An Italian mountaineer who was a Scientologist died in 2019 in the Himalayas. Apostate ex-members and the media manipulated the incident to blame the “cult.”
Massimo Introvigne
From Russia with Hate: How Russia Sponsored Attacks on French Places of Worship
Serbian court verdicts quietly revealed that Moscow intelligence financed desecrations of synagogues and mosques in France. by Massimo Introvigne The synagogue Agoudas Hakehilos was spray-painted green on May 31, 2025. From X. It is uncommon in the busy world of...
When Words Become Weapons: From Rwanda’s Hate Media to the Tai Ji Men Case
Reflecting on the propaganda that prepared the 1994 genocide and on how unchecked media hostility against minorities shows the urgent need to stop hate speech.
Jehovah’s Witnesses Win Landmark Case at the Norwegian Supreme Court
The court confirmed that adults’ and minors’ rights are not violated through removal (“shunning”).
South Korea vs Busan’s Segero Church: The Prosecution of Associate Pastor Kim
After the arrest and release of Pastor Son Hyun-bo, authorities now target another Segero pastor for leading a prayer: an exclusive interview with the accused minister.
Jehovah’s Witnesses: UN Human Rights Committee Issues Landmark Ruling Against Russia
For the first time, the Committee finds violations of both non-discrimination and minority rights provisions in a religious liberty case.
Documento: Dictamen pericial sobre el caso de Konstantin Rudnev
Dado que los medios de comunicación sugieren que Rusia podría solicitar su extradición, conviene recordar a los tribunales argentinos que los disidentes no pueden esperar un juicio justo por parte de los tribunales rusos.
Document: Expert Opinion on the Case of Konstantin Rudnev
As the media suggests that Russia may seek his extradition, Argentinian courts should be reminded that dissidents cannot expect a fair trial by Russian courts.
Misinterpreting Court Decisions: The Madrid Ruling Against the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Media and anti-cultists misinterpret a (wrong) decision as a judicial condemnation of the religion rather than a free-speech case.
Barbara Demick’s “Daughters of the Bamboo Grove”: Revisiting the One-Child Policy in China
An award for the book that highlights the human cost of China’s population control through the extraordinary story of separated twins.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.