"SOVA" refutes the information that the Russian "sect expert" was not allowed to attend parliamentary hearings

On November 16, 2010, the head of the Irenaeus Lyonsky Center, Alexander Dvorkin, reported that the organizers of the hearings in the European Parliament on problems in the implementation of freedom of conscience in Russia related to the application of anti-extremist legislation did not allow him to attend. An Orthodox “sect expert” presented this as a “planned action of the sectarian lobby.”

The director of the SOVA Center, Alexander Verkhovsky , spoke at these hearings in Brussels.

A. Verkhovsky, from the words of the organizer of the hearings, head of the organization Human Rights Without Frontiers Willy Fautre, knows that representatives of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate to the EU submitted an application to participate in the event, which included A. Dvorkin. This application was submitted after the deadline set in connection with the requirements of the administration of the European Parliament building (obviously related to security), so Willy Fautre replied that he would be glad to see representatives, although he did not see the benefit of A. Dvorkin’s participation, and recommended to receive it in some other way way to get a pass to the European Parliament building and come to the hearings.

In front of the hearing participants, A. Dvorkin and representatives of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate received these passes. Later, representatives actually came to the hearing. And the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate, Fr. Andrei protested against the fact that A. Dvorkin was not allowed to attend the hearings, to which Willy Fautre reported what was written above.

There are no internal restrictions on movement in the European Parliament building, and the organizers of the hearings did not in any way prevent representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and A. Dvorkin from coming. So the “sect expert”, having gone inside the building, did not come to the hearing, presumably of his own free will. Sources

• Leading Russian sectologist was not allowed to attend a conference in the European Parliament // Interfax-religion. 2010. November 16.