The Austrian and Russian Parliaments have passed religious laws which are among the most discriminatory in Europe. Unconstitutional on their face, these laws established a category of “second class religions” and made it well nigh impossible for small religions to achieve formal recognition and equal treatment. Judaism, a recognised religion in Austria, would have too few members in Austria to qualify if it had to apply for recognition under the new law.
The federal Swiss government has declared that it sees no need to intervene in matters of religion, but some Swiss cantons are considering measures that, if implemented, would bring about discrimination.
A Belgian parliamentary commission on religious minorities relied almost entirely on the reports of apostates, unverified intelligence information and secret testimony which could not be authenticated whilst discounting objective studies by experts in the field. The Commission has urged government interference in religious activities as well as legislation that could effectively criminalise certain religious groups. One measure already adopted is to authorize the Office of State Security—the secret service—to carry out “active operations” against organisations deemed criminal. Without any justification, religious minorities have been mentioned in this category.
The European Journey for Religious Freedom was a valuable initiative which increased public understanding of the importance of human rights. I hope the reading of this booklet will encourage others to make human rights education a priority, and help free the world of intolerance by making the Universal Declaration of Human Rights a reality in the lives of men, women and children.
– Martin Weightman Director Church of Scientology European Human Rights Office
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