STATE DUMA ADOPTS LAW SIMPLIFYING REGISTRATION OF RELIGIOUSORGANIZATIONS
The State Duma adopted on second and third reading a draft law that replaces the requirement of the necessity of confirming a 15-year period of existence of a religious group for its state registration as a religious organization.
In addition, the requirement for religious organizations to present annually duplicate information about the continuation of their activity in addition to an accounting in the established form was removed.
The law provides that persons who can be members of a religious group are citizens of the RF and other persons who reside continually and legally on the territory of the RF.
The procedure for notifying about the start of the activity of a religious group and about the continuation of its activity, at least once every three years, was clarified.
In addition, the law establishes that a religious association has the right to conduct teaching of religion and the religious education of its adherents in a manner established by legislation of the RF in forms defined by the internal regulations of religious associations. At the same time, it notes that the teaching of religion and religious education are not educational activity.
At the same time, restrictions are imposed upon local religious organizations that are not members of the structure of a centralized religious organization of the same religious confession. During a period of 10 years from the day of their state registration upon their creation, local religious organizations do not enjoy a number of rights: they may not create educational organizations, or contain a representation of a foreign religious organization, or establish news media, or invite foreigners for engaging in professional activity including preaching and religious activity. Also during the course of this period, local religious organizations may not conduct religious rituals in treatment, preventive, and hospital institutions, orphanages, nursing homes for the elderly and disabled, and prisons. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 July 2015)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.