Orthodox christianity, judaism, buddhism and islam. We further urge russia to respect the right of all to exercise the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. Commission on international religious freedom just classified russia as one of the worlds worst violators of religious liberty, recommending in its 2017 annual report that the u. Russian federations constitution of 1993 with amendments through 2008.
The constitution of the soviet union promises its citizens freedom of conscience and religion, as is obvious in this statement from article 52 of the soviet constitution. This commission has designated russia as a country of particular concern for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Neither these measures nor the currently existing antiextremism law meet international human rights and religious freedom standards, he. Russian authorities use this elastic definition to label as extremist any religious beliefs they dont consider orthodox. The constitution provides for freedom of religion, guaranteeing equal rights irrespective of religious belief and the right to worship and profess ones religion, but by law officials may prohibit the activity of a religious association for violating public order or engaging in extremist activity. Christians fleeing persecution in russia can stay in germa. In the russian federation private, state, municipal and other forms of property.
The law clearly violates russian constitutional protections of freedom of speech and religion, as well as russias international commitments to religious freedom and free speech. International religious freedom report for 2018 united states department of state bureau of democracy, human rights, and labor according to media sources, religious freedom activists, the uockp, muslims, protestant churches, and jehovahs witnesses, russian proxy authorities in. Thanksgiving in russia helped me appreciate religious freedom. As such, it represents a collision of legal cultures. Russian authorities have taken some also positive steps to ensure that believers have an opportunity to exercise their right to freedom of religion as guaranteed by both the rf constitution and the convention for the protection on human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, the opening of russias first democratic constitution to significant structural overhaul poses other dangers as well. Cassidy, the director of research and policy at the u. As the soviet union began to crumble in the late 1980s, russian leaders expressed an unprecedented new vision of religious freedom. Article 14 of the constitution of the russian federation declares that russia is a secular state, forbids the establishment of a state or obligatory religion, and. Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or. If passed, this legislation will turn back the clock on religious freedom in russia. Commission on international religious freedom, told the congressional commission.
Even if the russian constitution claims to provide for freedom of religion, equal rights irrespective of religious belief, and the right to worship and profess ones religion, in practice. Russia mnn the status of religious freedom in russia continues to balance dangerously on a crumbling fulcrum. Article 28 of the russian federation constitution declares. As vladimir lukin had stressed in his 2005 ombudsmans report, the russian state has achieved significant progress in the observance of religious freedom and lawful activity of religious associations, overcoming a heritage of totalitarianism, domination of a single ideology and party dictatorship. In the russian federation recognition and guarantees shall be provided for the rights and freedoms of man and citizen according to the universally recognized principles and norms of international law and according to.
These deeply flawed antiterrorism measures will buttress the russian governments war against human rights and religious freedom, said uscirf chair thomas j. What the soviet constitution says about freedom and. There have been more than three hundred proposed changes to the constitution, many of which have serious implications for. Everyone shall be guaranteed the right to freedom of conscience, to freedom of religious worship, including the right to profess, individually or jointly with others, any religion, or to profess no religion, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious or other beliefs, and to. The law states government officials may prohibit the activity of a. Russian federation freedom of religion country by country. A new opinion has recently gained notoriety that mentioning god in the constitution will bless and unite society in the wake of new challenges and problems which russian society is facing. What the soviet constitution says about freedom and religion. Although the russian constitution technically guarantees religious freedom, the country only recognizes four official religions. All religious minorities should be able to enjoy freedom of religion and assembly without interference, as guaranteed by the russian federations constitution. Based on these concerns, in 2016 uscirf again places russia on tier 2, where it has been since 2009. Russias yarovaya law imposes harsh new restrictions on. The latest in this news involves a group of people who may have recently knocked on your door.
As the russian federation has drifted back to its soviet roots more and more over the past 25 years, it has increasingly sought to harass, persecute, and destroy any religious organization that. These rights are guaranteed by the russian constitution, which also forbids discrimination or abridgement of the rights of citizens on religious grounds. The religious freedom news service forum 18 shared stories of a baptist church being raided, a baptist pastor punished for displaying worship times, and a. They deem the russian orthodox churchs moscow patriarchate the nations cultural and religious repository and. The constitution of the russian federation, promulgated in 1993, is a mixed document, drawing from the angloamerican, continental european, and russian constitutional traditions. According to the law, the objective of domestic religious policy is to foster the creation of a tolerant society and provide for freedom of conscience. Russia has no heritage of religious liberty to draw on. Religious freedom violations also escalated in russianoccupied crimea and russiansep aratist regions of eastern ukraine. Russian federations constitution of 1993 with amendments.
During the 1990s, however, russian orthodox leaders voiced opposition to the activities of foreign religions. Russian law and international norms all give latitude for laws that would protect the state from credible threats of violence, but by the banning simple sharing of. The 1990 law on freedom of religion and the 1993 russian constitution promised religious freedom for all. The bill makes a mockery of the guarantees of religious freedom proclaimed in the russian constitution, which states clearly that the russian federation shall be a. Russia 2017 international religious freedom report executive summary the constitution provides for freedom of religion, equal rights irrespective of religious belief, and the rights to worship and profess ones religion. He serves as advisor within the religious freedom initiative of mission eurasia. International response to russias supreme court decision. The documents and the approach of the russian orthodox church with regard to the protection of human rights, and specifically the right of religious freedom, demonstrate a deliberate attempt to denounce an international system perceived as culturally hegemonized by the discourse on rights in a western context and which deliberately excludes. Russian federation and considers crimea still to be a part of ukraine. They will make it easier for russian authorities to repress religious communities. Everyone shall be guaranteed the right to freedom of conscience, to freedom of religious worship, including the right to profess, individually or jointly with others, any religion, or to profess no religion, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious or other beliefs, and to act in conformity with them. Lord ahmad of wimbledon, minister for human rights, foreign and commonwealth office, great britain.
Russia s constitution of 1993 declared, everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with other any. Several sociological studies have been conducted in recent times that show that. Proshak has studied theology, religious studies, sociology, and law in ukraine and the netherlands and is a researcher on the questions of religious liberty, equality, and nondiscrimination in eurasia. According to the keston institute, a group based in oxford, england, that monitors religious freedom in the former communist world, many churches have been repeatedly rejected on. Russia and violations of religious freedom october 23, 2015 file russian jews attend a service marking holocaust memorial day in moscow. In the russian federation private, state, municipal and other forms of property shall be. Updating the provisions of chapters 1, 2, 9 of the constitution of russia is considered a revision of its fundamental provisions, which is possible only through the adoption of the new constitution of the russian federation by the constitutional assembly or by popular vote article 5 of the constitution of russia. Opinion religious freedom in russia the new york times. This led to the 1990 religious freedom act, russia s first legislation granting religious liberty. Ukraine executive summary the constitution protects freedom of religion and provides for the separation of church and state. Russia 2018 international religious freedom report executive summary the constitution provides for freedom of religion, equal rights irrespective of religious belief, and the right to worship and profess ones religion. Russias decadelong attack on religious freedom intensifies.
This led to the 1990 religious freedom act, russias first legislation granting religious liberty. New laws an affront to basic human rightsarticle 28everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with other any religion or to profess no religion at all, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them. Thus, overt claims of religious beliefs was a hindrance to individual advancement. This ruling confirms the criminalisation of the peaceful worship of 175,000 russian citizens and contravenes the right to religious freedom that is enshrined in the russian constitution. Two months ago russian president vladimir putin signed into law a number of antiterrorism measures that limit missionary and evangelistic efforts and restrict the religious freedoms on nonorthodox groups. Constitution of the russian federation, 25 december 1993. Although the constitution of the former soviet union nominally guaranteed religious freedom, religious activities were greatly constrained and membership in religious organizations was considered incompatible with membership in the communist party. Russias new antimissionary law in context religious. The russian orthodox church and global religious freedom. Jehovahs witnesses, like all other religious groups, must be able to peacefully enjoy freedom of assembly without interference, as guaranteed by the constitution of the russian federation as. The law states government officials may prohibit the activity of a religious association for.