Articolo di Raffaella di Marzio
Alcuni giorni fa, nonostante l'opposizione di alcuni membri del Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (PACE), è stato adottato dall'organizzazione europea il rapporto/risoluzione/raccomandazione preparato da Rudy Salles, parlamentare francese. Salles è Relatore della mozione “La protezione dei minori contro gli derive settarie” presso l’Assemblea Parlamentare del Consiglio d’Europa (P.A.C.E.)
Il rapporto, che segnala il pericolo delle derive settarie in Europa, specialmente in relazione agli "eccessi delle sette" che possono causare danni ai minori, si basa unicamente sul punto di vista della FECRIS e della Miviludes, senza prendere in considerazione né i diretti interessati, cioè quello delle presunte "sette", né altri punti di vista sul fenomeno, delle ONG impegnate nella difesa delle minoranze, e dei numerosi esperti di ambito accademico che studiano il fenomeno da decenni.
Il rapporto, intitolato "La protezione dei minori contro gli eccessi delle sette" (The protection of minors against excesses of sects), si può leggere in lingua inglese e italiana.
Il documento sembra finalizzato a difendere i bambini dagli abusi che si verificano nelle "sette", ma in realtà è, in sostanza, solo un modo per esportare in Europa il sistema antireligioso francese per il quale la Francia è stata anche condannata dalla corte di Strasburgo. C'è una diffusa preoccupazione riguardo al fatto che questo rapporto rappresenti una violazione di tutti gli standard relativi ai diritti umani e alla libertà di religione o credo in Europa.
Nonostante questo sarà messo ai voti in assemblea plenaria a partire dal 7 aprile 2014.
Ecco l'autorevole opinione del Prof. Luigi Berzano, Professore ordinario dell' Università degli Studi di Torino e Coeditor della Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion (Brill Leiden.Boston). Il prof. Berzano ha curato il volume Credere è reato? Libertà religisa nello stato laico e nella società aperta.
Periodicamente ricompare il tentativo – sempre più inopportuno nelle società pluraliste e laiche – di creare un regime giuridico specifico per le sette, cioè per quelle forme religiose che gli studiosi specialisti di tali fenomeni indicano più correttamente come «nuovi movimenti religiosi». Anche oggi, dietro il tentativo di Rudy Salles (che sarà messo ai voti il 10 aprile al Consiglio d'Europa) si intravede la pretesa di compilare una nuova “lista nera” delle sette, che sarebbero già preventivamente tutte colpevoli di agire contro la legge, di manipolare gli individui, di mascherare disonesti interresi privati.
Ma le credenze, così come le idee, nelle società laiche e liberali non si processano.
La presidente Madame Anne Brasseur sta ricevendo in questi giorni decine di lettere inviate da altrettante ONG impegnate a difendere la Libertà di religione o credo e i diritti umani in Europa. Sono state inviate, fino ad ora, lettere e documenti da organizzazioni religione e non, da privati cittadini danesi, francesi, russi, austriaci, italiani, bulgari, spagnoli, americani, ecc.
Ecco alcuni esempi:
Pietro Nocita: Considerazioni sulla proposta di Rudy Salles in PACE
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/Considerazioni-sulla-proposta-di-Rudy-Salles-in-PACE_a108.html
CAP Freedom of Conscience
http://www.calameo.com/read/00031605426939025db43
FOREF Europe:
In inglese:
http://foref-europe.org/2014/03/11/religious-freedom-complaint-against-french-mp-rudy-salles-rapporteur-at-the-parliamentary-assembly-of-the-council-of-europe/#more-799
In italiano:
http://www.dimarzio.info/it/docum/finish/27-discriminazione/297-denuncia-di-peter-zoehrer-su-rapporto-salles.html
Moscow Helsinki Group
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/Moscow-Helsinki-Group-alerts-PACE-President-about-Religious-Freedom-issue_a99.html
World Religion News
http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/freedom-religion-human-right-council-europes-upcoming-vote-establishing-sect-observatories
Central-European Religious Freedom Institute
http://cerf-institute.org/2014/03/09/religious-freedom-complaint-against-french-mp-rudy-salles-rapporteur-at-the-parliamentary-assembly-of-the-council-of-europe/
Soteria International
http://soteriainternational.org/en/articles/117-spiritual-rights/236-will-the-council-of-europe-adopt-french-anti-sect-policy
Bulgaria - Council of Europe, the Evropress Club of Journalists defends Freedom of Religion or Belief
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/Bulgaria-Council-of-Europe-the-Evropress-Club-of-Journalists-defends-Freedom-of-Religion-or-Belief_a98.html?preaction=nl&id=23146567&idnl=158771&
The Coalition
http://www.familycoe.info
Federación de Entidades Religiosas Evangélicas de España (FEREDE)
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy stands against discriminatory resolution at Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/The-Institute-on-Religion-and-Public-Policy-stands-against-discriminatory-resolution-at-Parliamentary-Assembly-of-the_a107.html
Raffaella Di Marzio
http://www.dimarzio.info/en/articles/psychology/369-rudy-salles-s-report.html
Rappresentanti musulmani in Germania
http://www.religiousfreedom.es/representantes-musulmanes-en-alemania-denuncian-la-resolucion-antireligiosa-de-rudy-salles/
Christian newspaper Nederlands Dagblad (Netherlands Daily): Protest against European anti-sect plan increases
Articolo di Margaret Rose Becker, Human Rights Advocate
Alleanza evangelica spagnola europea: L’AEE chiede di inviare email ai parlamentari prima della votazione di leggi chiave in Europa (AEE pide enviar emails a parlamentarios ante la votación de leyes clave en Europa)
In italiano:
Alliance Defending Freedom
Opposition to the Council of Europe’s Upcoming Vote to Establish “Sect Observatories” and “Sect Awareness Sessions” Swells, by Joseph K. Grieboski
Rudy Salle's report at PACE: THE GUILD OF EXPERTS ON RELIGION AND LAW in Russia raises strong concerns for religious freedom
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/Rudy-Salle-s-report-at-PACE-THE-GUILD-OF-EXPERTS-ON-RELIGION-AND-LAW-in-Russia-raises-strong-concerns-for-religious_a113.html
64 NGOs and civic society and religious leaders slam Rudy Salles' report at PACE in a strong multi-faith letter
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/64-NGOs-and-civic-society-and-religious-leaders-slam-Rudy-Salles-report-at-PACE-in-a-strong-multi-faith-letter_a111.html
European Muslim Initiative alerts on Rudy Salle's report against religious minorities at PACE
http://www.eifrf-articles.org/European-Muslim-Initiative-alerts-on-Rudy-Salle-s-report-against-religious-minorities-at-PACE_a110.html
Opposition to the Council of Europe's upcoming vote to establish "Sect Observatories" and "Sect Awareness Sessions" swells
Jewish Israeli Emeritus Professor expresses deep concern about Rudy Salles' report at PACE
Di seguito il rapporto inviato da HRWF subito dopo la presentazione del rapporto, nel settembre 2012
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Report on the protection of children against ‘sectarian drifts’ to collide with the parents’ right to religious
education of their choice ?
By Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers
HRWF (04.09.2012) – On 6 September 2012, Rudy Salles, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will present a report on « The protection of minors against sectarian influence ». A year ago, Rudy Salles, a member of the French National Assembly, was appointed at the PACE as rapporteur to draft such a report. This issue has been pushed for a long time by French anti-cult groups and MIVILUDES (Inter-Ministerial Mission of Vigilance and Fight against Sectarian Drifts).
Various aspects of France’s anti-cult policy have been criticized by the United Nations (See the Report of the UN Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief after her visit in situ in 2005), by the US State Department (See their annual report) and by human rights NGOs at the OSCE/ODIHR.
The parents’ right to educate their children according to their religion is one more area of conflict between France and international standards.
France’s attempts to reduce parents’ right to educate their children
In a 2008 report by Georges Fenech, the former head of MIVILUDES, for the French Minister, a psychologist, Sonia Jougla, was quoted to justify special treatment by the Family Matters Judges of cases where a child’s parents belong to so-called sects/cults : « It is even more difficult to protect a child from his parents’ beliefs than from their beatings or their incestuous sexuality ».
On French TV, Fenech also advocated that governments should « go as far as retrieving the child from a sect and place him in an institution or an external family » and he added « parents are not the owners of their children ».
In a political meeting on 2 December 2010 in Lyon, Fenech said that he regretted the law did not allow putting people under psychiatric supervision because of them belonging to « sectarian movements ».
Today sects and tomorrow mainline religions?
Obviously, Jehovah’s Witnesses are one of the targets of France’s policy but devout Catholic or Orthodox families and Muslim parents are also at risk. During his mandate, Fenech has not hesitated to warn some Catholic clerics against ‘sectarian drifts’ in some Catholic communities and prayer groups.
On 3 May 2011, the Presidency of the French National Assembly registered a draft resolution proposing the creation of a parliamentary inquiry commission on fundamentalist and sectarian practices in private schools. The draft resolution was targeting alleged “fundamentalist deviations in private schools” and might be used one day against Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim schools.
UN Special Rapporteur Report, France’s anti-sect policy and children
The United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, after her visit to France on 18 to 29 September 2005 made specific recommendations in this regard (See E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.4, 8 March 2006, Mission to France, 18 to 29 September 2005).
Her Report of 6 March 2006 provided:
112. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to ensure that its mechanisms for dealing with these religious groups or communities of belief deliver a message based on tolerance, freedom of religion or belief and on the principle that no one can be judged for his actions other than through the appropriate judicial channels.
113. Moreover, she recommends that the Government monitor more closely preventive actions and campaigns that are conducted throughout the country by private initiatives or Government-sponsored organizations, in particular within the school system in order to avoid children of members of these groups being negatively affected. [emphasis added]
Handbook on European Non-discrimination Law and religious education
In the Handbook on European Non-discrimination Law published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights jointly with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), it is said that the ECtHR has elaborated on the idea of ‘belief’ in the context of the right to education under Article 2 of Protocol 1 to the ECHR, which provides that the State must respect the right of parents to ensure that their child’s education is ‘in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions’. The ECtHR stated:
‘In its ordinary meaning the word “convictions”, taken on its own, is not synonymous with the words “opinions” and “ideas”, such as are utilized in Article 10 (…) of the Convention, which guarantees freedom of expression; it is more akin to the term “beliefs” appearing in Article 9 (…) which (…) denotes views that attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance.’ (ECtHR, Campbell and Cosans v. UK (Nos. 7511/76 and 7743/76), 25 February 1982, para 36).
International conventions defend parental rights
Many of the international declarations protecting children’s rights also guarantee parental rights concerning childrearing matters:
International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 18(4): “The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.”
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), art. 29(1)(c) says: “States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to . . . [t]he development of respect for the child’s parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own.”
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), art. 13(3): “The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents . . . to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.”
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), protocol 1 art. 2 says: “No person shall be denied the right to education. In the exercise of any functions which it assumes in relation to education and to teaching, the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.”
Conclusions
The terminology to be used when discussing human rights issues is of utmost importance. The UN language in this regard is neutral and universal. It is not influenced by the perception in a particular cultural and religious context or in a particular part of the world, such as European and American countries with Christian traditions.
The UN experts and treaty bodies use the term “religious or belief systems” to cover the broad spectrum of religions and worldviews, and the term “religious or belief communities” to encompass the various forms of religious, spiritual and non-religious communities or organizations, whether they are historical or new. The UN language does not endorse or include the terms “sects”, “cults” or “sectarian drifts”.
The UN treats all religious or belief communities around the world and their members on an equal footing. Therefore, UN member states have a duty to neutrality and should not discriminate against specific religious or belief communities; nor should they adopt a specific law that puts specific mechanisms in place and implements specific policies to target specific groups.
If there is any form of physical, sexual or psychological maltreatment of minors, such acts should be prosecuted in the same way whatever the religious affiliation of the perpetrator but “no one can be judged for his actions other than through the appropriate judicial channels” as the United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, said in her recommendations to the French authorities after her visit to France in 2005 (See E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.4, 8 March 2006, Mission to France, 18 to 29 September 2005).