MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) – A group of parents in Russia’s oil-rich Tyumen Region has called on local prosecutors to investigate two self-proclaimed psychics, known for participating in a popular TV show, who are planning to practice their supernatural skills in the region.
The Western Siberian city’s Tyumen Parental Committee, which says that its aim is to defend family values, appealed to officials with a public statement to ban US-born Veet Mano and Iranian Mohsen Norouzi from holding private consultation sessions in the region later this month.
The two men gained fame in Russia after taking part in Russian reality TV show “Bitva Ekstrasensov” (Battle of the Psychics), which is similar to US television’s “Psychic Challenge,” in which people claiming to be psychics and mystics compete against each other.
The parental committee released a statement Wednesday saying that Mano and Norouzi might do more harm than good, and noting that the Russian Orthodox Church opposes any psychic activities. The committee also proposed a bill that would ban the promotion and work of sects and psychics in the region.
Tyumen prosecutors have not yet commented on the request.
According to the committee, the psychics, who claim to have supernatural abilities that enable them to help people with health and emotional problems, charge between 9,000 rubles ($283) and 130,000 rubles ($4,100) for their consultations.
Mano claims to be a follower of Osho, a controversial Indian spiritual leader, while Norouzi’s Russian website describes him as being able to exorcise demons and help people come out of comas.
Last month, the same Tyumen parental committee protested against a beauty pageant for young girls in the region, saying it could harm the “spiritual and moral development” of the children.
