defender of paedophiles and child trafficking.

The OSCE's 2026 report on France praises efforts against antisemitism but criticizes MIVILUDES for lacking transparency. Delegates note that strict secularism often discriminates against minority groups like Scientologists and Jehovah's Witnesses. Recent judicial rulings against the state body highlight the tension between state vigilance and international human rights standards regarding freedom of religion and due process.

The European Commission has decided to designate Mairead McGuinness as Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. In this capacity, she will report to Commissioner Brunner, who is in charge of leading the Commission's dialogue with churches and religious associations or communities, and with philosophical and non-confessional organisations, and will provide support for intercultural and interreligious dialogue processes outside the European Union, including with national authorities, organisations and representatives of different faiths.

FOB is glad to announce that three new scholars are joining its Scientific Committee: Brandon Taylorian, Mark Nemes and Karolina Maria Kotkowska. With their experience in law and religion, contemporary forms of belief and practice, and the study of esotericism and new religious movements, they will help FOB to follow more closely the situation of belief communities and the challenges they face in today’s rapidly changing environment.

The European Times — Slovakia’s long-running dispute over how the state recognizes religion resurfaced on Tuesday at the OSCE ODIHR meeting in Vienna, where Public Defender of Rights Róbert Dobrovodský indicated that he intends to challenge the country’s requirement that a religious community gather 50,000 adult adherents before it can register officially.