VLADIMIR PUTIN SIGNS LAW ON IMMUNITY OF TEXTS OF SACRED SCRIPTURES
Portal-credo.ru, 24 November 2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on introducing changes into the federal law "On combating extremist activity," according to which texts of sacred scriptures may not be ruled to be extremist, Gazeta.ru reported on 23 November.
"The Bible, Quran, Tanakh, and Kangyur; their contents; and quotations from them may not be ruled to be extremist materials," the text of the document says.
The law takes effect on the day of its publication.
An explanatory note says that the Russian constitution guarantees each person freedom of conscience and religious confession, including the right to confess individually or jointly with others any religion or not to confess any.
In mid-September it was reported that a court in South Sakhalinsk ruled a book with suras out of the Quran to be extremist. After this the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, promised "personally to call to account" South Sakhalinsk Judge Natalia Perchenko and Prosecutor Tatiana Bilobrovets, calling them "shaitans" ["devils"]. (tr. by PDS, posted 25 November 2015)
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