2321 VOLUME 8 |ISSUE 3 |2017
Reports From Eastern Europe
Piotr T. Nowakowski
Report From Czech Republic
Steven Hassan, MEd, LMHC, NCC,
Director of Freedom of Mind Resource
Center, attended the 2017 Congress
of International Academy of Law and
Mental Health (IALMH) in Prague on
July 9–14, 2017. The event gathered
more than 1,500 people from more
than 100 countries. Hassan presented
his abstract entitled The Anatomy
of Undue Influence by Terrorist Cults
and Traffickers by Using Helplessness
and Trauma to Create False Identities.
During his talk, Hassan was able
to share his story and explain the
dangers of undue influence using his
BITE model and associated influence
continuum he also incorporated the
important work of Alan W. Scheflin
and his Social Influence Model to
illustrate ways undue influence can
be applied legally. Hassan’s topic was
a part of the session called “Bioethics
in Times of Helplessness and Trauma.”
Other speakers during the session
were Harold J. Bursztajn and Ivana
Viani both represented Harvard
Medical School. The International
Academy of Law and Mental Health is
an organization that brings together
professionals to discuss and create a
better understanding of the interaction
between law and mental health.
Report From Poland
On July 11, 2017, the portal
superfakty.pl reported that residents
of two Polish cities—Świdnica and
Szczecin—found in their mailboxes
leaflets promoting the beliefs of the
group called Anioły Nieba (Heavenly
Angels). The group’s website indicates
Ivo A. Benda as the contact person.
Benda is known as the founder of
Universe People, or Cosmic People
of Light Powers (Czech: Vesmírní lidé
sil světla), a Czech and Slovak UFO
religion created in the 1990s. Anioły
Nieba seems to be another name
of the same project. Their belief
system is based upon the existence
of extraterrestrial civilizations that
communicate with Benda and other
contactees telepathically and even by
direct personal contact. They expect
that Earth will experience a global
catastrophe and that the only rescue
is evacuation to another planet. They
also encourage defense against the
attacks of extraterrestrial beings
called Saurians or Lizardmen (in Czech:
ještírci). Benda’s group is considered to
be the most distinctive UFO religion
in the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, it
became more publicly known in the
second half of the 2000s.
Report From Russia
On July 17, 2017, the Russian Supreme
Court ordered the disbanding of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian
Federation. The ban came into effect
after the court rejected an appeal
by the organization against a ruling
given in April that recognized it as
an “extremist” group. The Ministry of
Justice had argued that the group
distributed pamphlets that incited
hatred against other groups. The
organization had been also accused of
destroying families and endangering
lives.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses considered
the ruling the end of religious freedom
in Russia. The ruling means that the
395 Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations
will be closed, and all their Kingdom
Halls will be handed over to the
Russian government. “There were no
real facts of any extremism on part of
Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s all about bad
literature and intolerance. Now anyone
who studies the Bible can be jailed,”
said the organization’s spokesman,
Yaroslav Sivulsky (Newsweek online,
7/17/17, reuters.com/article/us-russia-
religion-jehovah-s-idUSKBN1A30UX).
The European Union criticized Russia
over its ban, saying that “Jehovah’s
Witnesses, like all other religious
groups, must be able to peacefully
enjoy freedom of assembly without
interference” (Reuters online, 7/18/17,
reuters.com/article/us-russia-religion-
jehovah-s-idUSKBN1A30UX). The
officials added that the Russian
Federation was bound by its
constitution and its international
commitments to provide such
guarantees.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected
to appeal to the European Court of
Human Rights, but Russia may ignore
any verdict in their favor. As of now,
Jehovah’s Witnesses gatherings and
preaching are treated as criminal
offenses in Russia.
Report From Italy
Rafaella Di Marzio
News From Journals and Books
• The Journal of CESNUR, edited by
Massimo Introvigne, with PierLuigi
Zoccatelli as deputy editor, will
publish both monothematic and
multithematic issues. English
will be the primary language,
but issues in other languages
also will be published. CESNUR
welcomes articles and proposals
for special issues in the fields of
religious pluralism, new religious
movements, esoteric movements,
alternative spirituality, religious
and spiritual movements, and the
arts. Articles will be accepted for
peer review only if they are written
in good academic English or other
language the applicant selects.
• On March 25, 2017, The Ahmadiyya
Community organized its annual
National Peace Symposium
in London. A key event of the
Community, this symposium
was held at the largest mosque
in Western Europe, and this
year marks the 14th to date.
The event promotes a deeper
understanding of Islam and other
faiths, and seeks to inspire a
concerted effort for lasting peace.
This year’s theme was “Global
Correspondents
,
Reports
Reports From Eastern Europe
Piotr T. Nowakowski
Report From Czech Republic
Steven Hassan, MEd, LMHC, NCC,
Director of Freedom of Mind Resource
Center, attended the 2017 Congress
of International Academy of Law and
Mental Health (IALMH) in Prague on
July 9–14, 2017. The event gathered
more than 1,500 people from more
than 100 countries. Hassan presented
his abstract entitled The Anatomy
of Undue Influence by Terrorist Cults
and Traffickers by Using Helplessness
and Trauma to Create False Identities.
During his talk, Hassan was able
to share his story and explain the
dangers of undue influence using his
BITE model and associated influence
continuum he also incorporated the
important work of Alan W. Scheflin
and his Social Influence Model to
illustrate ways undue influence can
be applied legally. Hassan’s topic was
a part of the session called “Bioethics
in Times of Helplessness and Trauma.”
Other speakers during the session
were Harold J. Bursztajn and Ivana
Viani both represented Harvard
Medical School. The International
Academy of Law and Mental Health is
an organization that brings together
professionals to discuss and create a
better understanding of the interaction
between law and mental health.
Report From Poland
On July 11, 2017, the portal
superfakty.pl reported that residents
of two Polish cities—Świdnica and
Szczecin—found in their mailboxes
leaflets promoting the beliefs of the
group called Anioły Nieba (Heavenly
Angels). The group’s website indicates
Ivo A. Benda as the contact person.
Benda is known as the founder of
Universe People, or Cosmic People
of Light Powers (Czech: Vesmírní lidé
sil světla), a Czech and Slovak UFO
religion created in the 1990s. Anioły
Nieba seems to be another name
of the same project. Their belief
system is based upon the existence
of extraterrestrial civilizations that
communicate with Benda and other
contactees telepathically and even by
direct personal contact. They expect
that Earth will experience a global
catastrophe and that the only rescue
is evacuation to another planet. They
also encourage defense against the
attacks of extraterrestrial beings
called Saurians or Lizardmen (in Czech:
ještírci). Benda’s group is considered to
be the most distinctive UFO religion
in the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, it
became more publicly known in the
second half of the 2000s.
Report From Russia
On July 17, 2017, the Russian Supreme
Court ordered the disbanding of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian
Federation. The ban came into effect
after the court rejected an appeal
by the organization against a ruling
given in April that recognized it as
an “extremist” group. The Ministry of
Justice had argued that the group
distributed pamphlets that incited
hatred against other groups. The
organization had been also accused of
destroying families and endangering
lives.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses considered
the ruling the end of religious freedom
in Russia. The ruling means that the
395 Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations
will be closed, and all their Kingdom
Halls will be handed over to the
Russian government. “There were no
real facts of any extremism on part of
Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s all about bad
literature and intolerance. Now anyone
who studies the Bible can be jailed,”
said the organization’s spokesman,
Yaroslav Sivulsky (Newsweek online,
7/17/17, reuters.com/article/us-russia-
religion-jehovah-s-idUSKBN1A30UX).
The European Union criticized Russia
over its ban, saying that “Jehovah’s
Witnesses, like all other religious
groups, must be able to peacefully
enjoy freedom of assembly without
interference” (Reuters online, 7/18/17,
reuters.com/article/us-russia-religion-
jehovah-s-idUSKBN1A30UX). The
officials added that the Russian
Federation was bound by its
constitution and its international
commitments to provide such
guarantees.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected
to appeal to the European Court of
Human Rights, but Russia may ignore
any verdict in their favor. As of now,
Jehovah’s Witnesses gatherings and
preaching are treated as criminal
offenses in Russia.
Report From Italy
Rafaella Di Marzio
News From Journals and Books
• The Journal of CESNUR, edited by
Massimo Introvigne, with PierLuigi
Zoccatelli as deputy editor, will
publish both monothematic and
multithematic issues. English
will be the primary language,
but issues in other languages
also will be published. CESNUR
welcomes articles and proposals
for special issues in the fields of
religious pluralism, new religious
movements, esoteric movements,
alternative spirituality, religious
and spiritual movements, and the
arts. Articles will be accepted for
peer review only if they are written
in good academic English or other
language the applicant selects.
• On March 25, 2017, The Ahmadiyya
Community organized its annual
National Peace Symposium
in London. A key event of the
Community, this symposium
was held at the largest mosque
in Western Europe, and this
year marks the 14th to date.
The event promotes a deeper
understanding of Islam and other
faiths, and seeks to inspire a
concerted effort for lasting peace.
This year’s theme was “Global
Correspondents
,
Reports
