RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Russian rights advocates challenge current system

AT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST OF SOCIETY

ReligioPolis, 5 October 2015

 

From 21 September to 2 October 2015, the annual conference of OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] was held in Warsaw. On 30 September, an expert of the SOVA Center for News and Analysis addressed the working session "Basic freedoms II." We are publishing the text of the statement submitted and our recommendations.

 

Respected Madam Moderator and esteemed conference participants:

 

1. Antiextremist legislation has for several years remained one of the chief sources of a threat for freedom of conscience in Russia. Representatives of various religions are subjected to illegal prosecution in accordance with the rules of this legislation, but most often than others are various groups of peaceful Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses. At the present time two adherents of Said Nursi are being punished with incarceration for religious activity, who do not pose any public danger.

 

Religious literature, most often Muslim, which is clearly not radical, is regularly prohibited by courts, as in the past. For example, a collection of verses of the Quran, with commentaries, was ruled extremist, and from the court's decision it is obvious that the only reason for the decision was the affirmation of the truth of Islam.

 

Russian antiextremist legislation, just like its analogues in a number of post-soviet countries, is ineffective for solving problems of security, but it promotes the restriction of freedom of religion. It leads to discrimination against Muslims and the creation of the image of the enemy which is fraught only with the destabilization of the situation.

 

2. Unfortunately, xenophobia toward representatives of new religious organizations is often supported by bureaucrats and personnel of law enforcement agencies, taking advantage of a negative coloration of antisectarian rhetoric and abuse of the capacities of administrative pressure upon these organizations. Baseless accusations of extremism against these organization also do not facilitate the formation of a tolerant attitude toward them and raise the level of anxiety in society.

 

3. In the summer of this year, in Russia there were adopted amendments to the law on freedom of conscience, according to which religious groups, even those that are not intending to register as an organization, are required to inform authorities about the fundamentals of their religious confession, sites of conducting religious actions, and even all participants of the group. Such a rule violates, inter alia, rules on the protection of personal data. It is entirely unclear which groups of believers will be considered by authorities as obliged to provide such data about themselves.

 

Judging by everything, these amendments were introduced into the law for reasons of security on the model of several countries, like Kazakhstan, but they seem to be counterproductive even in this sense.

 

4.  Construction of churches, mosques, and other houses of worship is always a matter of compromise between representatives of religious communities, city authorities, and local populations. Unfortunately, in many Russian regions, and primarily in Moscow, such compromise is not working out and the construction of churches very often is accompanied by conflicts. Orthodox parishes are gaining allocation of parcels in park zones, contrary to legislation, which naturally evokes protests by the population, and the authorities often ignore cases of violation of the law. At the same time Muslims clearly have lacked sufficient mosques in Moscow for several years and have not been able to get permission for construction, and officials justify their refusal by citing a small number of local residents.

 

Such a clear support for the interests of one religious organization at the expense of the rest of society is perceived as discrimination and it facilitates the growth of tension within society

 

Recommendations for member states of OSCE:

 

1. Reject the use of a list of forbidden literature as the means of defending tolerance, including religious tolerance. This instrument has already demonstrated its complete ineffectiveness although it has engendered many violations of human rights.

 

2. Agree that religious tolerance should be protected by the same mechanisms as other forms of tolerance, and reject the creation of special standards restricting one or another liberty specifically for the sake of preserving religious tolerance.

 

3.  Reject any laws that interpret religious dispute as arousing religious hatred, and reconsider earlier decisions so concluded.

 

4. Develop effective mechanisms for making decision regarding construction of religious buildings.

 

5. Eliminate requirements for informal groups of believers to submit information about themselves to governmental bodies if they are not seeking official status. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 October 2015)


Russia Religion News Current News Items

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/.