39 VOLUME 10 |ISSUE 1 |2019
building they had already raided several times. It then took
23 years to hang him. The outcome of his trial was never in
doubt: the conviction rate in Japanese courts is over 99%
and there were literally warehouses full of evidence against
him. Yet his first trial lasted seven years—like many in Japan,
it was not held on consecutive days. His appeals dragged
on until 2006. He lingered another 12 years on death row,
never knowing each morning whether he would be hanged
that day. This is how Japan treats the condemned. It is not
how anyone should be treated, not even a monster like Mr.
Asahara.” (The Economist, 07/12/18)
Dalai Lama admits he knew about Buddhist teachers’
sexual abuse
“The Tibetan spiritual leader [Dalai Lama] told Dutch TV he
has known about the sex crimes in Europe since the 1990s. He
was presented with written accounts from 12 alleged victims
from Belgium and the Netherlands. ...Twelve of the victims,
who alleged they were abused physically and psychologically
by Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the Netherlands and
Belgium, had launched a petition asking to meet the 83-year-
old during his trip. A group using the hashtag ‘metooguru’
gathered some 1,300 signatures so he could receive their
collection of testimonies. ‘We found refuge in Buddhism with
an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name,’ the
alleged victims said in their petition.” (DW, 09/16/18)
Doctor of German cult Colonia Dignidad avoids prison
sentence
“A German court decided not to enforce a verdict handed by
a Chilean court against Hartmut Hopp, one of the leading
figures of the abusive ‘Colonia Dignidad’ cult, for allegedly
aiding in the sexual abuse of children and minors. The
74-year-old Hopp was a close aide of ex-Nazi and convicted
pedophile Paul Schäfer, who founded ‘Colonia Dignidad’ in
Chile in 1961. Many children and youths growing up at the
remote compound suffered sexual abuse, with the cult’s
leadership eventually facing charges of weapons smuggling,
unlawful imprisonment and drug use. During the era of
military dictator Augusto Pinochet, the colony also served
as a torture site for the secret police, with residents allegedly
taking part. Dozens were killed at the site.” (DW, 09/26/18)
European Commission’s proposal on
#TerroristContentOnline “needs to protect EU citizens”
“The European Commission has today (12 September)
released its regulation on terrorist content online. This
legislation is badly needed in the fight against terrorist
propaganda and recruitment online, and today marks a step
forward in how Europe fights extremism online. Counter
Extremism Project Executive Director David Ibsen said, ‘We
welcome the European Commission’s step forward in the fight
against extremist content online but, unfortunately, it falls
short of instilling [a] clear solution to the growing problem
of illegal content online. The fact that the Commission is
proposing a Regulation, as opposed [to] a Directive, shows
the seriousness of the issue. We, at the Counter Extremism
Project, have seen that content is downloaded and
consistently re-uploaded across the same platforms it was
previously taken down from. This cannot continue. Reliable
enforcement and automated technology so that content
can be taken down within one hour of upload needs to be
included in the proposed draft.’” (EU Reporter, 09/12/18)
Tribal members settle abuse cases against FLDS church
“Four Native Americans who claimed they were sexually
abused while enrolled in a now-defunct The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints foster program decades ago
filed paperwork to dismiss their cases after reaching financial
settlements, a lawyer said. Allegations have been made
against the church by more than a dozen tribal members
from the Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana.” (APNews,
09/22/18)
South Korean cult leader arrested after stranding 400
followers in Fiji
“Shin Ok-ju of the Grace Road Church was arrested along
with three other church leaders when they landed at Incheon
airport just outside the South Korean capital Seoul. Her
followers traveled to Fiji starting in 2014 after she predicted
there would be a famine across the Korean peninsula. But
once they arrived, their passports were confiscated, and
a group personally selected by Shin known as ‘guardians’
prevented the worshipers from leaving. While they were in
Fiji they performed ritual beating on each other, which Shin
said was done to avoid punishment from God.” (The Guardian,
08/01/18)
Controversial Korean spiritual leader chooses Kerikeri as
base for global empire
“A controversial spiritual leader has chosen Kerikeri as the
base for his global movement and is setting up a giant
‘Earth Village’ in the area. The village is the brainchild of
Seung Heun Lee, known as Ilchi Lee to his followers. He’s
the spiritual leader behind the world-wide Brain and Body
system (originally called Dahn Yoga) and inventor of a ‘belly
button healing wand’. Mr Lee gained permanent residency
to New Zealand in 2015 under the investor category after
meeting its funds requirement. He’s purchased 156ha
[hectare] of pine forest and native New Zealand bush on
the edge of Puketi Forest near Kerikeri, along with several
high-end residential properties. He plans on using the
land to create the global headquarters for Earth Citizens
Organisation (ECO) and establish an ECO Learning Centre,
with the ultimate goal of recruiting 100 million members and
bringing an extra 10,000 visitors to the region each year by
2025.” (Newshub, 06/09/18)
building they had already raided several times. It then took
23 years to hang him. The outcome of his trial was never in
doubt: the conviction rate in Japanese courts is over 99%
and there were literally warehouses full of evidence against
him. Yet his first trial lasted seven years—like many in Japan,
it was not held on consecutive days. His appeals dragged
on until 2006. He lingered another 12 years on death row,
never knowing each morning whether he would be hanged
that day. This is how Japan treats the condemned. It is not
how anyone should be treated, not even a monster like Mr.
Asahara.” (The Economist, 07/12/18)
Dalai Lama admits he knew about Buddhist teachers’
sexual abuse
“The Tibetan spiritual leader [Dalai Lama] told Dutch TV he
has known about the sex crimes in Europe since the 1990s. He
was presented with written accounts from 12 alleged victims
from Belgium and the Netherlands. ...Twelve of the victims,
who alleged they were abused physically and psychologically
by Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the Netherlands and
Belgium, had launched a petition asking to meet the 83-year-
old during his trip. A group using the hashtag ‘metooguru’
gathered some 1,300 signatures so he could receive their
collection of testimonies. ‘We found refuge in Buddhism with
an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name,’ the
alleged victims said in their petition.” (DW, 09/16/18)
Doctor of German cult Colonia Dignidad avoids prison
sentence
“A German court decided not to enforce a verdict handed by
a Chilean court against Hartmut Hopp, one of the leading
figures of the abusive ‘Colonia Dignidad’ cult, for allegedly
aiding in the sexual abuse of children and minors. The
74-year-old Hopp was a close aide of ex-Nazi and convicted
pedophile Paul Schäfer, who founded ‘Colonia Dignidad’ in
Chile in 1961. Many children and youths growing up at the
remote compound suffered sexual abuse, with the cult’s
leadership eventually facing charges of weapons smuggling,
unlawful imprisonment and drug use. During the era of
military dictator Augusto Pinochet, the colony also served
as a torture site for the secret police, with residents allegedly
taking part. Dozens were killed at the site.” (DW, 09/26/18)
European Commission’s proposal on
#TerroristContentOnline “needs to protect EU citizens”
“The European Commission has today (12 September)
released its regulation on terrorist content online. This
legislation is badly needed in the fight against terrorist
propaganda and recruitment online, and today marks a step
forward in how Europe fights extremism online. Counter
Extremism Project Executive Director David Ibsen said, ‘We
welcome the European Commission’s step forward in the fight
against extremist content online but, unfortunately, it falls
short of instilling [a] clear solution to the growing problem
of illegal content online. The fact that the Commission is
proposing a Regulation, as opposed [to] a Directive, shows
the seriousness of the issue. We, at the Counter Extremism
Project, have seen that content is downloaded and
consistently re-uploaded across the same platforms it was
previously taken down from. This cannot continue. Reliable
enforcement and automated technology so that content
can be taken down within one hour of upload needs to be
included in the proposed draft.’” (EU Reporter, 09/12/18)
Tribal members settle abuse cases against FLDS church
“Four Native Americans who claimed they were sexually
abused while enrolled in a now-defunct The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints foster program decades ago
filed paperwork to dismiss their cases after reaching financial
settlements, a lawyer said. Allegations have been made
against the church by more than a dozen tribal members
from the Navajo Nation and Crow Tribe of Montana.” (APNews,
09/22/18)
South Korean cult leader arrested after stranding 400
followers in Fiji
“Shin Ok-ju of the Grace Road Church was arrested along
with three other church leaders when they landed at Incheon
airport just outside the South Korean capital Seoul. Her
followers traveled to Fiji starting in 2014 after she predicted
there would be a famine across the Korean peninsula. But
once they arrived, their passports were confiscated, and
a group personally selected by Shin known as ‘guardians’
prevented the worshipers from leaving. While they were in
Fiji they performed ritual beating on each other, which Shin
said was done to avoid punishment from God.” (The Guardian,
08/01/18)
Controversial Korean spiritual leader chooses Kerikeri as
base for global empire
“A controversial spiritual leader has chosen Kerikeri as the
base for his global movement and is setting up a giant
‘Earth Village’ in the area. The village is the brainchild of
Seung Heun Lee, known as Ilchi Lee to his followers. He’s
the spiritual leader behind the world-wide Brain and Body
system (originally called Dahn Yoga) and inventor of a ‘belly
button healing wand’. Mr Lee gained permanent residency
to New Zealand in 2015 under the investor category after
meeting its funds requirement. He’s purchased 156ha
[hectare] of pine forest and native New Zealand bush on
the edge of Puketi Forest near Kerikeri, along with several
high-end residential properties. He plans on using the
land to create the global headquarters for Earth Citizens
Organisation (ECO) and establish an ECO Learning Centre,
with the ultimate goal of recruiting 100 million members and
bringing an extra 10,000 visitors to the region each year by
2025.” (Newshub, 06/09/18)
