The Scientific Committee of FOREF Europe was established to:
Support and enhance the work of FOREF through expert consultation
Advise on issues within their fields of specialization
Inform the FOREF board of relevant developments and academic insights related to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB)
As of July 2025, the committee includes the following five distinguished members:
Professor of Theology & Ethics, Texas Lutheran University (USA)Dr. David Baer is a scholar in Christian ethics, public theology, and human rights. He has conducted extensive research and fieldwork in Eastern Europe and Latin America, particularly on religious freedom in post-communist societies. He has worked with multiple international human rights bodies and faith-based organizations and is known for his critical analysis of state-religion dynamics and authoritarianism. His academic work bridges theology and law in support of fundamental freedoms.
Attorney at Law, Paris Bar (France)Patricia Duval holds a Master’s degree in Public Law from the Sorbonne University and specializes in international human rights law. She has actively defended the rights of religious and belief minorities before domestic and international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights, and has engaged with institutions such as the Council of Europe, OSCE, EU, and UN. Duval has published influential legal analyses on state-religion relations and FoRB issues, including:
Abduction and Deprivation of Freedom for the Purpose of Religious De-Conversion under International Law(Human Rights Without Frontiers, 2012)
Anti-sect Movements and State Neutrality (Journal for the Study of Beliefs and Worldviews, TU Dresden, 2012
Director, Human Rights Without Frontiers (Belgium)Willy Fautré is a veteran human rights defender who began advocating for religious freedom in Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War. A former advisor in the Belgian Ministry of Education and Parliament, he is now the director of the Brussels-based NGO Human Rights Without Frontiers International. Fautré regularly engages with the UN, OSCE, and EU, and publishes two annual reference works:
Annual Report on FoRB in the World
FoRB Prisoners List (2025 edition includes over 1,500 cases)He has conducted fact-finding missions in more than 20 countries and lectures globally on religious freedom and minority rights.
Affiliate Professor, Concordia University / Research Associate, McGill University (Canada)Dr. Susan Palmer is a leading sociologist of religion, based in Montreal. She has received six research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is known for her extensive work on new religious movements. She also serves as Co-Researcher at CEFIR (Centre d’expertise sur les intégrismes religieux et la radicalisation) at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. Her key publications include:
The New Heretics of France (2011)
Aliens Adored: Rael’s New Religion (2004)
Storming Zion: Government Raids on Religious Communities (with Stuart Wright, 2015)
President, Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU)Dr. Antonio Stango is a human rights expert with a background in law and international diplomacy. He has worked extensively in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East on human rights monitoring and training. As President of FIDU, he collaborates closely with the UN, EU institutions, and OSCE, especially on issues related to freedom of belief, civil liberties, and democratic reforms. He is a former consultant to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has lectured at multiple universities on international human rights law.
Dr Brandon Reece Taylorian is a Research Fellow at the University of Lancashire and a leading expert in freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). His 2025 PhD, *Religious Freedom and State Recognition of Belief*, examined how registration and recognition policies affect FoRB conditions worldwide and introduced analytical tools including the Spectrum of Religious Recognition and the Scale of Rights Violations.
He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on state oversight of religion, mandatory registration orders, and FoRB violations (e.g., Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, Religion & Human Rights, Journal of CESNUR), as well as the annual Global Religious Recognition Report. Taylorian serves on the Scientific Committee of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (2026), is an Oxford Young Scholar (ICLARS), Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and an Associate Lecturer teaching religion, law, and human rights modules. He has presented at major international conferences (CESNUR, ISFORB, ICLARS). His work bridges rigorous scholarship, teaching, and public engagement in FoRB.