Source: www.forum18.org
Date: March 12, 2024
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Victoria Arnold, Forum 18, and John Kinahan, Forum 18
Russia's government seriously violates its freedom of religion and belief
obligations, along with interlinked human rights such as the freedoms of
expression, association, and assembly. A presidential election is due to
take place on 15-17 March. Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia as either
President or Prime Minister from 1999, and his rule has been marked by
multiple serious human rights violations and the invasion of Ukraine.
Serious freedom of religion or belief violations documented by Forum 18
within Russia's internationally recognised borders include but are not
limited to:
- "extremism"-related criminal prosecutions and jailings of Jehovah's
Witnesses and of Muslims who meet to study the works of the late Turkish
theologian Said Nursi. Both groups have been outlawed as "extremist
organisations", but adherents continue to meet without state permission in
each other's homes to pray and sing together, study sacred texts, and to
discuss shared beliefs;
- eight interlocking consequences related to "extremism" investigations and
criminal convictions for exercising freedom of religion or belief;
- torture, and impunity for officials suspected of torture;
- prisoners of conscience deprived of Russian citizenship and deported from
Russia after their sentence;
- a Federal Wanted List of over 95,000 individuals, including at least 42
individuals facing criminal charges to punish them for exercising freedom
of religion or belief or for reporting on violations of this right;
- new specific Criminal Code and Administrative Code penalties for
allegedly "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces and "volunteer
formations" and Criminal Code penalties for spreading alleged "false
information" about the actions of the Armed Forces, "volunteer formations",
and state bodies (these are aimed at punishing criticism of Russia's
renewed invasion of Ukraine);
- prosecuting, fining, and jailing Russians who protest against the
invasion from a religious (and non-religious) perspective;
- no legal or practical provision for alternative civilian service (ACS)
during mobilisation, leading to conscientious objectors being sent to fight
in Ukraine;
- closing the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis for holding events
outside Moscow.
Context
A Russian presidential election is due to take place on 15-17 March 2024.
Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia as either President or Prime Minister
(between 2008 and 2012) from 1999. The last 2018 presidential election was
not found to be free and fair
(https://www.osce.org/files/f/
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observers. Human
rights defenders the Movement for Defence of Voters' Rights Golos (the only
independent nationwide Russian election observation movement) continues to
document violations of the human right to participate in free and fair
elections (https://golosinfo.org/en), as does European human rights
defenders Russian Election Monitor
(https://www.russian-election-
Russian human rights defenders such as OVD-Info (https://en.ovdinfo.org/)
continue to document serious human rights violations, as do international
human rights defenders such as Human Rights Watch
(https://www.hrw.org/europe/ce
Among many human rights violations, torture has been repeatedly documented
by Russian journalists working with the Latvia-based Meduza media project
(https://meduza.io/en). Corruption is also widespread, as has been
documented by the Organised Crime and Corruption Media Project
(https://www.occrp.org/russia?
Under June 2022 amendments, Russia will not enforce any European Court of
Human Rights (ECtHR) decision which came into force after 15 March 2022,
and will pay outstanding compensation in earlier cases only in Roubles and
not to bank accounts in countries deemed "unfriendly". "Russia hasn't been
the best in enforcing ECtHR judgments domestically, far from it," a
Jehovah's Witness lawyer told Forum 18, but added that positive judgments
"generally slowed down the infringements". Moscow lawyer Sergey Okhotin
described the amendments as "retroactively depriving Russian citizens of
the right to international protection".
This survey documents the most serious (but not all) freedom of religion or
belief violations within Russia's internationally-recognised borders.
Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory
The renewed 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was preceded by the 2014
invasion and illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. In 2014,
Russian-backed rebels also seized some eastern parts of Ukraine's Donbas.
Since then, the Russian government has continued to commit serious freedom
of religion or belief violations in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
These violations, along with violations of other human rights since
Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine, have also been documented by the United
Nations (UN) Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
(https://ukraine.un.org/en/res
(HRMMU) among others.
"Extremism" charges, punishments
Before Russia's renewed 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the most serious freedom
of religion or belief violations within Russia's internationally-recognised
borders (https://www.forum18.org/archi
"extremism"-related criminal prosecutions and jailings of Jehovah's
Witnesses and of Muslims who meet to study the works of the late Turkish
theologian Said Nursi (1877-1960).
The activities being prosecuted are similar, including meeting without
state permission in homes to pray and sing together, study sacred texts,
and to discuss shared beliefs.
Muslims who meet to study the writings of theologian Said Nursi may also be
prosecuted under the Extremism Law for organising or participating in the
activities of "Nurdzhular". Muslims in Russia deny any such formal
organisation exists, but the Supreme Court banned it as "extremist" in
2008.
Jehovah's Witnesses have been liable to criminal prosecution since the 2017
Supreme Court ruling which liquidated their Administrative Centre (and its
subsidiary structures) as an "extremist organisation" and outlawed their
activities nationwide.
Texts by and about Nursi in Russian translation and multiple Jehovah's
Witness publications are on the Justice Ministry's Federal List of
Extremist Materials, alongside material which incites the violations of
human rights. Any lower court can, without considering evidence, order any
text to be added to the Federal List, which prohibits their production and
distribution within Russia. The List's length, complexity, bibliographical
shortcomings, and irregular updates make it very difficult or even
impossible to check whether a particular item has been banned.
Possessing texts on the List makes individuals and religious communities
liable to administrative prosecution (while the presence of banned
literature can form part of evidence in a criminal case). Before the 2017
nationwide ban on Jehovah's Witness organisations, local Jehovah's Witness
communities were administratively prosecuted for possession of items on the
List – sometimes apparently planted by police during searches – and
then banned as local organisations.
The removal of an item from the Federal List is rare and can be
short-lived, and in recent years new texts have been added at an increasing
rate.
Typically, the first those targeted know of an "extremism" case against
them is early morning or late night raids on their homes by large numbers
of armed and masked officers from agencies such as the Federal Security
Service (FSB), the Investigative Committee, the National Guard, and
possibly other agencies – including in one instance the Investigative
Department of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet. Officials search homes and
confiscate electronic devices and personal items such as bank cards, money,
religious literature, and photographs. Such searches can take many hours.
Investigators then take some people away for questioning and possible
detention. The raids take place after those targeted have been under FSB or
police surveillance for some months, using methods such as covert
recordings of meetings and conversations, CCTV cameras, and monitoring of
social media accounts.
Most of those prosecuted are placed on the Rosfinmonitoring "List of
Terrorists and Extremists", even before any trial takes place (see below).
After being kept under FSB security service or police surveillance for some
months, Muslims who meet to study the works of Said Nursi and Jehovah's
Witnesses tend to be prosecuted under Criminal Code Article 282.2 for
"organising" (Part 1), or "participating in" (Part 2), "the activity of a
social or religious association or other organisation in relation to which
a court has adopted a decision legally in force on liquidation or ban on
the activity in connection with the carrying out of extremist activity".
The majority of convictions have been under this Article.
Possible punishments are:
Part 1 ("organising")
– six to 10 years' imprisonment and compulsory restrictions on freedom
for one to two years after release, plus a compulsory ban on holding
certain positions and/or carrying out certain activities for up to 10 years
(see below);
- or a 400,000 to 800,000 Rouble fine;
Part 2 ("participation")
– two to six years' imprisonment, plus a possible ban on holding certain
positions and/or carrying out certain activities for up to five years, and
compulsory restrictions on freedom for up to one year after release (see
below);
- or a 300,000 to 600,000 Rouble fine;
- or one to four years' assigned work and compulsory restrictions on
freedom for up to one year, plus a possible ban on holding certain
positions and/or carrying out certain activities for up to three years (see
below).
Prosecutors have also brought charges against several Jehovah's Witnesses
under Criminal Code Article 282.3, Part 1 ("Financing extremist activity"),
apparently for continuing to collect donations for activities from other
Jehovah's Witnesses. Possible punishments are:
- three to eight years' imprisonment;
- or a 300,000 to 700,000 Rouble fine;
- or one to four years' assigned work, plus a possible ban on holding
certain positions and/or carrying out certain activities for up to three
years (see below).
Prosecutors have also brought charges against Jehovah's Witnesses and
Muslims under Criminal Code Article 282.2, Part 1.1 ("Inclination,
recruitment or other involvement of a person in an extremist
organisation"). Possible punishments are:
- four to eight years' imprisonment;
- or a 300,000 to 700,000 Rouble fine;
- or two to five years' assigned work, plus a possible ban on holding
certain positions and/or carrying out certain activities for up to three
years (see below).
A fine of 300,000 Roubles represented in early 2024 about 4 months' wages
for those in formal work at the average rate of pay across Russia. Levels
of pay vary widely, however, from region to region. Such a fine represents
about 15 months' pension for those on the average level of pension.
All the above prison terms may also be suspended. This means that the
convicted person does not have to serve the time in prison unless they are
found guilty of another crime or repeated administrative offence. This
includes offences unrelated to the activity which led to their original
conviction. Judges can also impose a range of restrictions on freedom both
during the probationary periods of suspended sentences, and for certain
periods after a person's release from imprisonment.
Suspended sentences are the most common form of punishment handed down to
Jehovah's Witnesses found guilty of "organising" or "participating" in
allegedly "extremist" activity such as continuing to meet for worship.
Between the Supreme Court's 2017 ban on the Jehovah's Witnesses and 13
March 2024, investigators had opened criminal cases against 762 individuals
in 73 of Russia's 83 federal subjects. First-instance courts had convicted
466 people and ultimately acquitted none. A total of 128 Jehovah's
Witnesses are on trial as of mid-March 2024 in first-instance courts, while
another 147 remain under investigation or awaiting court appearances.
Investigators and prosecutors have dropped the criminal charges against
only 21 people (three of whom are dead).
Thirteen Jehovah's Witnesses have died during or after being investigated
– two while on trial, two shortly after charges against them were
dropped, the rest before their cases reached court. They included a
90-year-old woman who was the oldest person ever to be added to the
Rosfinmonitoring "List of Terrorists and Extremists". (The oldest person on
the List as of mid-March 2024 is also a Jehovah's Witness, who will turn 90
this year.)
Of those convicted, 147 have received prison terms ranging from one to
eight years in length, while 247 have received suspended sentences and 60
fines. Five people have been sentenced to terms of assigned work
(prinuditelniye raboty). (One man was found guilty posthumously but the
court issued no sentence. The sentences of six convicted people remain
unclear.)
Interlocking consequences related to "extremism" investigations and
criminal convictions
There are eight interlocking consequences related to "extremism"
investigations and criminal convictions for exercising freedom of religion
or belief:
a) during investigation and even if no trial takes place, inclusion on the
Rosfinmonitoring "List of Terrorists and Extremists", which blocks their
bank accounts, and causes problems in finding formal employment, obtaining
insurance, buying and selling property, and a range of other financial
activities.
b) if convicted, the prison sentence itself, or possible fines which must
be paid within 30 days of the fine entering legal force;
c) for suspended sentences, a probationary period during which any other
conviction would send the defendant to prison;
d) for those not given prison or suspended sentences, or fines, a possible
period of assigned work. This may take the form of a paid job in any
organisation, as determined by the correctional centre administering the
sentence. Deductions from pay of 5 to 20 per cent may be transferred to the
prison service. The assigned work depends on availability and the convicted
person has no right to refuse. Officials check on convicted persons'
locations at least once a day;
e) a possible period of restrictions on freedom. This normally includes a
curfew between particular hours, a ban on visiting certain places, a ban on
leaving one's home town, a ban on attendance at or participation in
particular events, a ban on changing one's place of residence, work, or
study without the probation authorities' permission, and an obligation to
register with probation authorities one to four times per month;
f) sudimost, or the state of having an active criminal record. Individuals
may face a harsher sentence if prosecuted and convicted again during this
period. Individuals are also barred from holding jobs in sectors such as
the aviation industry, education, finance, the police and similar agencies,
the civil service, and from standing for election. Although there is no
legal bar on employment in other sectors, many people find it hard to
secure formal work after criminal convictions. Sudimost expires at the end
of the probationary period for those who have received suspended sentences.
For those who have received fines, sudimost expires one year after the fine
is paid. The length of sudimost for those given prison terms depends on the
category of crime of which they have been convicted – for serious
offences such as those under Criminal Code Article 282.2 ("Organisation of"
or "participation in" the activity of a banned "extremist" organisation),
sudimost lasts for eight years;
g) for those given prison sentences, administrative supervision for the
entirety of their period of sudimost. Administrative supervision consists
of a set of restrictions on movements and activities, and a requirement to
register regularly with the police;
h) and for those convicted under Criminal Code Article 282.2 ("Organisation
of" or "participation in" the activity of a banned "extremist"
organisation), either compulsory or discretionary bans on holding
particular positions or undertaking particular activities. These include:
leading, participating in, or holding positions of responsibility in
religious or public organisations. This would ban an individual from any
participation in any registered religious organisation – even a religious
community with no connection to their conviction. Individuals can also be
banned from other activities, such as speaking publicly and publishing in
the media and on the internet.
Trials for organising or participating in activities of organisations
banned as "extremist"
In October 2021, the Supreme Court directed judges to ascertain a
defendant's "specific actions" in relation to continuing a banned
organisation, noting that actions "consisting solely of the exercise of
their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion .. do not in
themselves constitute a crime .. if they do not contain signs of
extremism".
This guidance appears to have had virtually no effect on the conviction
rate for Jehovah's Witnesses charged with "organising" or "participating
in" the activities of a banned "extremist organisation". Courts have now
overturned all eight acquittals of Jehovah's Witnesses found not guilty of
"extremism" offences after the 2017 ban on their activity. All the
acquittals were at least partly based on amended Supreme Court guidance.
All eight previously acquitted individuals have since been re-tried and
seven were found guilty (a court in Sverdlovsk Region freed one woman from
criminal responsibility because the statute of limitations for minors had
expired – Darya Dulova was under 18 when her alleged offences took
place). Two men received prison term upon re-trial – one of them, Dmitry
Barmakin from Vladivostok, was sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment, the
joint-longest term known to have been imposed on a Jehovah's Witness –
while the other five received suspended sentences.
Similarly, the Supreme Court guidance appears to have had no effect on the
conviction rate for Muslims who read the works of theologian Said Nursi,
who often face similar "extremism"-related charges. The guidance has,
however, resulted in the early release from prison of one Muslim prosecuted
for studying Nursi's works.
Courts have almost exclusively handed down convictions in criminal cases
against both Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims who meet to read Nursi's
works, and more appeals have been unsuccessful than successful. Prosecutors
persist in challenging every decision that higher courts may make in favour
of defendants.
"It is necessary to understand that every region and even every court in
Russia has its own practice," Jehovah's Witness lawyers told Forum 18 on 14
September 2022. "Everyone is guilty, but the punishment is different
everywhere." The defence "of course" refers to the Supreme Court guidance
in every case, Jehovah's Witness lawyers told Forum 18 on 13 June 2023, but
"the judges ignore it completely".
"The Supreme Court made a clear indication to all judges when it overturned
two of our acquittals in the case of Zolotova et al. in Yelizovo [Kamchatka
Region] and the case of Pryanikov et al. in Karpinsk," the lawyers added.
In both these cases, prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court after the
defendants were acquitted based on the Supreme Court guidance. The Supreme
Court then ignored its own guidance and sent the cases back to lower courts
for re-examination.
Retired bookkeeper Vera Zolotova (born 20 October 1946) and teachers
Snezhana Bazhenova and Konstantin Bazhenov were arrested by the
Investigative Committee after searches of their homes in the town of
Yelizovo in Kamchatka Region on 19 August 2018. On 25 September 2020 all
three received two-year suspended sentences, with three-year probationary
periods and six months of restrictions on freedom. They were eventually
acquitted on 18 January 2022 by appeal judges at Kamchatka Regional Court.
Prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, which returned the cases for
re-examination in April 2022. In January 2023, all three Jehovah's
Witnesses had their punishments upheld by Kamchatka Regional Court – the
same court which had acquitted all three a year earlier.
Forum 18 asked Kamchatka Regional Court on 9 June 2023 why it had found
Zolotova and the Bazhenovs guilty when it had acquitted them a year before,
why collective prayer and Bible reading were considered crimes,
particularly in light of the Supreme Court's amended guidance, and who had
been harmed by the defendants' actions. Zhanna Pchelina, head of the
Department for Codification and Harmonisation of Judicial Practice, refused
on 14 June to answer Forum 18's questions. Other courts in such cases have
also not answered Forum 18's questions.
There are much smaller numbers of Muslims who meet to read Nursi's works,
and so smaller numbers of prosecutions. In one of the two trials in 2023
which have ended in jail sentences, on 13 March, after a nine-month trial
in Naberezhnyye Chelny (Tatarstan), Khunar Agayev and Aydar Sageyev were
jailed for 2 years and 6 months for meeting other Muslims to read Nursi's
works. They were both charged with "organising the activities of a banned
extremist organisation." Amrakh Akhmedov, charged with "participation",
received a suspended sentence of 1 year and 6 months with 2 years'
probation. All had been detained since being arrested in November 2021.
Agayev testified in court that he had read Nursi's books "to understand the
Koran [and] strengthen his faith" and considers himself an "ordinary
Muslim". When others were interested, he explained Nursi's works to them
and translated for those who did not understand Turkish. The judge also
ordered a number of books by and about Said Nursi, seized from the men
during the investigation, to be destroyed as they were all "used as the
means of commission of a crime".
The Tatarstan Investigative Committee, the Federal Investigative Committee
in Moscow, and Tatarstan Prosecutor's Office have all not answered Forum
18's questions about why the men were considered dangerous, who had been
harmed by their actions, and why jail sentences were sought.
The largest trial since 2018 of Muslims who met to study the works of
Turkish theologian Said Nursi ended in Moscow on 27 June 2023. After nearly
30 hearings from August 2022, Judge Yuliya Frolova jailed all 6 defendants
for terms ranging from 2 years and 7 months up to 6 years and 7 months. All
six defendants were also given varying terms of post-prison punishments,
including four-year bans on "participation in or leadership of public
religious organisations", and restrictions on freedom (cannot change
address or leave place of residence without informing probation
authorities, 10pm to 6am curfew unless going out necessary for work).
These are the harshest punishments handed down to Muslims who met to study
Nursi's works since Ilgar Aliyev was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment
in 2018.
In their indictment, investigators noted how the men read aloud from
Nursi's books in each other's homes, discussed their meaning, prayed, and
drank tea together. The judge should have taken into account 2021
amendments to the Supreme Court's 2011 decree governing the application of
the Extremism Law. A lawyer in the Moscow case commented to Forum 18 that
the judge had "interpreted [the guidance] in her own way".
Forum 18 asked Moscow's Kuzminsky District Court why the Judge had found
the six men guilty in light of the amended Supreme Court guidance, whom
these activities had harmed and why the men were considered dangerous.
Galina Gonchar, chair of Kuzminsky District Court, replied without
addressing Forum 18's questions on 10 July 2023, but stated that "When
passing sentence, the court examines all the factual circumstances of a
case, as a result of which a proper assessment of all the facts will be
given".
In December 2023, the same court began hearing the case of two more Muslims
who read Nursi's works. By mid-March 2024, 45-year-old Zurab Dzhabrailov
and 53-year-old Dzheykhun Rustamov had made four court appearances. The two
have been held at Moscow's Butyrka prison since August 2023. Investigative
Committee and FSB security service documents seen by Forum 18 reveal the
investigation – which has involved covert surveillance - has been ongoing
since 2017.
Investigators and prosecutors tend not to specify any "victims" in such
criminal cases, despite considering defendants dangerous enough to seek
long prison sentences. Several of the defendants raise this point
themselves.
"The courts are called to fight crime, but I still do not understand what
my crime is," Jehovah's Witness Yelena Nikulina told Lenin District Court
in Saransk on 15 August 2022. "There are no victims in our case, but there
are still injured parties – and they are in front of you, in the dock!"
Her husband Georgy Nikulin noted in his final speech: "It turns out that I
am on trial not because I committed some real crime and am therefore
dangerous to society. I am subject to criminal prosecution only because I
am a Christian, a Jehovah's Witness."
Both the Nikulins were on 25 August 2022 sentenced to 4 years and 2 months'
imprisonment, with 1 year and 2 months' restrictions on freedom. They were
both added to Rosfinmonitoring List on 11 April 2019, after they (along
with other Jehovah's Witnesses sentenced in the same trial) were detained
during raids on nine homes in Saransk on 6 February 2019. Along with other
defendants Nikulin was kept in custody for 147 days, and was not officially
charged until 2021.
Forum 18 has repeatedly asked the Prosecutor's Offices which lodge criminal
cases and the courts which consider them why defendants are convicted in
light of the Supreme Court's amended guidance, in what way they could be
considered dangerous, and why prosecutors seek such long sentences. No
officials have addressed these questions in their responses, instead
stating that they are unable to answer such enquiries or directing Forum 18
to statements on court websites.
In the Nikulins' case above, Lenin District Court's press release of 12
September 2022 stated that "In imposing punishment on the convicts, the
court took into account the nature and degree of social danger of the
crimes committed, the character of the perpetrators, [and] mitigating
circumstances, as well as the impact of the punishment on their correction,
and came to the conclusion that achieving the aim of punishment is possible
only by isolating the convicts from society".
Torture
The United Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Prof
torture as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or
mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as
obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing
him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having
committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any
reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is
inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence
of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity".
Under the Convention, Russia is obliged both to arrest any person suspected
on good grounds of having committed torture "or take other legal measures
to ensure his [sic] presence", and also to try them under criminal law
which makes "these offences punishable by appropriate penalties which take
into account their grave nature".
Torture nevertheless remains common, and the perpetrators are rarely
punished. The UN Committee Against Torture's (CAT) Concluding Observations
(CAT/C/RUS/CO/6 (https://undocs.org/en/CAT/C/R
in August 2018, stated: "The Committee is deeply concerned at numerous
reliable reports of the practice of torture and ill-treatment in the State
party, including as a means to extract confessions, and at many recent
reports documenting cases of torture. .. The Committee is also concerned at
reports that allegations of torture rarely resulted in criminal
prosecutions and that, even when prosecuted, the perpetrators were charged
with simple assault or abuse of authority". The CAT also urged Russia "to
combat impunity in torture and ill-treatment cases".
Freedom of religion cases involving torture have included the torture of
seven Jehovah's Witnesses in Surgut in February 2019 for refusing to give
information on fellow-believers and their meetings. Instead of being
arrested and investigated, in April 2019 two of the Investigative Committee
officials implicated in the torture of the Jehovah's Witnesses were given
awards, ostensibly for their work in 2018. Vladimir Yermolayev won "best
local department head", and Sergei Bogodyorov took second place in the
"best investigator" competition. No individual or institution is known to
have been punished for torture.
Deportation, deprivation of citizenship
Four prisoners of conscience convicted for exercising their freedom of
religion or belief are known to have been deprived of Russian citizenship
and deported from Russia after completing their prison sentences. In the
most recent known case, despite living half his life in Russia and marrying
a Russian citizen, 46-year-old Jehovah's Witness Rustam Seidkuliyev was
deported to his native Turkmenistan in September 2023 after completing his
two-and-half-year jail term for exercising freedom of religion or belief.
Officials did not explain to Forum 18 why Seidkuliyev's Russian citizenship
had been annulled in 2022, given his long residence in Russia, that there
were no victims in his criminal case, and that his family had had to leave
Turkmenistan in 2000 because of their exercise of freedom of religion or
belief.
Like the earlier cases, officials annulled Seidkuliyev's citizenship on the
basis of Article 22 of the Citizenship Law, under which conviction for
particular criminal offences is taken as equivalent to the provision of
false information in a citizenship application.
Federal and International Wanted Lists
As of the beginning of February 2024, Russia's Interior Ministry had
included in its Federal Wanted List at least 42 individuals facing criminal
charges to punish them for exercising freedom of religion or belief or for
reporting on violations of this right. Eleven of these individuals had been
included on Russia's list even though they were sought by the authorities
of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. Three opponents of
Russia's war against Ukraine on religious grounds are also included, as are
four Jehovah's Witnesses from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Other individuals on the Federal Wanted List include political opponents of
the regimes in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Russia's Federal Wanted List is maintained by the Interior Ministry. On 13
February 2024, independent Russian media outlet Mediazona published the
full list of 95,994 individuals on the database in early February.
If any of these individuals wanted in Russia are caught in Russia, arrive
in Russia or are caught in states that are friendly to Russia (such as
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan), they risk immediate arrest
as investigators complete any criminal case. If any are wanted by Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan and are found in Russia, they risk
arrest and immediate transfer to that country.
The Interior Ministry has not answered Forum 18's questions on why the
Federal Wanted List included Russian citizens who had peacefully exercised
their right to freedom of religion or belief, as well as citizens of
Belarus, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan who had exercised the same right.
Russia is known to have illegally asked Interpol to distribute Red Notices
to try to have other countries arrest and transfer at least some of these
individuals, the most recent such known case being in 2020. Yuliya Burenina
of the National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol of Russia's Interior
Ministry in Moscow refused to explain to Forum 18 in March 2023 why Russia
has sought Red Notices for individuals wanted for exercising their freedom
of religion or belief.
Interpol on 15 February 2024 told Forum 18: "Since the Interpol General
Secretariat implemented heightened supervision and monitoring measures in
relation to Russia in March 2022 all outgoing Notices, Diffusions and
messages from NCB Moscow are first reviewed for compliance by the General
Secretariat before being shared with any member country."
February 2022 renewed invasion of Ukraine
After Russia's renewed February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, President
Vladimir Putin signed into law new specific Criminal Code and
Administrative Code penalties for allegedly "discrediting" and spreading
alleged "false information" about Russia's actions in its renewed invasion
of Ukraine. These entered into force on 4 March 2022. Other new legal
amendments punish calling for sanctions against Russia. Some of the
Criminal Code penalties were increased on 28 March 2023.
Also on 28 March 2023, the Administrative and Criminal Code definitions
were widened to include criticism of "volunteer formations, organisations
and individuals who assist in the fulfilment of tasks assigned to the Armed
Forces of the Russian Federation" (that is, private mercenary units such as
Wagner). On 25 December 2023, further amendments widened the definitions to
include criticism of new volunteer units of the National Guard
(Rosgvardiya). These units have recruited former Wagner mercenaries.
These Administrative and Criminal Code articles are:
Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1 punishes "Public actions aimed
at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in
order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens
[and] maintain international peace and security, including public calls to
prevent the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for these
purposes, or [actions aimed at] discrediting the execution by state bodies
of the Russian Federation of their powers outside the territory of the
Russian Federation for the specified purposes, as well as discrediting the
provision of assistance by volunteer formations, organisations or
individuals in the performance of tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the
Russian Federation or the troops of the National Guard of the Russian
Federation".
- Part 1 carries these possible fines:
- for individuals – 30,000 to 50,000 Roubles;
- for people in official positions – 100,000 to 200,000 Roubles;
- for legal entities – 300,000 to 500,000 Roubles.
A fine of 50,000 Roubles represented approximately three weeks' average
wages in early 2024 for those in work, or more than two months' average
state retirement pension. The equivalents vary from region to region.
Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 2 covers the same actions, if they
are: "accompanied by calls to hold unauthorised public events, or create a
threat of harm to the life and/or) health of citizens [or] property, a
threat of mass disruption of public order and (or) public safety, or a
threat of interfering with or stopping the functioning the functioning of
objects of life support, transport or social infrastructure, credit
organisations, energy facilities, industry or communications."
- Part 2 carries possible fines:
- for individuals – 50,000 to 100,000 Roubles;
- for people in official positions – 200,000 to 300,000 Roubles;
- for legal entities – 500,000 to 1 million Roubles.
A fine of 50,000 Roubles represented approximately three weeks' average
wages in early 2024 for those in work, or more than two months' average
state retirement pension. The equivalents vary from region to region.
A fine of 1 million Roubles represented approximately 13 months' average
wages in early 2024 for those in work, or around 4 years' average state
retirement pension. The equivalents vary from region to region.
Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 is used against apparently any form of
anti-war statement either in public spaces or online.
If individuals commit an offence covered by Administrative Code Article
20.3.3 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces
of the Russian Federation") more than once in twelve months, they may be
prosecuted under Criminal Code Article 280.3.
Part 1 carries these possible punishments:
- a fine of 100,000 to 300,000 Roubles;
- or up to three years' assigned work;
- or 4 to 6 months' detention in an "arrest house" (arestny dom);
- or up to 5 years' imprisonment, followed by up to 5 years' deprivation of
the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities.
- Part 2 punishes the same actions, if "resulting in death by negligence
and/or causing harm to the health of citizens, [or] property, [or causing]
mass violations of public order and/or public safety, or interfering with
or stopping the functioning of life support, transport or social
infrastructure, credit organisations, energy facilities, industry or
communications."
The punishments are:
- a fine of 300,000 to 1 million Roubles;
- or up to 7 years' imprisonment, followed by up to 7 years' deprivation of
the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities.
A fine of 1 million Roubles represented approximately 13 months' average
wages in early 2024 for those in work, or around 4 years' average state
retirement pension. The equivalents vary from region to region.
Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 1 punishes "Public dissemination, under
the guise of credible statements, of knowingly false information about the
use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the
interests of the Russian Federation and its citizens [and] maintain
international peace and security, or about the exercise by state bodies of
the Russian Federation of their powers outside the territory of the Russian
Federation for those purposes, as well as [knowingly false information] on
the provision of assistance by volunteer formations, organisations or
individuals in the performance of tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the
Russian Federation or the troops of the National Guard of the Russian
Federation".
- Part 1 carries the following punishments:
- a fine of 700,000 to 1.5 million Roubles;
- or up to 1 year's correctional work;
- or up to 5 years' assigned work;
- or up to 5 years' imprisonment.
A fine of 1 million Roubles represented approximately 13 months' average
wages in early 2024 for those in work, or around 4 years' average state
retirement pension. The equivalents vary from region to region.
Assigned work may be imposed instead of imprisonment, and may take the form
of any job in any organisation, as determined by the correctional centre
responsible for administering the sentence. It is paid, but deductions of
5-20 per cent may be transferred to the prison service.
Correctional work - a lesser category of punishment - involves payment to
the state of 5-20 per cent of wages, either from one's own job or, if
unemployed, from a job allocated by the local authority in cooperation with
the prison service.
Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 2 punishes the same actions, "a) by a
person using their official position; b) "by a group of persons, a group of
persons by prior conspiracy or an organised group"; v) with the artificial
creation of evidence for accusations; g) for selfish motives; or d) for
reasons of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or
enmity, or for reasons of hatred or enmity against any social group".
- Part 2 carries the following punishments:
- a fine of 3 million to 5 million Roubles;
- or up to 5 years' assigned work "with deprivation of the right to hold
certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 5 years";
- or 5 to 10 years' imprisonment "with deprivation of the right to hold
certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 5 years".
Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 3 punishes the same actions if they have
"grave consequences", and carries the following punishment:
- 10 to 15 years' imprisonment "with deprivation of the right to hold
certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 5 years".
Police and other investigative agencies also use other Criminal Code
articles against people protesting against the war, such as Article 213
("Hooliganism"), Article 214 ("Vandalism"), and Article 318 ("Violence
against the authorities"). These are not yet known to have been used
against anyone protesting from a religious perspective.
Website censorship
Since Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine, the Federal Service for
Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media
(Roskomnadzor) had blocked access to over 3,000 websites for reasons of
"military censorship", according to a 13 July 2022 report by digital rights
organisation Roskomsvoboda. These include foreign media outlets such as
Radio Free Europe, Russian independent media such as Meduza, and human
rights defenders such as Human Rights Watch.
Roskomnadzor has blocked Russian-language religious news websites,
including Latvian-based news website Baznica.info, and foreign Protestant
website InVictory.org. In September 2023 Roskomnadzor blocked access to the
Russian-language shaltnotkill.info website of the Christians Against War
group. It had earlier blocked access to foreign websites such as Fordham
University's Orthodox Christian Studies Centre's website
publicorthodoxy.org which has critically covered Russian Orthodoxy and the
war.
Roskomnadzor has also blocked access in Russia to the websites of a number
of religious organisations in Ukraine, including the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine and the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations.
Pressure and prosecutions against opponents of the war
Russia's government has used a range of tactics to pressure religious
leaders into supporting the renewed invasion of Ukraine. These tactics
include warnings to senior and local religious leaders, and prosecuting and
fining religious believers and clergy who have publicly opposed the war. It
is unclear what effect this has had on religious believers who may have
considered making a public protest against Russia's war. Similar warnings
and prosecutions have been used against many Russians who express
opposition to the war for any reason.
In March, as Russia's war against Ukraine was intensifying, the FSB
security service warned local religious leaders not to publicly oppose the
war. In some cases lack of opposition is due to warnings to senior and
local religious leaders, and prosecuting and fining religious believers and
clergy who have publicly opposed the war. In one region, a Protestant
pastor noted, at least three fellow pastors received such individual
warnings. "Such warnings don't take place now," the pastor told Forum 18 on
15 July 2022. "Those [March warnings] were enough for everyone."
Two senior religious leaders – Lutheran Bishop Dietrich Brauer and Chief
Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt – both felt they had to leave Russia.
They have stated that they and other religious leaders came under pressure
not to discuss or condemn Russia's renewed war against Ukraine, Bishop
Bauer stating that at the start of the war, Vladimir Putin's administration
made "a clear demand" of religious leaders to speak out in favour of the
invasion.
On 27 January 2023, the Justice Ministry named Telo Tulku Rinpoche
(Erdni-Basan Ombadykov), the Dalai Lama's representative in Russia, as a
"foreign agent" because he spoke against the war – the first religious
leader to be added to the "foreign agents" register. The following day,
Rinpoche – who had left the country months earlier – stood down from
his position as president (Supreme Lama) of the Association of Buddhists of
Kalmykiya. "I wish that the people of Kalmykiya and all followers of
Buddhism in these difficult times maintain courage, steadfastness, and
adherence to the ideals of compassion, love and non-violence," he
commented.
Many Russian religious leaders, most prominently the Moscow Patriarchate
hierarchy, support the renewed invasion without any apparent coercion being
applied. These figures include Patriarch Kirill of the Moscow Patriarchate,
Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims
of Russia, Old Believer Metropolitan Kornily, and Bishop Sergey Ryakhovsky
of the Pentecostal Union.
While many religious organisations in Russia support the invasion of
Ukraine, small numbers of laypeople and clergy continue to protest from an
explicitly religious perspective. Like thousands of other Russians who
every day voice their opposition to the war in public spaces and online,
they are soon detained by police and frequently prosecuted and fined. Many
of the religious believers who have opposed the war have been Russian
Orthodox, both of the Moscow Patriarchate and other branches.
They have included Russian Orthodox priest Fr Ioann Burdin of the Moscow
Patriarchate's Kostroma Diocese, who was on 10 March 2022 fined one month's
average local wages for online remarks and a Sunday sermon in church
condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and stressing the importance of the
commandment, "Thou shalt not kill". Similarly, Moscow Patriarchate Deacon
Sergey Shcherbyuk in Samara was also fined about one month's average local
wages for "discrediting the Russian armed forces" in conversations with
parishioners and colleagues. One of them apparently reported him to the
Interior Ministry. In October 2022, Russian Orthodox (ROCOR) priest Nikandr
Pinchuk became the first person criminally convicted for opposing Russia's
war in Ukraine on religious grounds. A court in the Urals fined him two
months' average local wages for a social media post.
Other Russian Orthodox priests have resigned from their posts and in some
cases left the country, after their opposition to the war brought them into
conflict with their Moscow Patriarchate dioceses. These have included
Moscow Patriarchate priest Aleksandr Dombrovsky, who left Russia in January
2023, thinking that he would be prosecuted for preaching about "how
terrible is war and how important is peace".
Until late 2022, Fr Aleksandr was Rector of the Church of St Nicholas the
Miracle-worker in the village of Muzhinovo in Bryansk Region. Fr Aleksandr
described how, on 28 October 2022, Bishop Vladimir (Novikov) of Klintsy and
Trubchevsk Diocese (part of the Bryansk Metropolitanate) "reproached me for
my dislike of Russia and asked me not to speak out on political topics in
the future, because: 'The church is separate from the state'".
"However", Fr Aleksandr commented to Forum 18, "this 'separation' has not
prevented Patriarch Kirill from blessing this war, passing off outright
evil for patriotism." The diocesan authorities asked Fr Aleksandr to write
an "explanation" and threatened to remove his rank of priest: "I really
tried for a while not to preach anti-war sermons, but it still didn't help
me."
In December 2022, the Bryansk Metropolitanate banned him from serving as a
priest and made him supernumerary [pochislit za shtat], ostensibly over
"negligence" in relation to a fire which destroyed the church building. The
Diocese also banned him from serving as a priest and made him
"supernumerary" in mid-December, also citing his anti-war statements and
– since there is nothing in canon law allowing the removal of priestly
rank for criticising the secular authorities – his second marriage (which
took place in 2003 but was later annulled).
Muzhinovo's wooden church (and some other buildings in the village) burned
down on 31 October 2022 after a power surge. In a public post on 6 January
2023 in the VKontakte group of another parish of which Fr Aleksandr was the
rector – St Elijah in the village of Mirny - he noted that the fire
service had found that the Muzhinovo church had caught fire because faults
in its electrical wiring rendered it vulnerable to the power surge. He
stated that all electrical work on the recently finished building had been
organised by the churchwarden [starosta] – who, as he learned on 9
January, appears to have denounced him to the police and FSB for his
anti-war sermons.
Fr Aleksandr explained to Forum 18, however, that the diocesan authorities
had earlier reprimanded him for his "dislike of Russia" and "threatened to
defrock" him because of his preaching against Russia's war in Ukraine. Late
on 9 January 2023, local police "invited" Fr Aleksandr to the police
station in nearby Kletnya, he told Forum 18 on 31 January, and informed him
that the Bryansk Region branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) had
opened a criminal case against him.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of a statement from the
churchwarden [starosta] of the Muzhinovo parish. She had apparently also
provided investigators with "all my notes, correspondence, [and] voice
messages, and even managed to record me in church on a dictaphone", Fr
Aleksandr added. "Everything related to my anti-war position was recorded
in a most thorough manner."
The police allowed him to leave after he wrote a statement. Faced with
criminal prosecution, Fr Aleksandr decided to leave the country shortly
afterwards, and is now "far from the Russian Federation," as he told Forum
18 on 9 February 2023.
It is unknown under which article of the Criminal Code the FSB opened its
case against Fr Aleksandr, but it is likely to be Criminal Code Article
207.3 ("Public dissemination, under the guise of credible statements, of
knowingly false information on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation").
Forum 18 wrote to the Bryansk Region police and FSB about the case before
the start of the working day of 8 February 2023, but no reply has yet been
received.
Another of the Russians who have protested against the war is Nina
Belyayeva, a Russian Protestant and Communist Party municipal deputy. She
was the first known person to face criminal prosecution for opposing the
war on explicitly religious grounds. During a 22 March 2022 Semiluk
District Council meeting she called the invasion a war crime, asserting
over the shouting of fellow deputies: "A Christian is not someone who wears
a cross, but someone who follows Christ, for whom the word of God – the
authority of Christ – is much higher than the authority of the President
.. for a Christian, first of all, the authority of Christ is higher than
the opinion of the Patriarch.." When accused of inciting Russian troops to
surrender, Belyayeva explained that this was "one way out for a Christian,"
and that every soldier chooses for himself: "There are lawful orders and
there are unlawful orders."
Twenty out of 23 deputies voted to ask prosecutors to investigate
Belyayeva, she was expelled from the Communist Party, and a case was opened
against her under the new Criminal Code Article 207.3 ("Public
dissemination, under the guise of credible statements, of knowingly false
information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation").
She had by then fled Russia.
Similarly, Russian Orthodox musician and teacher Anna Chagina was on 7
August 2023 fined and handed a ban on posting on the internet for two years
for her opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Chagina was accused of
"discrediting" the Russian armed forces more than once in a year –
firstly, by displaying a poster reading "Blessed are the peacemakers
(Matthew 5,9)" at an anti-war protest, and secondly, by making anti-war
posts on social media, including reposts of texts by religious philosopher
Nikolay Karpitsky.
Judge Roman Zaynulin imposed the punishment "with the aim of restoring
social justice and preventing [Chagina] from committing a new offence."
Chagina was fined almost 6 weeks' average wages in Tomsk Region, and must
abide by travel restrictions and a good behaviour order. Her mobile phone
will remain confiscated as it was "used in the commission of the offence."
The first known prison term for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine from
a religious perspective was imposed on 30 March 2023, when a Moscow court
jailed 63-year-old Orthodox Christian Mikhail Simonov for 7 years for
disseminating "false information" about the Russian armed forces on the
basis of "political hatred". He had made two short social media posts
condemning Russia's war against Ukraine, including: "We, Russia, have
become godless. Forgive us, Lord!" The Investigative Committee and
Prosecutor's Office did not answer Forum 18's questions about why they
sought a long jail term for Simonov, who suffers from health problems
The second such jail term was on 31 August, when a St Petersburg court
jailed former Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox 55-year-old Fr Ioann Kurmoyarov
for 3 years and banned him from posting on the internet for 2 years for
distributing "false information about the Russian Armed Forces". He had
been in detention since June 2022 for posting videos opposing the war.
Darya Lebedeva, head of the joint court system press service for St
Petersburg, told Forum 18 that Fr Ioann must be held in detention as: "If
at liberty and not isolated from society, Kurmoyarov may continue his
criminal activity, conceal himself from investigators and the court,
destroy evidence and otherwise interfere with the criminal proceedings."
Opposition to the war on religious grounds – as well as on non-religious
grounds - continues.
The clergy of a non-Moscow Patriarchate Russian Orthodox Church in the
southern Krasnodar Region have repeatedly spoken out against Russia's war
in Ukraine. Hieromonk Iona Sigida of the Holy Intercession Tikhonite Church
(who was tortured during a raid and jailed for 2 days in October 2023) told
Forum 18 on 25 October 2023: "At least five searches took place
simultaneously. One in the church, one at Archbishop Viktor [Pivovarov]'s
place of registration, one at my place of registration, one at Fr
Aleksandr's house church, and the fifth at the place of registration of Fr
Aleksandr. All early in the morning." The raid on the church "scared many
people", he said.
It remains unclear which agencies organised and carried out the raid.
Neither the armed men nor the officers who interrogated Fr Iona identified
themselves. The Krasnodar Region branches of the Investigative Committee,
Federal Security Service (FSB), Interior Ministry, and National Guard have
not replied to Forum 18's questions about the case.
Investigators have since brought a criminal case against 86-year-old
Archbishop Viktor for repeat "discreditation" of the Armed Forces (he was
initially fined 40,000 Roubles on 24 March 2023 under Administrative Code
Article 20.3.3 Part 1). Archbishop Viktor "is concerned that his
persecution could harm both those around him and those who are trying to
help", a church member told Forum 18 on 5 January 2024, but is "generally
in good spirits". The Archbishop made two appearances at Slavyansk City
Court in February and March 2024; church members believe he will be
sentenced on 8 April.
Sunday services have continued at the Holy Intercession Tikhonite Church,
both after the armed raid and after the criminal case was opened against
Archbishop Viktor. "Officers come to every service, openly film everything
and all the parishioners; others, under the guise of random people or
parishioners, also holding their phones, ask intrusive questions," a church
member told Forum 18.
"This is probably a method of intimidation. Near the church there is a car
on duty around the clock, which changes in shifts, and those sitting inside
it monitor people coming and going. During a service, one unknown
suspicious person introduced himself as Fr Iona's lawyer, and asked where
he could find him. Officers are now also talking to parishioners, trying to
persuade them to become informants through lies and intimidation, and there
is some evidence that they have already succeeded in persuading someone to
cooperate."
Conscientious objection to military service
No legal or practical provision exists for alternative civilian service
(ACS) during mobilisation, despite the Constitution guaranteeing this right
for every citizen. This has led to military recruitment offices refusing
applications for ACS and sending conscientious objectors to military units.
Moreover, a November 2022 legal amendment allows those already undertaking
ACS in civilian institutions after being called up for regular conscript
military service to be transferred to a non-combat role within the Armed
Forces. The amendment effectively "abolishes ACS as a peaceful alternative
to military service" during mobilisation, lawyer Valeriya Vetoshkina
commented.
Russian conscientious objectors to military service face many obstacles.
Since President Vladimir Putin announced the "partial mobilisation" in
September 2022, regular contract troops have been unable to resign. A legal
loophole means that mobilised men who request alternative civilian service
are typically refused. Individuals who refuse outright to go to Ukraine can
be criminally prosecuted and imprisoned for failing to obey orders. In
November 2023, military officials denied four young Baptist men in Siberia
and the Far East the opportunity to carry out alternative civilian service,
rather than military service, despite their efforts to prove their pacifist
religious convictions. All had applied for alternative civilian service.
Only one – Timofey Reznichenko from Primorye Region – has successfully
challenged this refusal in court, thus gaining the right to have his
application re-examined. Brothers Daniil and German Strelkov, from
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, failed in their attempts to have their
refusals ruled unlawful in court and are now preparing to appeal.
"Faith forbids him to take up arms, kill, or take oaths," a witness in
Daniil's case told the court. In German's case, his father testified that
he "is a deeply religious person and will not take up arms or take an oath,
as this is prohibited by [his] religion". Krasnoyarsk Region courts twice
declined to uphold Zakhar Asmalovsky's lawsuit against the military
authorities, meaning he will now be subject to conscription in the future.
No official has answered Forum 18's questions about why Daniil and German
Strelkov had been denied the opportunity to do alternative civilian
service.
Other freedom of religion or belief violations
Among other freedom of religion or belief violations, individuals and
religious organisations are prosecuted for unlawful "missionary activity,"
including ordinary worship meetings for fellow believers, and not showing
their complete officially registered names on literature, online, and most
frequently on buildings. These prosecutions are based on amendments to the
Administrative Code and Religion Law introduced in July 2016 as part of the
"Yarovaya" package of "anti-terrorism" laws.
There were in 2021 at least 71 prosecutions across Russia under
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 4 ("Russians conducting missionary
activity") and Part 5 ("Foreigners conducting missionary activity"),
according to Forum 18's analysis of available court records. A shift
towards more prosecutions for Muslim religious activities, first observed
by Forum 18 in 2019, continued. There was a conviction rate (for those
cases which reached a verdict) of 84.62 per cent. All those convicted
received fines, though seven of these were later overturned on appeal.
Religious organisations also continue to face prosecution under
Administrative Code Article 5.26, Part 3 ("Implementation of activities by
a religious organisation without indicating its official full name,
including the issuing or distribution, within the framework of missionary
activity, of literature and printed, audio, and video material without a
label bearing this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately false
label").
Hostility to monitoring and analysis of human rights violations
On 27 April 2023, Moscow City Court approved Moscow's Justice Department's
suit claiming that the Moscow-based SOVA Center for Information and
Analysis should be closed down because it held events outside Moscow. SOVA
monitored nationalism and xenophobia, the relationship between religion and
society, and the formation and implementation of anti-extremist policy in
Russia.
The order followed a media campaign, a complaint from the Veterans of
Russia organisation, a demand from the General Prosecutor's Office, a
Moscow Justice Department inspection and court suit.
"Organisations like SOVA or Memorial conducting subversive activity in
Russia must be liquidated and brought to criminal responsibility," Ildar
Rezyapov, who lodged the of Russia complaint, told Forum 18. No Russian
official or court answered Forum 18's questions about the liquidation suit.
The suit – seen by Forum 18 – noted that representatives of the SOVA
Center had taken part in 24 events outside Moscow between 2020 and 2022.
These included the Human Dimension Conference of the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) online in 2020 and in-person in
2022, as well as other OSCE events, and events in Russian cities,
Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. On 17 August 2023, the First Appeal Court of
General Jurisdiction refused SOVA's appeal and the order entered into legal
force.
The SOVA Center has vowed to continue its work. "SOVA is not going to stop
monitoring and analysing the situation in the field of religious freedom,
regardless of the form in which our organisation will continue to exist,"
Olga Sibiryova of SOVA Center told Forum 18. "Sooner or later, this stage
will also end, but the need for freedom of conscience and religion will
not."
After SOVA's forcible liquidation, a group of its former staff are now a
community of researchers under the name of SOVA Research Center
(https://www.sova-center.ru/en
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Previous Forum 18 Russia religious freedom surveys
(https://www.forum18.org/analy
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 (https://twitter.com/forum_18)
Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService
(https://www.facebook.com/Foru
Follow us on Telegram @Forum18NewsService
(https://t.me/s/forum18newsser
All Forum 18 material may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in
full, if Forum 18 is credited as the source.
All photographs that are not Forum 18's copyright are attributed to the
copyright owner. If you reuse any photographs from Forum 18's website, you
must seek permission for any reuse from the copyright owner or abide by the
copyright terms the copyright owner has chosen.
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.