RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS

Russia Religion News Current News Items

---

Kazakhstan violates rights of various religions

BAPTIST PASTOR SENTENCED TO 150 HOURS FORCED LABOR
Portal-credo.ru, 30 October 2008

A court in the Akmolsk region of Kazakhstan sentenced Baptist Pastor Andrei Blok to 150 hours of forced labor for refusal to pay a fine assessed against him for conducting an unregistered church service, according to the verdict in the possession of Forum 18.

"If it were not for a multitude of phone calls from all over the world to the court and city authorities, Andrei could have gone to prison for several months," the pastor's family told Forum 18. Yulia Merkel of the local section of the Ministry of Internal Affairs insisted in an interview with Forum 18 that Blok must register his congregation and she refused to report what will happen if the congregation continues to conduct services without registration. Pastor Blok intends to file an appeal.

A Jehovah's Witnesses congregation of the city of Aturai, located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, is preparing to appeal in court against the city department of the Ministry for Internal Affairs, which turned down its eighth application for registration within the past seven years.

At the same time a Karasai district court in Alma-Ata region on 28 October reopened hearings, which had twice been postponed, for elimination of the only temple of Krishna followers in Kazakhstan. The next court session is scheduled for 3 November. "We have already seen the first signs that the court intends to render, at any cost, a decision that will not be in our favor," one of the Krishnaites told Forum 18.

Pastor Blok became the most recent believer in Kazakhstan to be punished for unregistered religious activity. His congregation of the city of Esil in the north of the Akmolsk region explained to Forum 18 that they do not want to receive state registration. They fear that this will lead to state interference in the internal affairs of the congregation. In violation of international obligations regarding human rights, Kazakhstan has punished persons who participate in unregistered religious activity. These punishments will become more severe if a draft of a new law on religions that is being prepared is adopted.

The congregation of Krishnaites in Karasai has faced for years the hostility of the authorities. Many buildings belonging to Krisnaites have been razed by bulldozers. At the present time Krishnaites fear that a court will declare illegal the buildings that still belong to them, including a temple, and the buildings will be destroyed. They fear that this will lead to the end of their group.

Jehovah's Witnesses of Atarai received the latest refusal of state registration in August. Now they intend to file suit in court against the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The application they submitted contained twenty charter members of the congregation, twice the number the law requires. However they were refused registration because one of the charter members had an expired passport and was awaiting issue of a new one. The latest refusal came eight months after the application was submitted, after the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Justice had twice conducted an "expert analysis" of the congregation's application. The Jehovah's Witnesses called the reason for the refusal of the registration "laughable." (tr. by PDS, posted 31 October 2008)

Russia Religion News Current News Items

---

No action yet on threat to liquidate churches

RELIGIOUS LEADERS CLARIFY MATTER OF LIQUIDATION OF CHURCHES
Slavic Legal Center, 30 October 2008

Russian religious leaders have commented upon the situation around the liquidation of a number of religious organizations. The Ministry of Justice posted last week on its web site a list of 56 organizations liable for closure through judicial procedure.

Among them are extremely respected Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, and a large number of protestant organizations, the TBN news agency reports especially for the Christian megaportal invictory.org.

The Slavic Legal Center has received dozens of phone calls from various regions of Russia and many people are upset over the present situation and consider the actions of the Ministry of Justice as a violation of freedom of conscience and religious rights. Co-chairman of the Slavic Legal Center Anatoly Pchelintsev has hastened to assure all of them and to recall that the Ministry of Justice still has not issued documents for liquidation. And this list most likely is a preventive measure so that religious organizations will submit their documentation in strict conformity with the law. If the Ministry of Justice undertakes real actions without adequate basis, then SLC will of course defend the rights of believers, Pchelintsev said.

The head of the Russian Associated Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith, Sergei Riakhovsky, who also is a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian federation, also commented on the list. He explained the decision of the Ministry of Justice as an attempt of the government to show who is boss in Russia. And that is the constitution, common sense, and law, which must be observed by everyone without exception, Riakhovsky thinks.  (tr. by PDS, posted 31 October 2008)

Russia Religion News Current News Items

---

Government moves to close religious groups

RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF JUSTICE WILL SEEK LIQUIDATION OF A NUMBER OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Portal-credo.ru, 15 October, 2008

The Ministry of Justice of Russia intends to initiate the liquidation, by judicial means, of more than 50 religious organizations which earlier were registered by this authority.

"The corresponding list of organizations for which the Ministry of Justice plans to file suit for liquidation, is posted on the agency's website," a representative of the Ministry of Justice told Interfax on 15 October.

He said that the basis on which the procedure of liquidation will be begun is "failure to submit to the Ministry of Justice a list of notices and documents provided for by law."

Among the candidates for liquidation are organizations belonging to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and other religious associations.

This includes, in particular, such organizations as the Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of the Volga region, the Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of the Association of Mosques of Russia, the Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Karachaev-Cherkesia and Stavropol, the Bogorod diocese of the Kievan patriarchate, the Kazan-Viatsk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Old-ritualist Autonomous church, the Moscow branch of the Institute for the Study of Judaism, and the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Buddhists of Russia (an alternative Buddhist structure in Buriatia). (tr. by PDS, posted 24 October 2008)

COCHAIRMAN OF SLAVIC LEGAL CENTER: "LIQUIDATION OF RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS FOR PETTY VIOLATIONS WILL LEAD TO THE CRUDEST INFRINGEMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN OUR COUNTRY AND TO THE SELF-ISOLATION OF THE GOVERNMENT"
Slavic Legal Center, 21 October 2008

The list of religious organizations for which the Ministry of Justice plans to file suit in the courts for their liquidation has been published. This list has frightened greatly many people and particularly the representatives of those religious organizations on this list. This list includes, in particular, such organizations as the Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of the Volga region . . . and the Suzdal diocese of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous church, etc. What could these associations have violated?

Anatoly Pchelintsev, professor of Russian State Humanities University:  "Each specific religious organization may have its own violations, but most often they are accused of failing to submit notices regarding their ongoing activity and changes made within the framework of the association. Article 32 of the law on noncommercial organizations requires informing the registering agencies about these things.

"However it should be noted that in Russia there already are more than a dozen cases on which courts rendered decisions in favor of religious organizations since the punishment for their failure to submit information did not formally fit the crime committed. Liquidation for failure to submit information is equivalent to sentencing a jaywalker to the death penalty. After all, liquidation means that the organization's life is put to an end.

The European Court on Human Rights also has frequently noted that actions for liquidation of active religious organizations do not fit the violations. But the Ministry of Justice in this case either does not know about such decisions of the international and Russian courts or it is ignoring these cases. Such a position casts doubt on the competence of the bureaucrats who are making such decisions.

In addition, such actions are inconsistent with the policy of the Russian government, which guarantees freedom of conscience and religious confessions for each person. The widespread liquidation of religious associations for petty violations will lead to the crudest infringement of human rights in our country and to the self-isolation of the government."

--What reasons could lead to the publication of such a frightening list?

--Possibly the reasons are of a crudely subjective nature. This position proceeds from the leadership of the ministry. Several religious organizations mentioned in this list have turned to us in the Slavic Legal Center. Their representatives assured us that they did everything in a timely fashion and informed the registering agencies about their activity and about changes. They were surprised by the position of the Ministry of Justice and they are prepared to prove their innocence in court. Religious organizations request that in the event of a real threat to their existence we will represent their interests in court. Besides this, foreign journalists have asked us for comments on this matter. They have asked me whether there will be liquidation of religious organizations on a massive scale in Russia.

It is comforting that the filing of law suits for liquidation of a number of organizations is merely being planned. The Ministry of Justice is only trying to demonstrate all of its sternness and power. On the other hand, many religious organizations have been negligent and actually have not submitted the information and have not been concerned with the legal status of their activity.

One is also surprised by the one-sided approach to the selection of associations; the list includes representatives of various confessions but there is not a single organization of the Moscow patriarchate, although the law of averages (by virtue of the great quantity) says that associations of the RPTsMP should be on this list.

This is a socially harmful and short-sighted action for "the education of" believers and religious organizations. One very much wishes to hope that these "Sauls" in the Ministry of Justice will soon by converted to "Pauls," and that the zeal of some bureaucrats for the liquidation of churches and whole ecclesiastical associations will not evoke chaos and destabilization of church-state relations. The bureaucrats themselves "know not what they do."

Interview conducted by Roman Lunkin for "Portal-credo.ru"
(tr. by PDS, posted 24 October 2008)

A WAKE-UP CALL FROM THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
56 religious organisations officially scheduled for liquidation
Department of External Church Relations, Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, 21 October 2008

On 15 October, a declaration unexpectedly appeared on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing 56 religious organisations scheduled for liquidation (Òminjust.lgg.ru/ru/activity/nko/religorgÓ). These stem from a number of major world faiths and included Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, the Catholic ÒCaritasÓ as well as small, dissident Orthodox groups and one organisation belonging to the Kiev Orthodox Patriarchate. Yet at least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations. These include the humanitarian ÒWorld VisionÓ and ÒYouth with a MissionÓ. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the ÒBilly Graham Evangelistic AssociationÓ and three regional districts of the ÒRussian Union of Evangelical Christians-BaptistsÓ (RUECB). Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the ÒUnion of Churches of Presbyterian ChristiansÓ and the ÒAssemblies of GodÓ. Even the 26-congregation-strong ÒUnion of Churches of Evangelical ChristiansÓ is scheduled for elimination. Its Bishop, businessman Alexander Semchenko, remains a member of the prestigious ÒCouncil for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at the Seat of the Russian PresidentÓ.

Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECBÕs Director for External Church Relations, warns against undue alarm, for the declaration states only that the Justice Department Òplans to file liquidation claimsÓ against the 56. ÒThis is a wake-up call,Ó the Pastor adds. ÒThis is certainly not the last word on the matter.Ó He reports that thousands of religious organisations were registered during the 1990s, and that a number of them are now virtually defunct. Many have failed to submit the annual reports on activities and finance demanded by Russian law.  In some cases, registered and actual activities no longer match. In one instance, a Baptist organization registered in Moscow is active only in Siberia.

Attorney Anatoly Pchelintsev from MoscowÕs ×Slavic Centre for Law and JusticeÒ (SCLC) sees serious injustice in the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate is absent from the list. Due to its overpowering size, the law of averages would demand that a least a few of its organisations find their way onto the list. Yet Protestants, who speak for less than 1% of the Russian population, make up 62% of the total list. He sees no regard for the appropriateness of means, describing liquidation as akin to meting out the death penalty to persons found guilty of jaywalking. ÒSuch actions fly in the face of official Russian state policy on the freedom of worship and creed.Ó Pchelintsev, a seasoned legal veteran, believes the responsible officials are hardly aware of the complicated international ramifications of their own decree and cites the possibility of Òchaos and destabilisation in church-state relationsÓ.

In June, the highly-active SCLJ succeeded in getting a decision requiring the liquidation of a 30-member Methodist congregation in Smolensk overturned. Two years ago, it won a European Court ruling in Strasbourg sentencing the Russian Federation to a fine for having forbidden the work of the Salvation Army. The SCLJ was initially formed in 1993 and took on its present name when it became an affiliate of the Washington/DC-based ÒAmerican Center for Law and JusticeÓ (ACLJ) in 1998. The head of ACLJ is Jay Sekulow, AmericaÕs leading attorney on religious affairs. ACLJ was founded in 1990 by the controversial Pat Robertson, a Southern Baptist and charismatic. He is probably AmericaÕs most prominent television preacher.

The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.  (posted 24 August 2008)

ANDREI SEBENTSOV:  "MINISTRY OF JUSTICE DOING DUTY, OPENLY"
Portal-Credo.ru, 21 October 2008

The executive secretary of the Commission for Affairs of Religious Associations of the government of Russia, Andrei Sebentsov, told Portal-credo.ru:  "The Ministry of Justice is fulfilling its responsibilities while doing so in an absolutely open way. It is another matter whether it warned those who were negligent."

Portal-credo.ru:  How do you evaluate the appearance in the news media of reports that the Ministry of Justice declared its intention of filing suit in court for the liquidation of a number of religious organizations?

Andrei Sebentsov:  "I evaluate it as a completely natural fulfillment by the Ministry of Justice of its functions, of its direct responsibility to oversee the activity of organizations registered by it. At the same time, the ministry is doing so in a manner whereby such information was published on its generally accessible website and it is doing everything absolutely openly. It is another matter whether it warned those who were negligent, in the sense of whether the agency sent letters concerning its intention. Although I consider that the posting of this information on the website was absolutely correct.

--But the majority of religious organizations enumerated in the list were seriously frightened, and not only they. We are accustomed in our society to arbitrariness and thus the very word "liquidation" carries some kind of threat to existence. For some, panic has even begun.. . .

--What "panic"?  It is simply necessary to gather and fill out quickly the required documents and submit them to where the legislation specifies. To report that we are alive and well and in the future we promise to be punctual and not fall into such sad situations. According to law religious organizations are required to present annually information about the continuation of their activity.

And the necessary information must be submitted to two agencies. The first is the Ministry of Justice, which handles the registration of noncommercial organizations and oversees their activity on the basis of the law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations." And the second agency to which religious organizations must submit information is the financial agency, the tax inspection. Because if the Ministry of Justice simply announces that it still intends to file suit, then in accordance with article 21.1 of the law on registration of legal entities and enterprises, the tax service has the right to remove them from the register without any trial.

--That is, in accordance with a single procedure for everyone, it is necessary to fulfill their obligations like everyone?

--Like everyone.

--For a rather long time the Ministry of Justice did not remember about its fulfillment of supervisory functions, and then it woke up. Could there be in such a case the existence of some other factor? For example, the question about the licensing of the conduct of educational activity? For example, inside the Coordinating Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus?

--I do not think so. The more so since everything is quite clear with regard to the educational question in religious organizations. For example, if we are talking about Sunday religious schools, which should be called as such, they have the right to operate and they do operate without any registration document, licenses, and the like. Such education is a part of immediate religious activity of religious organizations, which they engage in by definition. I have in mind the identity of a religious organization that includes doctrines, ritual, and the training of adherents in the spirit of the given confession. Nobody has the right to interfere with religious organizations in these matters. Although there have been such attempts, but they were always taken to court, which restored the violated right.

I would also note that such religious academic institutions should not be called "universities" or "academies." And there is, unfortunately, a not very smart tendency to call themselves "colleges," for example, and then to be surprised that somebody wants to liquidate them because of the absence of a license.

It is quite a different matter when the issue is the training of specialistsÑreligious personnel as such, preachers, missionaries, and so forthÑor the creation of an academic institution with a broad profile and teaching with a stress on the religious aspect. In such cases, in accordance with the law, a license should certainly be acquired.

--That is, law-abiding believers and religious organizations have no basis for panic?

--There is reason to wake up finally and fulfill the rules for the registration of legal entities common for everybody. But for panic, no.  (tr. by PDS, posted 24 October 2008)


Russia Religion News Current News Items

---