STATE DUMA TO
TOUGHEN LEGISLATION ON "DESTRUCTIVE SECTS"
In Russian
legislation there is no concept of "sect" as such
by Gennady
Okorokov
Vecherniaia
Moskva,
8 January 2019
In the spring,
deputies of the State Duma will consider a draft bill, which
should protect
Russians from the influence of "pseudoreligious, destructive
organizations"
and "anti-social groups," more simply put as sects.
Many of these
associations, despite their declared religious activity, are
engaged in direct
fraud and filching the property of citizens ala the recipes of
Ostap Bender [a
fictional con man in novels by Ilf and Petrov—tr.].
The victims of
such organizations often are elderly or lonely people and those
who find
themselves in a difficult life situation, children, and
teenagers. It is these
groups at risk that the new draft law is primarily supposed to
protect.
In the opinion
of senators and deputies, the demand for it is long overdue.
"Sects are
a very dangerous milieu and legislation in this area must
govern. We are
preparing suggestions as to how to protect citizens from them.
Unfortunately,
at present there is not a single region where there are not such
sects.
According to expert estimates, in Russia about 500 destructive
organizations
are operating. At the same time, in Russian legislation there is
not the concept
of 'sect' as such, much less 'destructive sect;' it does not
exist," the
Parlamentskaia Gazeta quotes Senator Elena Mizulina.
The idea of a
draft bill was previously supported also by the chair of the
Federation
Council, Valentina Matvienko.
It is planned to
introduce the draft into the State Duma in the spring and work
on it is now
continuing.
Expert's opinion
Alexander
Dvorkin, a professor of the PSTGU [Orthodox St. Tikhon
Humanities University]
and president of the St. Irenaeus of Lyons Center of Religious
Studies
Research: "The
topic is complex.
Here it is very important to give a clear definition that
encompasses relevant
groups and does not harm law-abiding religious organizations.
Here it will be
necessary to go along this thin line in the court of work on the
drat law.
Regarding the list, it is necessary to take into account that it
will never be
comprehensive. Destructive groups change, divide, and disappear,
and new ones
appear. Therefore a mechanism will be worked out for expansion.
Members of the
working group have still not disclosed all suggestion for
defining destructive
groups and forming their registry." (tr. by PDS, posted 17
January 2019)
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