Restricting freedom of religion or belief on the grounds of “social acceptability” and “public welfare” is prohibited by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
From the World
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 4. The 2009 “Compliance Declaration”
After 2009, the number of incidents involving alleged improper solicitation of donations dropped to nearly zero. But the court maintains the problem still exists.
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 3. “Spiritual Sales” and Excessive Donations
Ultimately, the reason for the dissolution was the alleged manipulation of donors. Is there really enough evidence that it happened?
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 2. The Ghost of “Brainwashing”
A key theme of the decision is the discredited pseudo-scientific theory that “cults” victimize their members through “mental manipulation.”
The Tokyo High Court Unification Church Decision. 1. A Caricatural View of the Church
The court reconstructed the theology and practices of the movement founded by Reverend Moon based on selective quotes and hostile sources.
Twisted TV: How a Documentary Bent the Facts Out of Shape. 4. Either “Victims” of “Brainwashed”
Not even one of the women “liberated” by the French police in 2023 admitted she was a “victim.” The Apple TV series ignored them.
Twisted TV: How a Documentary Bent the Facts Out of Shape. 3. The “Victims”
“Apostate” ex-members have a right to express their distress, and their stories should be carefully considered. But are they always believable?
Twisted TV: How a Documentary Bent the Facts Out of Shape. 2. Enter Hugues Gascan
The strange but important role of a shadowy figure in instigating the prosecution of Bivolaru and MISA in France.
Twisted TV: How a Documentary Bent the Facts Out of Shape. 1. MISA in Romania
An Apple TV series against Gregorian Bivolaru and his movement even rehabilitates the notorious Securitate police of Ceaușescu.
The OLIRE Annual Report on Religious Liberty in Latin America: A Useful Document, but Something is Missing
The comprehensive assessment of how freedom of religion is threatened in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and by organized crime, omits the stigmatization of “cults” in democratic countries.