Deputies Propose to Prohibit Totalitarian Sects and Involvement of Minors in Activity of Religious Organizations

KYIV — Ukrainian deputies submitted to the Supreme Council of Ukraine a bill to make alterations and addenda to the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Worship and Religious Organizations” regarding the prohibition of activity of totalitarian religious sects (registration number 5473). The document envisages the prohibition of the involvement of minors without consent of their legitimate representatives in activity of religious organizations and prohibition of founding and activity in Ukraine of totalitarian religious sects,” reported the Institute of Religious Freedom on January 11, 2009.

This was initiated by Ukrainian deputies Ihor Rybakov (not a member of any faction) and Vladyslav Lukianov (Party of Regions).

The bill proposes to add a new article to the law.  The article also interprets the notions used in it. For instance, a “totalitarian sect” is defined as a religious organization whose activity is aimed at the violation of rights and freedoms of citizens by using measures of dangerous psychological influence, which is defined as psychological influence and other manipulations of the emotions and free-will of a person with the use of emotional and psychological overload, stress, individual inclination to hypnotization, weak will, insufficient mental development and immaturity of the emotional and free-will sphere of a person, which lead to the loss of social guidelines or values, decrease self-esteem, and temporary upset mental activity.