New Russian law attacks religious liberty

[Larry Ingle]

I received this posting from another list, and I thought readers on this
one would be interested.

Larry Ingle
---------- Forwarded message ----------

>>>>>>>>>extract from  religious-liberty at xc.org

 Duma today approved a new law "On Freedom of
Conscience and Religious Associations" at its second reading, with a
vote
of 334-5. The new law wipes out most of the religious freedom the
Russian
people have recently obtained, taking away the legal rights of all
religious
organizations established during the last 15 years.  It is difficult to
overstate the potential impact of this legislation. Final passage is
expected by early next week.  President Boris Yeltsin may veto the
legislation but
even if he does, the Duma may ahve enough votes to override.  The new
law
has the following key provisions:

-- "The 15 Year Rule": Only religious organizations that can prove at
least
15 years of existence, by government certification, can have legal
entity
status.  All newer organizations will lose their legal entity status
and a
significant number of related rights--irrespective of size, doctrines,
or
membership. In effect, only religious organizations registered during
the
Soviet period, at the height of Soviet persecution of believers, will
remain.

This will wipe out hundreds of  recently registered faiths, churches,
seminaries, and charities, serving millions of Russian citizens, and
will
deprive their members of existing rights to own places of worship,
produce
and distribute religious literature, employ and train religious workers,
propagate and instruct others in their faith, develop mass media
outlets,
etc.  Russian citizens can still form religious "groups" that have no
legal
status. They may only  worship, pray, and engage in charity on a small
scale.

 The Duma clearly wishes to destroy the hard work and material
investments
of millions of people in new communities of faith since 1992.

-- "The Russians Only Rule":  Only Russian citizens are given the right
to
form registered or unregistered religious associations, including prayer
groups.  This will leave over 26 millions persons now living in Russia,
who
are citizens of other former Soviet republics, refugees, and other
foreigners, without the right to gather to worship or establish their
own
religious organizations.  Organizations such as the Armenian Apostolic
Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) can
register only if
they can find Russian citizens to act as founders (and if they satisfy
the
15 year rule, which they may not). Organizations that serve
non-Russians, such
as the Anglican Church in Moscow, will be unable to operate.

-- "Foreigners Keep Out": The law creates huge barriers to entry and
actions by international religious groups and foreign religious workers
that have
done so much to assist in the spiritual renewal of Russia.  The new law
gives registered religious organizations the "exclusive" right to invite
foreigners to come as "professional" religious workers and to file
applications for
foreign religious organizations wishing to set up representations in
Russia.

Since only religious groups registered in the Soviet period can register
under the new law, most recently registered faiths, including Catholic,
Lutheran and other mainstream Protestant denominations, Jewish, and
Islamic, will lose their current rights to issue invitations to foreign
preachers
and religious workers.  Their co-religionists will be unable to set up
Russian
representations.  For many denominations, including the Russian Orthodox
Church, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and others, foreign clergy are a key
factor in the provision of pastoral and teaching ministries, due to the
many years in which there were few theological institutions in Russia.

-- "The Politically Correct Rule":  The law increases government
scrutiny
of religious practices and beliefs.  An inquiry into religious group's
beliefs
and practices is a precondition to registration, and groups can be shut
down for a broad array of ideas and actions, including causing "social
disorder".

 Public prosecutors offices are charged with making sure that religious
organizations do not exceed rights granted by their  charters.
Religious
groups that do not conform to prevailingsocial norms of correctness can
be
closed down.  Although there is a clear need to address some groups that
have fomented suicide, rejection of parental authority, and the like,
these
rules can easily interfere with legitimate and protected forms of
religious
expression.  For example, authorities recently attempted to close a
charismatic Christian church in Yaroslavl for preaching about healing
prayer, a Christian tradition exemplified in Orthodox teachings on
prayers to
saints and icons.

-- "All Russian Organizations Will Be Few in Number": Even the few
religious
groups that manage to satisfy the 15 year rule and register will have
much
more limited geographic areas of operation than they do today.   They
can
be local, regional, or interregional, depending upon whether their
historic
operations were in one community, several communities within a region,
or
in three or more regions.  The law appears to imply that their rights
to set
up new, registered congregations are limited to these areas, or in the
future,
in areas in which related but unregistered religious groups meet for 15
years.  The only exception is for "all Russian" organizations, which can
give new congregations legal status throughout Russia.   The right to
establish
an "all Russian" organization has been granted to many organizations
since
1992, but under the new law, this status requires a "Government"
decision (by the
Presidential apparat) and can only be sought by religious organizations
that have been registered in Russia for 50 years and have local
organizations in
more than half of the subjects of the RF (or in three or more subjects,
based on "ethnic-cultural formations").

   In sum, the new law disadvantages members of  virtually every faith,
including Orthodox congregationsnot affiliated with the Moscow
Patriarchate, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists,
Baptists, Adventists,
Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Mormons, and all other groups
not
registered in 1982.  It will also disadvantage Jews, Muslims, and
Buddhists, despite the law's preamble which identifies them as
protected "traditional"
faiths.   It will provide legal grounds for banning so-called "new" or
"totalitarian" religions, based upon their perceived intrustion on
family
life and Russian social order.  It will reverse the freedoms the Russian
people so eagerly embraced after 75 years of government control and
repression of religious expression and belief.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

(The   list asks for worldwide  action,and says) :

For further information please contact us.

Lauren Homer
President
Law and Liberty Trust
333 Maple Avenue East, Suite 1085
Vienna, VA 22180   USA
Tel: 703-319-3646
FAX: 703-319-3625
E-mail: 75050.3251 at compuserve.com

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