Europe United Against Cults!
Segodnya newspaper, 1 June 2017
The largest European conference on cults will be held in Latvia
The annual conference of the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults and Sects (FECRIS) was recently held in Brussels. The theme of the forum reflected a concern shared across Europe: “The Destructive Influence of Cult Groups and the Process of Radicalisation”.
The Latvian Committee for Combating Totalitarian Sects is a corresponding member of the federation. At the conference, the Latvian organisation was represented by committee member Svetlana Krilova.
When the venue for the next conference was discussed at the FECRIS General Assembly, the delegate from Latvia managed to persuade the majority that our country was the best candidate to host it. Organisations from Italy and France came second and third and remain in reserve. In the near future, the Latvian Committee will present FECRIS leadership with a provisional budget and an events plan.
The European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults and Sects was founded in 1994. It brings together civil society organisations from more than 30 countries that aim to protect people harmed by cults. In 2005, FECRIS was granted participatory status with the Council of Europe, becoming one of roughly 400 international non-governmental organisations with that status. In 2009, the federation received special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. FECRIS has representatives in Geneva, New York and Vienna. For six years its president was Thomas Sackville, a former UK Home Office minister. The annual FECRIS conference is usually held in April or May in a European country that has a member organisation.
The General Assembly’s decision in favour of Latvia is a high recognition of the work of Latvian specialists on the subject. As the event approaches, the Latvian Committee for Combating Totalitarian Sects will keep the public informed about preparations, planned participants and the topics of the talks.
Elena Zima
10:20, 1 June 2017
Segodnya newspaper — original article (in Russian)
Translated from the Russian original with the help of AI. Read the original (in Russian).