Bitter Winter

by Massimo Introvigne Rogue Chinese-Filipino businessman Michael Yang. The report documents his connections with the United Front. Credits. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime has released a study with a somewhat academic title, yet its contents describe a world that reads like a crime novel.

by Kenny Jeng* *A paper presented at the Fourth World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, Skopje, North Macedonia, June 24, 2026. Peter Snayers (1592–1667), “The Battle of the White Mountain” Fought in 1620 in Bohemia, it was a key moment of Europe’s wars of religion. Credits. Religion is often envisioned as a sanctuary of peace and harmony, yet history shows it can also be used as a tool of conflict.

Wang Yu-Ran* *A paper presented at the Fourth World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, Skopje, North Macedonia, June 24, 2026. Tax and Legal Reform League protests in Taiwan. Today, I stand before you not as an expert or a government representative, but as a law student and a young person who has personally experienced institutionalized religious conflict. This dual identity gives me a unique perspective.

by Massimo Introvigne Students in “vocational training”—or forced labor? Screenshot. The latest report from the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) is one of those documents that forces readers to pause, breathe, and ask themselves how a country that claims to protect minors can simultaneously run an educational system that feeds children into factories. China has ratified international conventions, passed laws, and issued regulations meant to shield minors from hazardous work.

Massimo Introvigne* *A paper presented at the Fourth World Conference for Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, Skopje, North Macedonia, June 24, 2026. Article 1 of 2 Hate media labeled Tutsi as “cockroaches” (inyenzi), “snakes,” and “vermin,” making killing seem like cleansing rather than murder. Media can, tragically, play a decisive role in generating violence against minorities.

by Massimo Introvigne A view of the Supreme Court of Japan. Credits. The Supreme Court of Japan confirmed on June 23 the Tokyo High Court’s 2026 decision ordering the dissolution of the Unification Church (now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification). The ruling arrived with unusual speed and with reasoning that raises more questions than it answers.

by Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur The coalition during the meeting in the Parliament. On April 30, the European Parliament passed a resolution protesting the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress, adopted by China’s National People’s Congress on March 12, 2026. The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

by Massimo Introvigne The conversation between Eitaro Ogawa and Fumihiro Kato. A long conversation between literary critic Eitaro Ogawa and journalist Fumihiro Kato has produced one of the most detailed reconstructions yet of how the Unification Church (now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) became the center of a political storm after the assassination of Shinzo Abe.

por Massimo Introvigne Una simpatizante de Jones Huala protesta frente a la cárcel de Rawson. El 19 de junio, los simpatizantes del líder mapuche Facundo Jones Huala difundieron un nuevo relato de su visita a la cárcel de Rawson, Argentina, y la imagen que describen es la de un hombre cuyo cuerpo se derrumba bajo el peso de una huelga de hambre que ya lleva cincuenta y tres días, con cuatro días de abstención total de líquidos.

Rosita Šorytė* *A paper presented at the 6th CEENASWE (The Central and Eastern European Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism) Conference, “Transcription of Visuality: From the Tradition of Esotericism to Traditional and Contemporary Artistic Practices,” University of Rijeka, Croatia, June 5, 2026. Rosaleen Norton and one of her works. Sacred eroticism occupies a paradoxical position in the modern imagination.