Destructive Cults and Human Rights

Acts of the conference

Destructive Cults and Human Rights

15 and 16 May 2009

 at the School of Law of the University, 22 Line, 7, Vasilievsky Island, St. Petersburg 

organised by

Center for Religious Studies „St. Irenaeos of Lyon“, Moskow

and

FECRIS

Supported by the University of St. Petersburg and the French Government

Index

May, 15, Friday:

GREETINGS

Alexander Konovalov, Minster of Justice, Russia (presented by Sergey Milushkin, head of department in the  Ministry of Justice)

Nicholas Kropachev, Rector of St. Petersburg State University

Friedrich Griess, President of FECRIS, Member of Association against the Dangers of Sects and Cults, Austria

Annelise Oeschger, Honorary President of the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe

Henri-Pierre Debord, Counselor of MILVILUDES [1], France

Tassos Mitsopoulos, Member of Parliament, Cyprus

Christophe Caliman, Federal Magistrate, Belgium

OPENING ADDRESS

Alexander L. Dvorkin, President of the Center of Religious Studies, Moscow:

“Destructive Cults and Human Rights”

LECTURES

Sergey Milushkin, head of department in the  Ministry of Justice, Russia:

“Possibilities of Coordinating European and Russian Experience in Combating Totalitarian Cults”.

Hans-Werner Carlhoff, Director of Interministerial Working Group for Cults and Psychogroups, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany:

“Cults and Psycho-Groups in Baden-Württemberg: Situation – Endangering Potentials – Challenges”

Oleg Shishov, Mayor of Ryazan, Russia:

“Cultic Violations of Human Rights in Ryazan Province”

Thomas Gandow, Cult counselor of Berlin-Brandenburg Lutheran Church, Germany:

“Cults or Foreign Lobbying Groups?”

Graham Berry, Lawyer, USA:

“Why the United States must investigate the crimes, abuses and frauds of the Scientology enterprise”

Jean-Pierre Jougla, Member of UNADFI [2], France:

“Cults and sects – the non-separation of human rights and powers”

Gerald Armstrong, Ex-Scientologist, Canada:

“Scientology, the Dangerous Environment Racket”

 Michael Drebing, Ex-Jehovah’s Witness, Germany:

“Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mental Violation”

May 16, Saturday:

Vladimir Martinovich, Director of CNRMS [4] in Belarus:

“Cults and Politics in Byelorussia”

Per Kornhall, Ex-member of “Word of Life”, Sweden:

“Neopentecostal Mind Control – The Swedish Cult ‘Word of Life’, and its Ways of Controlling Members, and Influencing Societies”

Alexander Kuzmin, President of RCS, Saratov, Russia:

“The Threat of Neopentecostal Cults to State Security of Russia”

Anna Marinova, Member of CRNRM [5], Bulgaria:

“The Followers of the Teacher Petyr Dynov (“Great White Brotherhood”) and the Media”

Evgeny Mukhtarov, Journalist, Member of Expert Council at the Mayor’s Office, Yaroslavl, Russia:

“How the Cults Use NGO’s and Public Events for the PR and Recruitment”.

Zoran D. Lukovic, President of CAS [6], and Andrej R. Protic, Member of CAS, Serbia:

“Cultic and Subversive Elements in Activities and Practices of Political Non-Governmental Organizations”

Vladimir Petukhov, President of FPDC, Ukraine:

The Impact of Cults on Social on Social and Political Processes in the Ukraine or New Methods of Managing Democracy”

Tom Sackville, Vice president of FECRIS, The Family Survival Trust, United Kingdom:

“The Need for Harmonization of European Policy in Respect of Cultic Groups“

Concluding remarks by Friedrich Griess

Participants