L.N.R. LAW ON FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE AND RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATONS BANS ACTIVITY OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN THE REPUBLIC
Website of Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, 5 February 2018
The law "On Freedom of conscience and religious associations," adopted by the People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic [L.N.R.] on 2 February, prohibits the activity of religious groups on the territory of the L.N.R. This was reported today, 5 February, at a briefing in the Luhansk Information Center by the acting minister of culture, sports, and youth of the L.N.R., Dmitry Sidorov, and the head of the Department for Affairs of Religious Organizations and Spirituality of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, [Ministerstvo Kultury, Sporta, i Molodezhi—MKSM], Andrei Litsoev.
"We deliberately excluded the concept of religious groups from the law. This is necessary so that the confessional affiliation of one or another organization will be clearly understood," the acting minister noted.
He emphasized that the law deliberately prohibits the activity of religious groups on the territory of the L.N.R.
"We have deliberately prohibited religious groups. A religious group is an organization consisting of five persons and not having a direct association with any one of the traditional confessions," Sidorov explained.
"Previously we deliberately put an end to such organizations, with the exception of groups that had operated on the territory of Ukraine and continue their activity. As of the present, they also are explicitly prohibited on the territory of the republic," Sidorov emphasized.
He recalled that according to the law which was adopted, all religious organizations and associations operating on the territory of the L.N.R., within three months from the date on which the law takes effect, must go through a required procedure of registration; otherwise their activity in the republic will also be considered to be illegal.
"From the moment the aforesaid law takes effect, the activity of unregistered organizations will be illegal and consequently will be criminally punishable. Within three months after the adoption of the law, religious associations operating on the territory of the L.N.R. must begin state registration," the acting head of the MKSM said.
Dmitry Sidorov specified that there is no procedure providing for confirmation of Ukrainian documents in the republic.
"By the general procedure, authorized representatives of organizations come and submit documents, go through a religious studies expert analysis, receive certification in the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the L.N.R., and then go to be registered in the agencies of justice," he explained.
He said that expert analysis is necessary for "a strict mechanism of filtering organizations in order to prevent registration of organizations that have a risk of turning out to be extremist or radical in their activity or of withdrawing from the confessions.
"There was a precedent: two organizations that were questionable in the opinion of the expert council submitted document and therefore they are also at the stage of approval with security agencies. As of now, 126 such permits have been issued," the head of MKSM reported.
The head of the Department for Affairs of Religious Organizations and Spirituality of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the L.N.R., Andrei Litsoev, explained that the expert council includes representatives of the clergy of various confessions that are generally recognized in the world and theology specialists from the Vladimir Dal Luhansk National University.
"Now on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth there is a department of religion where you can find our telephone number. We are expecting calls and visits and we are always ready to receive your documents for consideration and to explain; we have experienced specialists working," Litsoev added.
We recall that it was previously reported that a state religious studies expert analysis started working in September 2017 in the L.N.R. for state registration of religious organizations (legal entities).
The start of the work of the Expert Council for state religious studies expert analysis on the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic provided the possibility of receiving conclusions for religious organizations for subsequent registration and inclusion in the state register as legal entities, which in turn gave the possibility for religious organizations to conduct legal activity within the existing legal field of the Luhansk People's Republic.
On 23 January there was a session of the Expert Council for conducting state religious studies expert analyses, functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the L.N.R. At the session, applications for finding them to be religious, received from 126 organizations, were considered.
The members of the Expert Council are 13 representatives of the academic community in the sphere of religion and theology, law enforcement agencies of the L.N.R., and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the L.N.R. They will meet monthly for conducting state religious studies expert analyses on recently received applications. (tr. by PDS, posted 7 February 2018)
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