Alexander Korelov claims “former Ukraine” is still “part of my country, the USSR.” FECRIS retroactively changes the program of a 2017 conference to eliminate his name and speech.
Massimo Introvigne
France: Raelians Told that a “Cult” Cannot Rent a Room in an Accor Hotel
Theoretically, the infamous 1995 “list of cults” is no longer in force. However, it is still used to discriminate against the movements that were included.
Argentina: Cómo los Jesus Christians Derrotaron a Pablo Salum y PROTEX
En 2022, un juez federal comunicó al principal antisectas argentino y a la controversial fiscalía antitrata que sus acusaciones contra una “secta” eran falsas.
Anti-Cultism à la Mode de Caen: To Avoid a Court Hearing, MIVILUDES Humors Scientology
Faced with a lawsuit, the French governmental anti-cult mission republishes its yearly report including an answer by the Church of Scientology
Liquidating the SOVA Center: The Official End of Religious Freedom in Russia
By destroying the leading organization monitoring religious liberty violations, the Putin regime can no longer pretend that relics of freedom of religion remain in Russia.
Machiavelli, Diplomacy, and Tai Ji Men
A diplomacy without conscience may achieve short-term results, but normally fails in the long run. A citizen diplomacy with conscience is needed to solve the Tai Ji Men case.
Argentina: How the Jesus Christians Defeated Pablo Salum and PROTEX
In 2022, the leading Argentinian anti-cultist and the controversial anti-trafficking prosecutorial office were told by a federal judge that their accusations against a “cult” were false.
UK Supreme Court: Jehovah’s Witnesses Not Responsible for Rape Committed by a (then) Elder in a Non-Institutional Setting
Religious organizations should not pay damages for crimes perpetrated by their leaders or members in private homes outside of church-organized religious activity, the court said.
De slachtoffers de schuld geven: De schietpartij in Hamburg en de Jehovah’s getuigen
Zoals te voorspellen was, hebben antisekte-activisten zelfs het bloedbad in Duitsland op 9 maart schaamteloos benut om de Jehovah’s Getuigen aan te vallen.
Russian FECRIS Leader: “US and Ukraine Have Infiltrated ‘Cult Sleeping Cells’ Inside Russia”
Archpriest Novopashin’s bizarre ramblings against “cults” continue. They are absurd—but not inoffensive.
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.