RUSSIA: Widened ban on "extremists" exercising religious freedom

[Sofia]

source: https://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2659

 

RUSSIA: Widened ban on "extremists" exercising religious freedom

The latest amendments to the Religion Law, signed by President Vladimir Putin on 5 April, will bar those the state considers – rightly or wrongly – to be extremists from participation in religious groups. Such people are already banned from participation in registered religious organisations.
 

Olga Sibiryova, Moscow, 31 March 2021

Institute of Religion and Policy

Religious groups can be either independent or affiliated to centralised religious organisations. In neither case is the religious group a legal entity.

Those banned from leading or participating in religious groups could include individual Muslims who meet to study the works of Said Nursi, individual Jehovah's Witnesses, and individuals associated with the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, if these people have been convicted under the Extremism Law or have been added to the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) "List of Terrorists and Extremists"

The Religion Law amendments – which come into force on 3 October 2021 – also ban legal entities from including a religious affiliation in their name unless they were founded by or get the approval of a centralised religious organisation. This would affect a company wanting to set up an Islamic or Christian book shop, for example, or a non-governmental organisation, such as an Islamic or Christian human rights group

 

The Religion Law amendments will ban the following categories of people from being leaders of or participants in religious groups:

- those whose names have been added to the Rosfinmonitoring "List of Terrorists and Extremists";
- those "whose actions contain signs of extremist activity, as established by a court decision which has entered legal force";
- foreign and stateless persons whose presence in Russia has been deemed "undesirable";
- people whose assets have been frozen by the Interdepartmental Commission on Countering the Financing of Terrorism.

 

As of 17 May, 10,859 individuals were on the Rosfinmonitoring "List of Terrorists and Extremists". These include terrorists such as the one survivor convicted of participating in the Beslan school siege in 2004. However, others included on the List as "extremists" are Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslim readers of Nursi's works.

 

There are also, however, both religious and non-religious organisations on the list which do not violate human rights. These include:
- Jehovah's Witnesses, over 450 of whom are under criminal investigation, are on trial, or have been convicted under the Extremism Law for "continuing the activities" of their banned organisation

 

 

 

[Sofia]

Quoting above:

 

"In my view, the amendments to the Religion Law are aimed at depriving Russian citizens of their last hope of using their constitutional right to [freedom of] religion," Jehovah's Witness lawyer Yegiazar Chernikov commented to Forum 18 on 1 May.

"Insofar as all Jehovah's Witnesses facing criminal prosecution today are accused of extremism precisely for exercising their constitutional rights and freedoms and this is considered by investigative agencies to be extremist activity," Chernikov added, "then anybody who participates in the expression of their faith with relatives and friends will fall under the ban imposed by these amendments. Consequently, if earlier the Constitution left a chance remaining to believers, now they are deprived of their last hope of using their constitutional rights. In my view, this repressive law forces you to give up your faith. It is a cunning and veiled replacement of rights with 'criminal activity'."

 

The State Duma's Committee for the Development of Civil Society and Issues of Public and Religious Associations said in a press release on 5 April that the law "is directed at strengthening the spiritual sovereignty of Russia".
As of 17 May, 10,859 individuals were on the Rosfinmonitoring "List of Terrorists and Extremists". These include terrorists such as the one survivor convicted of participating in the Beslan school siege in 2004. However, others included on the List as "extremists" are Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslim readers of Nursi's works.

Individuals are included on the Rosfinmonitoring List at the behest of investigators or prosecutors. Banks are obliged to freeze an individual's assets, blocking all but small transactions (up to 10,000 Roubles). Being added to the List leads to a variety of problems in everyday life, including being unable to receive salaries, pensions, or benefits, renew insurance policies, or even purchase a phone SIM card.

 

The Religion Law amendments – which come into force on 3 October 2021 – also ban legal entities from including a religious affiliation in their name unless they were founded by or get the approval of a centralised religious organisation.

[Sofia]

Objective of this law amendment on religion/extremist groups? To maintain Peace and Security in Russia territory:

 

Quoting the above article: "In its explanatory note of 21 July 2020, appended to the Religion Law amendments (then in draft form), the Duma Committee for the Development of Civil Society and Issues of Public and Religious Associations noted that the ban on these categories of people leading or participating in religious groups was "due to the need to protect the foundations of the constitutional order, [and] the morality, health, rights and legitimate interests of person and citizen, [and] to ensure the country's defence and state security, and it should be considered a preventive measure for managing the risks of involving members of a religious group in extremist activities and activities aimed at financing terrorism".
Defence, state security, and managing risks are not among the legitimate reasons for restricting the exercise of freedom of religion or belief under Russia's legally binding international human rights obligations."

[On the huh]

Could it be that the KotN will declare it has Peace and Security.  And then other nations will follow and ban religious groups and then the whole world will declare Peace.

Although, the announcement of Peace and Security comes first, then the fall of Babylon and false religion.

 

[Sofia]

1 hour ago, On the huh said:

Could it be that the KotN will declare it has Peace and Security.  And then other nations will follow and ban religious groups and then the whole world will declare Peace.

Although, the announcement of Peace and Security comes first, then the fall of Babylon and false religion.

 

The reason behind this ban is minimum interesting yes  Thanks for your wise comments, Brother Jonathan

Dont you all forget that every year UN celebrates the Peace day on September 21st. Usually a big ocasion for Guterres calls for world peace.

The International day of no-violence is on october 2nd.

This year is the International year of peace and trust.

We all must keep on the watch and see the developments ....

Edited May 29, 2021 by Sofia

[Dhanyel]

6 hours ago, On the huh said:

Será que o KotN vai declarar que tem Paz e Segurança. E então outras nações seguirão e banirão grupos religiosos e então o mundo inteiro declarará paz.

Embora, o anúncio de paz e segurança venha primeiro, depois a queda da Babilônia e a religião falsa.

 

Just for the record, Babylon already fell in 1919, now it has to be completely destroyed!