I consider “Forbidden to pray” a key book. The investigation we carried out with Agenzia Radicale and Quaderni Radicali from 2012 to date, but also the action of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief are, in my view, directly inter-related to this text. It explains and confirms a number of data and analysis that we’ve had the opportunity to deepen with Giuseppe Rippa, Raffaella Di Marzio and others, and which are well summarized in the Parliamentary Question that Marco Perduca of the Radical Party introduced in 2012 to seek clarification on the Anti-Cult Team.

It is necessary to refute once and for all the refrain that some anti-cult groups are dangerously spreading against freedom of belief and conscience: "cults" would violate human rights and those who defend human rights should not "defend cults." First, we reiterate once again that "cult" is defined as a religious minority unsympathetic to the speaker, and is a term devoid of any scientific value.

Human Rights Without Frontiers Int'l (Brussels) has just released its annual Faith Prisoners' List. It documents over 1500 cases of prisoners of conscience from 15 religious or belief minorities in 20 countries.

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:

MEETING

Laicity and Freedom of Belief in Italy: Reports, Suggestions, Evidence

Presentation of FOB (European Federation for Freedom of Belief)

Rome, Monday 21^th december 2015, 10am
Palazzo Montecitorio. Sala del Mappamondo
Piazza di Montecitorio, 00186 Roma

Aims of the meeting

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

STATEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR FREEDOM OF BELIEF (FOB)
about freedom of belief in Italy

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

AUSTRIA: Policies on Religion at Variance with OSCE Standards and the European Convention on Human Rights

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.

私たち「European Federation for freedom of belief」略称「FOB」は 石橋正人さんの救出をめぐり「全国拉致監禁・強制改宗被害者の会」の署名キャンパインをお支持しております。
統一教会信者である石橋正人さんは2014年に千葉県内の実家に帰省中に行方不明となりました。このキャンペーンはすでに3000件に突破しました。

「全国拉致監禁・強制改宗被害者の会」によりますと、石橋さんの家族が自分の信仰を放棄させようとして彼を拉致したということです。

こうした事件は、日本において何年間にわたって取り分け統一教会信者に対して、犯されている犯罪です。関係者は一年間当たりにおよそ10人被害者が拉致されると主張しています。

拉致されたうえで、12年間にわたっていじめられた後藤徹さんによって運営されている団体は千葉県警に対し、石橋さんの捜索と解放を繰り返し訴えてきましたが、今日に至るまで地元の警察は積極的に行動してくれませんでした。

脱会説得に関する拉致事件が、かつてイタリアをはじめとする欧州の国でさえ行われました。実際、1980年代にサイエントロジ一教会信者とハレークリシュナ団体の何人も拉致されたうえで、隔離の場所に監禁され、無理に自分の信仰を放棄させられました。