It’s not often that Jehovah’s Witnesses, secularists and humanists find themselves on the same side, and rejoicing for the same reason, but this seems to be one such moment.

Co-founder of the Freedom Rights Project; President of the Forum for Religious Freedom-Europe; former Executive Director of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

I appreciate this opportunity to speak in the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

As I understand it, the main role of the Parliamentary Assembly is to undertake investigations and make recommendations to the member states of the Council of Europe.

1. Alliance Defending Freedom [ADF] is a legal organization of 2300 allied lawyers, over 40 full time lawyers and has offices internationally including Europe, North America, Latin America and India. ADF enjoys accreditation at the European Parliament, Fundamental Rights Agency (for which it is also represented on the Advisory Panel) and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. ADF has also garnered Consultative Status with the United Nations. ADF has been involved in over forty cases at the European Court of Human Rights and is the leading religious liberties legal organization today practicing before the Court.

“An attack against the Freedom of Religion”. That’s how the criticism against the proposed Resolution about a strengthen effort against sectarian organizations is voiced – which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will treat on the 10th of April

A Report “on the protection of minors against excesses of sects” and draft Resolution have been adopted by the Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 3rd March 2014. The Report and Resolution will be presented to the entire Parliamentary Assembly on or about 7 April 2014 to vote on for adoption. If this legislation is adopted, it will constitute a major step backwards for religious tolerance and the rights of religious minorities in the 47 countries that comprise the Council of Europe.

On behalf of EMISCO, European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion, its Secretary General Bashy Quraishy has written to the President of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mrs Anne Brasseur, to alert her on the danger of the report written by Mr Rudy Salles “The protection of minors against excesses of sects”, that will be voted by the Assembly on the 10th of April 2014. According to EMISCO, “this report as well as the draft resolution and recommendation it contains, are violating basic fundamental rights standards that the Council is supposed to uphold and promote”. Here is the content of the letter:

The Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain through this letter expresses its concern about the upcoming vote that will take place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) regarding the Report adopted by the Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights based on a motion presented by the Rapporteur Mr. Rudy Salles entitled: “The Protection of Minors Against Excesses of Sects”.

Pietro Nocita is a professor of penal procedure and a penal attorney of Roma. He taught penal procedure at the University La Sapienza in Roma University which granted him a Diploma for Merit. He has been the attorney defending the only person in Italy convicted for the crime of Plagio, Mr. Braibanti. He is the scientific director of the historical legal magazine “The Penal Justice” established in 1893. He is the President of the Section “La Terza Roma” of the Italian Association of Giuseppe Mazzini (Associazione Mazziniana Italiana).

The President of the Islam Community of German Speaking Muslims & Friends of the Islam e.V. has sent a letter to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Mrs Anne Brasseur, to alert her about a report entitled “protecting minors against the excesses of sects”, drafted by French member of PACE Rudy Salles. For him: “this report is obviously not aimed at protecting children, but only at targeting religious minorities in Europe, without bringing any evidence that there would be more excesses toward children within religious minorities than within any other group, including mainstream religions.”