Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 129 | Wed 12 Oct 2011

RUSSIA: PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE RELIGIOUS LAW SIGNIFICANTLY RESTRICT
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

by Anneta Vyssotskaia

On Thursday 6 October the Russian Ministry of Justice made known to the
public the proposed new amendments to the Law on the Freedom of Conscience
and Religious Organisations (1997) and allowed its Russian citizens to
discuss them only until Monday 10 October. If accepted, the proposed
amendments will restrict religious freedom in the country significantly.

The most restrictive effect of the amendments will be on unregistered
religious groups which currently have the freedom to meet for worship and
provide religious instruction to their followers. At present such groups
comprise 20-30 percent of religious congregations in Russia. The amended
version of the law, after removing their present right to exist and be
involved in religious activities, will require them to apply for
registration. At the same time the amendments also introduce a new article
in the law setting up State religious expertise and providing more grounds
for it to refuse registration.

Another restriction affects the rights of the registered local religious
organisations that do not provide documentary proof of being a member of a
large centralised religious organisation. Lev Levinson, an expert with the
Institute of Human Rights, says they will not be permitted to have their
own educational institutions or Sunday schools, or to create foreign
entities. They will not be allowed to perform religious ceremonies in
hospitals, prisons or orphanages, nor to print and distribute religious
literature and mass-media for ten years. They will not be able to invite
overseas visitors for professional ministry. All these activities would be
restricted to organisations like Russian Orthodox Church parishes that are
part of a centralised body. In Levinson’s opinion it would prevent any
alternative religious movement while spiritual and religious development
is prohibited. However, it would benefit large church structures by
protecting them from groups splitting off.

The proposed amendments force independent congregations to become part of
centralised church unions.

Active State Advisor of the Russian Federation, Class I, and religious
rights expert Dr Andrey Sebentsov says: ‘The purpose of the proposed law
is to create new hindrances for the activities of associations of the “non-
traditional” religions. The exclusion of religious groups from the
[religious] law will in fact create a situation that prohibits religious
activities without registration, and all the other proposals contradict
the spirit of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights to such
an extent that it is just amazing how we [i.e. Ministry of Justice] can
manage to create precedents that aggravate the problems under the pretence
of solving them.’

The Russian Minister of Justice, Alexander Konovalov, studied theology in
Svyato-Tikonovskii Orthodox University and is a committed supporter of the
Russian Orthodox Church. Since he became Minister of Justice, his Ministry
has made several attempts to introduce amendments to the Law on Religion
intended to regulate strictly the activities of the religious
organisations and groups. In 2009 the Ministry of Justice proposed a
separate law to regulate missionary activities but it was rejected by all
religious organisations.

Dr Roman Lunkin and Dr Inna Zagrebina from the Guild of Experts on
Religion and Law posted an appeal to all Christians in Russia on the
Guild’s website. In it they call the proposed amendments the first serious
attempt of the judicial authorities to change radically the existing
Religion Law in Russia. They provide a detailed analysis of the proposed
amendments. Home meetings of unregistered religious groups and especially
missionary activities, as well as religious education of believers without
registration, will be considered illegal. They will be punishable by fines
and prosecution. All religious organisations will have to apply for
registration through a filter of religious expertise conducted by Expert
Council for Conducting State Religious Expertise under the Russian
Ministry of Justice. This is led by a Russian Orthodox Church expert,
Alexander Dvorkin, who is an active opponent of minority religious groups
and specially targets Protestant churches. Believers, religious
organisations and literature will be checked with double vigour for
extremism. A discriminatory ten-year period will be applied to groups not
belonging to large centralised organisations.

Lunkin and Zagrebina say: ‘The prosecution of any unregistered religious
activity, an increase of the opportunity for abused discretion through
expertise and checking for extremism place Russia among the countries
violating religious freedom and their own Constitutions and opposing the
international norms and standards in the area of freedom of religion and
beliefs.’

[Sources include  http://www.portal-credo.ru  http://religionip.ru
http://www.  interfax.ru/  http://www.sclj.ru/  http://www.ng.ru  ]

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR —

* the Russian Government, the Ministry of Justice and its minister,
Alexander Konovalov, to respect and protect people’s constitutional
rights regardless of their religion.

* God’s protection for all his people in large and small, registered and
unregistered churches, and for God’s wisdom, guidance and unity for
church leaders.

* wisdom and protection of the religious and human rights experts in
Russia, for unity between them and practical assistance to the churches
at this difficult time.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.   (James
15:16b, NIV)

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
———————————————————–

RUSSIA PROPOSING CHANGES TO RESTRICT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The Russian Ministry of Justice allowed its citizens to discuss proposed
amendments to the religious law only from Thursday 6 October to Monday 10
October. If adopted, they will restrict religious freedom in the country
significantly. The amended religious law would make it illegal for
unregistered religious groups to meet for worship or instruction, or be
involved in any other religious activities, including hospital and prison
chaplaincies. Their literature and other material would be banned. To be
registered, small groups of churches and independent congregations would
have to be part of large centralised organisations, effectively
impossible. The amendments are obviously designed to serve the interests
of large, traditional churches. Please pray for religious freedom and
God’s protection and blessing on all believers in churches large and
small, registered and unregistered.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at <http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/>.

The author of this RLPB, Anneta Vyssotskaia, is a religious liberty
advocate with a particular concern for and involvement in Russia and the
former USSR.