Religious intolerance & oppression in Russia

A 1997 law restricting freedom

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1997-JUN Duma (Parliament) passes restricted legislation:

Concern has been expressed, both by the Government of Russia and by the Russian Orthodox church, over the increase in memberships of new and minority faiths in that country. Major membership gains have been made by some groups, particularly by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Mormons. A new bill was passed by the Duma (parliament) of Russia on 1997-JUN-17 which would have seriously restricted the freedom of new and minority faith groups in that country. It was called, somewhat ironically, "On Freedom of Conscious and On Religious Associations." The vote was to 337 to 5.

The Duma has a working group on religion that is made up of representatives from all major faith groups in Russia, along with members from the Duma and of the executive branch of the federal government. The restrictions were believed to have been approved by a faction within the working group. Others in the group (those who favor religious freedom) were excluded from the decision making process.

If signed into law, the bill would have enacted sweeping changes to the original 1990 law that guaranteed religious freedom for all. It would:

This law would be in clear violation of the Russian constitution and of the 1948 UN Declaration on the Rights of Man. The restriction of rights on groups that have not been recognized by the government prior to 1982 creates a real problem for hundreds of well established faith groups. Religion could not be openly practiced in the country prior to 1990, so few were registered. As a result, they might not be able to prove that they have been active for 15 years.

1997-JUN: Reactions to the Bill

Some comments concerning the 1997-JUN bill surfaced:

President Yeltsin vetoed the bill on 1997-JUL-22. He sent it back to the Duma for a re-write. Patriarch Alexy severely criticized President Yeltsin for this action.

1997-SEP: Yeltsin signs revised bill

The Duma revised the bill and passed it again in 1997-SEP, by a vote of 358 to 6. The upper house approved the legislation on SEP-24 by a vote of 137 to 0. US Vice-President Al Gore was in Moscow attempting to convince President Yeltsin to veto the new bill. He was unsuccessful; President Yeltsin signed it into law on 1997-SEP-26 as RF Law No. 125-F3. He felt that it was necessary "to defend the moral and spiritual health of Russia" from destructive cults such as the Aum Shinri Kyo. See: excerpts from the 1997 law.

Public opinion appears to be solidly in favor of the bill. Although only a few percent of Russian adults regularly attend Orthodox church services, about 45% of ethnic Russians identify themselves as Orthodox believers. Legislators received countless letters from citizens worried about destructive and mind-control cults invading Russian and destroying its families. Citizens have apparently been taught to associate benign religious groups such as the Baptists, Mormons etc. with doomsday, destructive cults.

The new version involves only cosmetic changes to the original proposal. It continues to enshrine the Russian Orthodox denomination as the pre-eminent religion, and to assign second-class status to Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and other Christian denominations. All other faith groups, including Roman Catholicism, would be severely restricted. Faith groups would have prove that they have been recognized by the Government for 15 years before they can publish or distribute religious literature or invite speakers from outside the country. They would not be permitted to hold worship services in hospitals, senior citizens' homes, schools, orphanages, prisons, etc. They would not be able to form educational establishments or magazines. Their clergy would not be exempt from military service.

Unfortunately, most faith groups in Russia were denied recognition by the Communist government before 1991. Even though they may have been established for many decades, they would be considered as virtually new groups under this bill. One of the few exceptions among Christian groups would be the Roman Catholic parishes of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Soviet government had recognized them prior to 1991. However, a strict interpretation of the law could shut down the remaining 148 Roman Catholic parishes throughout Russia.

Viktor Zorkaltsev, chairman of the parliament's committee for religion and public organizations said: "The law protects the traditional Russian religion, Orthodoxy, so we believe it undoubted must be adopted. It creates a barrier for totalitarian sects and limits the activity of foreign missionaries."

Metropolitan Kirill is head of the Department of External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. He said that the bill had now been revised in two main respects. The preamble to the bill now mentions "Christianity" rather than simply Orthodox Christianity as being one of Russia's religious traditions, alongside Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. Also, he said that the clause requiring new religious organizations to undertake a 15-year probationary period before being registered with the government would not be applied as rigorously to religious bodies already established in Russia.

With regards to the 15 year probationary period, Metropolitan Kirill stated that if it becomes clear that these faith groups: "…do not put bombs in public palaces, do not kidnap children from their parents and do not break up families, then they [will] have the right to be registered legally."

President Yeltsin signed the bill into law on 1997-SEP-26.

Responses to the new law:

Local officials began to apply the bill even before it was signed into law. In Belgorod, a Roman Catholic priest was prevented from holding mass. Religious minorities were concerned that discrimination by local authorities would worsen throughout the country. Protestant and Roman Catholic groups were expected to challenge the law in Russian courts.

"The Law does not fully respect the commitments, which among other things have been sanctioned by various international conventions on human rights, fundamental freedoms and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities, and which are in force within the confines of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, particularly the Final Document of Vienna in 1989, documents and conventions to which the Russian Federation has formally adhered." ₁

"The Patriarch could not fail to note there is a certain danger from pseudo-religions, from spiritually alien 'conquistadors' who are ruining, willingly or unwillingly, the spiritual integrity of Russian society."

Immediate restrictions on religious freedom

The International Academy for Freedom of Religion and Belief publishes a list of news items relating to the Russian religious situation. _4,5

There have been a number of instances of harassment of religious groups in Russia by local authorities. Some are: