"Anti-sectarian" conference in St. Petersburg and picket against its holding

On May 15-16, a conference "Totalitarian sects and the human right to a secure existence" was held at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg State University, organized by the Russian Association of Centers for Religious Studies and the European Federation of Research Centers for Information on Sects. Greetings to the participants of the event were sent by the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Alexander Konovalov.

A group of residents of St. Petersburg planned to hold a protest during the conference, but the city administration did not give permission for this. As a result, a single picket in defense of freedom of conscience took place in front of the building of the Faculty of Law. Passers-by were given leaflets with calls to protect the secular state and quotes from the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

During the conference, the head of the Expert Council under the Ministry of Justice, Alexander Dvorkin, proposed the creation of a "clear legislative mechanism" to resolve problems before any "sect" manifests itself.

The conference was held behind closed doors. According to the Slavic Legal Center , the university administration denies any involvement in the event.

A researcher at the Institute of Religion and Law commented on the results of the "anti-sectarian" conference: "The documents of the St. Petersburg Conference will have an almost official nature of the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, since this event is organized with the participation of the Ministry of Justice, and the main speakers are members of the Council for State Religious Studies under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation. These documents will be used by "sectarians" in their articles and they can now refer both to their status as members of the Expert Council under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, and directly to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, which supports them.

From now on, the statements of "sectarians" in the media and their appeals to officials and law enforcement agencies will form the basis of the state religious policy of Russia.

Later it became known that Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov took part in the second day of the conference and held a meeting with the leadership of the European Federation of Research Centers for Information on Sects and members of the Expert Council under the Ministry of Justice.

Sources

• During the anti-sectarian conference in St. Petersburg, despite the prohibition of the authorities, a picket was held in defense of the secular state and the Constitution of the Russian Federation from "sectarians" Slavic Legal Center. 2009. May 18. //
• Chairman of the Expert Council under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation called for the development of a "clear legislative mechanism" to combat "sects" // There.
• Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Alexander Konovalov sent a greeting to the anti-sectarian conference in St. Petersburg // There.
• Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Alexander Konovalov held a closed meeting with radical sectarians in St. Petersburg // There. 22nd of May.