Reprimarea grupărilor care promovează „erotismul sacru” – patternul internațional al unei nedreptăți (I)

The study is based on the panel “Militarized raids and the rebirth of brainwashing theory - Emic and ethical perspectives”, part of the CESNUR Conference in June 2024, dedicated to the repressive actions taken against members of groups that follow “sacred eroticism” practices. The first part of the study analyzes the role of CESNUR in building academic knowledge on new religious movements, raises the issue of the legitimacy of state intervention in the private space of these movements and puts it in the context of the child protection system, considered to be the mandatory benchmark. The use of force by the authorities against practitioners of sacred eroticism - which includes inhuman and degrading treatment - is documented and assessed as excessive and unjustified. I also discuss the marginalization of the theme of discrimination in the case of the followers of sacred eroticism. I evaluate the repressive actions against groups in Romania, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Argentina with reference to the human rights protection system developed by the Council of Europe.