Anti-Cult Organizations: Suppression of Religious Freedom under the Guise of Security

In recent years, the state of religious freedoms has worsened in many countries, as highlighted in the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reports for 2020 and 2023. These documents underscore the importance of protecting religious rights and reveal mounting threats in specific regions, especially in Russia and occupied areas of Ukraine. A key aspect of the reports is the impact of anti-cult organizations, actively operating in Russia and state-supported. These groups contribute significantly to the suppression of religious minorities and are part of a political repression mechanism, obstructing free religious expression. Systematic Violations and Heightened Repression According to the 2020 report, discrimination against religious minorities continues in Russia, especially through anti-extremism laws and various bans affecting groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslims. For instance, in 2017, the Russian Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses an extre...