CAP-LC is an NGO defending religious liberty. We often have to report bad news, and denounce the repression of religious minorities, particularly those stigmatized as “cults.” However, there are also positive developments, and it is part of our mandate to note them as well.
We have learned that democracy is no guarantee against violations of freedom of religion or belief. However, when more democracy is introduced, it often happens that more religious liberty is also guaranteed. We have noticed, in particular, the progress of religious liberty in countries once part of the Soviet Union. Although some problems occasionally surface, the Baltic States are a virtuous example of transition to religious liberty, and even in Central Asia, where freedom of religion or belief is not yet fully recognized, at least several Jehovah’s Witnesses and other prisoners of conscience have been liberated from jail.
g2324034 HRC 53 TJM
