At the 37th session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations (Geneva), the Coordination of the Associations and the People for Freedom of Conscience (CAP LC), a French NGO with United Nations Consultative Status, organized a conference titled the Deterioration of Religious Freedom in Eastern Europe. It focused on religious freedom issues in Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and the Russian Federation. Human rights and religious freedom experts covered the following topics:
Ms. Lea Perekrests, Deputy Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), spoke of fair trials and religious freedom in Romania. Perekrests has conducted research on the independence of the judiciary in Romania in relation to freedom of religion or belief. HRWF has found that a lack of fair trials, in combination with stigma of new religious movements, has created a system that can bring false charges against religious movements, particularly dangerous for religious minorities and new religious movements.
Ms. Camelia Marin, Director of Soteria International, spoke of the challenges to freedom of belief in the Czech Republic. She noted public fear and ignorance regarding unfamiliar religious traditions has increased along with discrimination and hate speech targeting religious minorities and new religious movements. Public debate is increasingly harsh on any group that is considered unfamiliar to society, she said.
Ms. Patricia Duval, attorney specializing in human rights, addressed violations of freedom of religion for minorities in Hungary. With passage of the country’s new religion law in 2011, of more than 300 previously recognized faiths, only 14 retained their status. She covered consequences of this new law on freedom of religion and belief including its impact on previously recognized religions such as the Church of Scientology.
Mr. Ivan Arjona Pelado, Executive Director of the European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights of the Church of Scientology, spoke of the violations of freedom of conscience in Russia and called for dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Church of Scientology to the end of working together for a better society.
Mr. Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation of Freedom of Belief (FOB) spoke of the Call to the European Nations to promote and implement freedom of belief, thought, conscience and religion in Europe. The initiative was launched in January 2018 to use legal instruments and relevant policies to ensure freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief for all.
From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.
The Church publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
