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April 30, 2013
Apr 30, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 30, 2013| By USCIRF
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal advisory body created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) to monitor religious freedom abuses abroad, today released its 2013 Annual Report. The Report highlights the status of religious freedom globally and identifies those governments that are the most egregious violators.
"The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability. These forces include the rise of violent religious extremism coupled with the actions and inactions of governments. Extremists target religious minorities and dissenters from majority religious communities for violence, including physical assaults and even murder. Authoritarian governments also repress religious freedom through intricate webs of discriminatory rules, arbitrary requirements and draconian edicts,” said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, USCIRF's Chair.
The 2013 Annual Report recommends that the Secretary of State re-designate the following eight nations as "countries of particular concern” or CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. USCIRF finds that seven other countries meet the CPC threshold and should be so designated: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.
"The Annual Report ultimately is about people and how their governments treat them. Violations affect members of diverse religious communities around the world, be they Rohinghya Muslims in Burma, Coptic Christians in Egypt, Buddhists, Uighur Muslims and Falun Gong in China, Baha'is in Iran, Ahmadis and Christians in Pakistan, or Muslims in Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and in non-Muslim nations like Russia. We recommend that the White House adopt a whole-of-government strategy to guide U.S. religious freedom promotion and that Secretary of State Kerry promptly designate CPCs, before currently designated actions expire later this year,” said Lantos Swett.
In Burma, ongoing political reforms have yet to significantly improve the situation for freedom of religion and belief. Sectarian violence and severe abuses of religious freedom and human dignity targeting ethnic minority Christians and Muslims continue to occur with impunity.
In Egypt, despite some progress during a turbulent political transition, the government has failed or been slow to protect from violence religious minorities, particularly Coptic Christians. The government continues to prosecute, convict, and imprison individuals for "contempt” or "defamation” of religion, and the new constitution includes several problematic provisions relevant to religious freedom.
In both Pakistan and Nigeria, religious extremism and impunity have factored into unprecedented levels of violence that threaten the long-term viability of both nations. Targeted violence against Shi'i Muslims in Pakistan is pervasive, while repeated Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria exacerbate sectarian tensions.
"Many of these countries top the U.S. foreign policy agenda, and religion is a core component in their makeup. Successful U.S. foreign policy recognizes the critical role religious freedom plays in each of these nations and prioritizes accordingly. Religious freedom is both a pivotal human right under international law and a key factor that helps determine whether a nation experiences stability or chaos,” said Lantos Swett.
USCIRF also announced the placement of eight nations on its Tier 2 List for 2013. The Tier 2 category replaces the Watch List designation USCIRF previously used. These nations are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia. USCIRF found the violations these governments engage in or tolerate are particularly severe, and meet at least one criterion, but not all, of IRFA's three-fold "systematic, ongoing, egregious” CPC standard.
In Russia, religious freedom conditions suffered major setbacks in the context of growing human rights abuses. In Indonesia, the country's rich tradition of religious tolerance and pluralism is seriously threatened by arrests of individuals the government considers religiously deviant and violence perpetrated by extremist groups. Federal and provincial officials, police, courts, and religious leaders often tolerate and abet the conduct of religious freedom abusers.
The USCIRF report also highlights the status of religious freedom in countries/regions that do not meet the Tier 1 (CPC) or Tier 2 threshold. These include: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Ethiopia, Turkey, Venezuela and Western Europe. The Annual Report also addresses in-depth thematic issues: Constitutional Changes; Severe Religious Freedom Violations by Non-State Actors; Laws against Blasphemy and Defamation of Religions; Imprisonment of Conscientious Objectors; Legal Retreat from Religious Freedom in Post-Communist Countries; Kidnapping and Forced Religious De-Conversion in Japan; and Religious Freedom Issues in International Organizations.
ABOUT USCIRF
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government advisory body with its commissioners appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in Congress. The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that the United States annually designate as CPCs countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of the universal right to freedom of religion or belief. IRFA also tasks USCIRF with assessing conditions in these and other countries and making recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
In accordance with IRFA, USCIRF uses international standards, as found in UN conventions and declarations, for assessing religious freedom conditions.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCRIF at (202) 523-3258 or media@uscirf.gov
June 28, 2013
Jun 28, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 28, 2012 | By USCIRF
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Russian State Duma on June 26 passed a controversial bill on "causing offense to the sentiments of religious believers." The bill now awaits only a presidential signature before becoming law, most likely on July 1. The bill would punish alleged offenses against religious sentiments by up to three years in prison.
"With space for free expression shrinking rapidly in Russia, enactment of this bill would further erode human rights protections in Russia,” said U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett. "Speech limitations violate Russia's international commitments, and this law will lead to abuse and arbitrary rulings against permissible speech that some deem ‘offensive.”
First introduced last fall, theso-called "blasphemy law" has provoked an outcry from many who warn that the law would violate the Russianconstitutional separation of religion and state, and predict that officials will use it to target critics of the Moscow Patriarchate. Many also assert that while the Duma's Social andReligious Organizations Committee, theKremlin human rights council, andthe Public Chamber all amendedthe bill, its major flaws were not addressed.
The bill states that "public acts held near religious sites that show blatant disrespect for society and intended to offend believers" religious sentiments' would be penalized by fines of up to 300,000 rubles (more than $9,000) or punished by forced labor or prison terms of up to one year. If alleged offenses are committed inside religious sites, the bill sets higher penalties, with fines of up to 500,000 rubles (more than $15,000) or up to three-years of forced labor and prison plus post-imprisonment restrictions of up to one year. Russian citizens convicted of obstructing religious activities will face increased fines as will those who use their official positions for committing such an offense who also could face "corrective labor" of up to two years or a prison term of up to one year.
" When I was in Moscow in September 2012 , I raised concerns about this measure and the general respect for international human rights norms. If enacted, this new law gives credence to the view Russian human rights activists expressed to me that Russia is in full retreat from democracy and the rule of law,” concluded Dr. Lantos Swett.
USCIRF's concerns about the deteriorating status of religious freedom is detailed in the 2013 Annual Report chapter on Russia .
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCIRF at (202) 523-3258 or media@uscirf.gov .
July 08, 2016
Jul 8, 2016
Click here to view this press release in Russian.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 7 signed into law a package of anti-terrorism measures the Russian State Duma passed in late June. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns these measures. Under the guise of confronting terrorism, they would grant authorities sweeping powers to curtail civil liberties, including setting broad restrictions on religious practices that would make it very difficult for religious groups to operate. On June 23, President Putin signed into law yet another problematic measure: It authorizes the police to arrest people suspected of violating “generally accepted norms of social behavior,” thereby giving authorities another weapon to use against disfavored groups, including religious organizations.
“These deeply flawed anti-terrorism measures will buttress the Russian government’s war against human rights and religious freedom,” said USCIRF Chair Thomas J. Reese, S.J. “They will make it easier for Russian authorities to repress religious communities, stifle peaceful dissent, and detain and imprison people. Neither these measures nor the currently existing anti-extremism law meet international human rights and religious freedom standards.”
The anti-terrorism measures would, among other provisions, amend the 1997 Russian religion law by redefining “missionary activities” as religious practices that take place outside of state-sanctioned sites. The new law thus would ban preaching, praying, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials outside of these officially-designated sites, and authorize fines of up to $15,000 for these activities conducted in private residences or distributed through mass print, broadcast or online media. Foreign missionaries also must prove they were invited by state-registered religious groups and must operate only in regions where their sponsoring organizations are registered; those found in violation face deportation and major fines.
The Russian government uses its current anti-extremism law to target religious communities because the legal definition of extremism does not require the threat or use of violence. “Extremism” charges can include the peaceful promotion of “the superiority of one’s own religion,” and have resulted in religious texts being banned and members of non-violent Muslims groups and Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned. The proposed anti-terrorism measures would increase prison terms under the current extremism law.
USCIRF placed Russia on its Tier 2 list in its 2016 Annual Report. In Tier 2 countries, the violations the government engages in or tolerates are serious and characterized by at least one of the elements of IRFA’s “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” standard. For more information, please refer to the Russia chapter in USCIRF’s 2016 Report (in English and in Russian).
To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov or 202-786-0615.
April 20, 2017
Apr 20, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2017
RUSSIA: Supreme Court Outlaws the Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Russian Supreme Court Decision Banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is disappointed, but not surprised, at the recent Russian Supreme Court decision to ban the Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating anywhere in the country. USCIRF Chair, Thomas J. Reese, S.J., commented that “The court’s decision sadly reconfirms the disregard of the government for religious freedom in present-day Russia. Individual and community expressions of faith, and even private religious beliefs, are not safe from state-sponsored repression and coercion in Russia today.”
Russian Justice Ministry attorney Svetlana Borisova reportedly said in court that the Jehovah’s Witnesses “pose a threat to the rights of citizens, public order and public security.” USCIRF Chair Reese dismissed this statement as “simply a politicized assault on a religious group known worldwide for its pacifism and avoidance of politics.”
USCIRF firmly believes that a stable, prosperous, and tolerant Russia is in the world’s interest. Yesterday’s ruling, however, can only lead to the impression that Russia is isolating itself from other advanced nations. USCIRF Chair Reese went on to say that “The Russian government’s premeditated attack demonstrates that it does not consider itself bound by internationally recognized norms or conventions. With this decision, the Russian government takes another unnecessary step away from the international community and toward isolation.”
Should the Jehovah’s Witnesses choose to appeal this decision, USCIRF urges the Russian court system to overturn this unjustified ruling.
To interview a Commissioner please contact Media@USCIRF.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
April 03, 2017
Apr 3, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2017
RUSSIA: Russia Suspends Jehovah’s Witnesses
USCIRF Condemns Actions That Would Eliminate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Legal Existence in Russia
Washington, D.C. – Russia’s Justice Ministry suspended the Jehovah’s Witnesses on March 24, alleging that its activities “violate Russia’s laws on combating extremism.” The Russian authorities have used their extremism law to systematically harass the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a legally registered religious group in Russia with close to 200,000 adherents. That law, which requires neither the use nor advocacy of violence for activity to be labeled extremist, was enacted after a sustained Russian campaign against this group began in early 2006.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated, “The Russian government’s latest actions appear designed to eliminate the legal existence of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. If the Supreme Court rules in April that this group is ‘extremist’ it would mark the first time that Russia legally has banned a centrally-administered religious organization and would effectively criminalize all Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activity nationwide. USCIRF calls on the Russian government to stop its harassment of this peaceful religious group.”
The treatment of the Jehovah’s Witnesses reflects the Russian government’s tendency to view all independent religious activity as a threat to its control and the country’s political stability. This approach dates back to the Soviet period and impacts other religious groups, including peaceful Christians and Muslims. These groups are also being persecuted for their beliefs in the Russian-occupied areas of Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
In March 2016, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office warned the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ national headquarters that the organization could be banned and its activities shut down nationwide if further evidence of alleged “extremism” was found within a year. In January 2017, an appellate court rejected the Witnesses’ appeal of the warning, and in March 2017 the Ministry of Justice filed a formal request for the Russian Supreme Court to designate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ headquarters as extremist.
USCIRF calls on the Russian government and judiciary to respect the freedom of religion or belief and halt their harassment of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious groups.
For more information, see USCIRF’s 2016 Annual Report chapter on Russia. Click here to view the Russian version of the chapter.
To interview a Commissioner please contact media@uscirf.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
May 19, 2017
May 19, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2017
RUSSIA: Release Bagir Kazikhanov
USCIRF Commissioner John Ruskay tells the Russian Government to
“Stop Equating Peaceful Religious Behavior with Terrorism”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the government of Russia to release Bagir Kazikhanov, who was imprisoned unjustly because of his religious beliefs. May 21 marks the 10th anniversary of a Moscow district court designating as “extremist” 14 translations of the writings of Turkish Islamic theologian Said Nursi. Bagir’s so-called crime was being a reader of Nursi’s works.
“Bagir Kazikhanov has languished in prison since April 2014 simply for following the dictates of his conscience,” said USCIRF Commissioner John Ruskay. “It is long overdue for the Russian government to stop equating peaceful religious behavior with terrorism or extremism and immediately release Bagir Kazikhanov and other prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned on false charges of extremism.”
Commissioner John Ruskay has taken up the case of Bagir Kazikhanov as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. This project highlights the plight of individuals who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs, practices, or identity.
Kazikhanov organized regular study sessions in rented apartments between 2012 and 2014 in Dagestan, a Russian republic, where he was born. During these study sessions, he and fellow Muslims studied the works of the highly regarded theologian Said Nursi. Kazikhanov was sentenced on February 25, 2015 to three and a half years’ imprisonment after being convicted under Part One of Art. 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for participating in “extremist activity.”
The Russian government continues to surveil, investigate, and prosecute Said Nursi readers for alleged extremism despite no apparent link to such activities. Another reader of Nursi’s writings was arrested in Russia a few weeks ago, bringing the number of Muslims known to be on trial or under criminal investigation for meeting to study Nursi's writings to twelve. On April 10, 2008, the Russian Supreme Court banned the “Nurdzhular” organization, an alleged conspiracy of Nursi followers which is widely believed to be a legal fiction the Russian government invented to facilitate the prosecution of Nursi adherents.
Due to these and other actions the Russian government has taken, USCIRF for the first time recommended in the 2017 Annual Report that Russia be designated as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for its “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom. For more information, please see USCIRF’s 2017 Annual Report chapter on Russia. The Russian translation may be found here.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world, dedicated to defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. To learn more about the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project or to interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
July 17, 2017
Jul 17, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2017
RUSSIA: Jehovah’s Witnesses Banned After Supreme Court Rejects Appeals
USCIRF Condemns the Banning of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) denounces the Russian Supreme Court ruling on Monday rejecting an appeal by the Jehovah’s Witnesses against an April decision declaring them as extremist. USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark commented that “The Supreme Court’s decision sadly reflects the government’s continued equating of peaceful religious freedom practice to extremism. The Witnesses are not an extremist group, and should be able to practice their faith openly and freely and without government repression.”
This ruling clears the way for the Russian government to seize the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ assets and property throughout the country. In recent years, the Witnesses have been subject to government-sanctioned harassment, have had their legal existence banned, and now will lose their physical presence as their meeting halls, known as Kingdom Halls, become the property of a government that violates the rights of religious groups as a matter of law.
In an April 20th statement, USCIRF condemned the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to ban the Jehovah’s Witnesses (click here to read the statement).
USCIRF recommended in 2017 for the first time ever that Russia be designated a “country of particular concern” (or CPC) for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Chairman Mark added “This latest move by the Russian government confirms that our 2017 Annual Report recommendation is well-deserved. The Russian government is intensifying its crackdown on religious freedom at home while also extending its repressive policies to neighboring states.”
Click here to see the 2017 Annual Report chapter on Russia in English. Click here to see the chapter in Russian.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
February 05, 2014
Feb 5, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 5, 2014 | USCIRF
The upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics has thrust Russia into the world spotlight. The Kremlin’s increasing intolerance, however, deserves equal, if not greater, attention. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned about this increase which is fueled by overly broad laws that limit the freedoms of religion and expression and which clearly violate international standards: one of these laws penalizes blasphemy and the other prohibits the “promotion of nontraditional sexual relations among minors.”
“These laws are part of the Putin government’s assault on freedom of religion and expression,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “They reflect the growing influence of elements within the Russian Orthodox Church’s Moscow Patriarchate, which is allied with the Kremlin in restraining competing voices in public life, both religious and secular.”
Russia's anti-blasphemy law imposes up to three years in jail and fines of up to 15,000 USD for public actions in places of worship which disrespect or insult religious beliefs, and up to 9,000 USD and a year of imprisonment for similar acts committed elsewhere.
“Besides punishing those who are deemed to have offended the feelings of others, this vaguely worded but sweeping law gives Moscow’s stamp of approval to certain religious beliefs while criminalizing the expression of others,” said George “Opposed by many Russian opinion leaders and even some parliament members, such government-sponsored intolerance clearly violates international standards.”
Russia’s law banning what it deems to be “promotion of nontraditional sexual relations among minors” was signed into law on June 30, 2013, a day before the blasphemy law.
“While the rights of parents and families to direct the upbringing and moral and religious education of their children certainly must be respected,” George said, “a sweeping law of this type restricting the communication of ideas violates the internationally-protected right to free expression, as would a law banning the expression of opposing views on sexual morality. People must be free, to express their convictions peacefully without fear of punishment or discrimination, and everyone’s rights must be protected.
“Free expression deserves protection on all sides of this issue,” said George. “Merely holding or promoting a view about sexual morality, a particular definition of marriage, or the moral status or regulation of sexual conduct should be protected expression under international standards. Except in the narrow circumstances permitted under international human rights law, no government legitimately may ban or limit the peaceful expression of religion or belief. No individual or institution, religious or secular, should suffer state-sanctioned discrimination or civic disabilities for holding or peacefully expressing their beliefs,” George concluded.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at 202-786-0613 or media@uscirf.gov.
July 26, 2017
Jul 26, 2017
Commissioner John Ruskay sent the following letter to Russian religious prisoner of conscience Bagir Kazikhanov.Click here to read the Russian translation of the letter.
July 26, 2017
Ulitsa Trudovykh reservov 125
Federal Institution Penal Colony 17
Administration of the Federal Corrective Service of Russia of Kirovskaya oblast
Omutninsk
Kirovskaya oblast 612700
Russia
Bagir,
I write recognizing that this letter never may reach you. Through my position as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), I have become aware of your dire situation and have resolved to dedicate my efforts to securing your unconditional release from prison.
You and your fellow Muslims studied Said Nursi, an Islamic commentator who called for Islam to be modernized. Said Nursi rejected hatred and violence. Yet the Russian government, because officials believe that your peaceful practices threaten national security and pose a cultural and physical threat to Russia, denied you your freedom. In February 2015, you were accused under the Criminal Code of recruiting a “terrorist” cell of Nursi followers and sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment.
The Russian government accused you of participating in extremist activity, which you have not. They accused you of founding a terror cell, which you did not. And they believe that your beliefs pose an existential threat to Russia, which they do not.
What you have done is peacefully follow the dictates of your conscience. Yet the Russian government surveils, investigates, and prosecutes you and many of your fellow Nursi readers for alleged extremism despite no link to such activities. And because of that you have lost your freedom.
Bagir, you have my support and the support of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. My colleagues and I will continue to highlight your case, and hope to meet you as a free man in the very near future.
Sincerely,
John Ruskay
John Ruskay is a Commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications (JLawrence@USCIRF.gov/+1-202-786-0611).
USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project highlights the plight of individuals who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs, practices or identity. Click here to learn more about Bagir Kazikhanov.
Click here to watch Commissioner Ruskay’s statement in support of Bagir Kazikhanov.
September 26, 2018
Sep 26, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2018
Vice Chair Arriaga Adopts Two Religious Prisoners of Conscience
Vice Chair Arriaga said, “These two cases are examples of the Russian government ‘securitizing’ religion—targeting religious communities it considers illegitimate on the pretext that they pose a national security threat”
WASHINGTON, DC – Kristina Arriaga, Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today announced that she is adopting two religious prisoners of conscience in Russia, Dennis Christensen and Ivan Matsitsky, as part of USCIRF’s Prisoners of Conscience Project. Mr. Christensen, a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, was arrested in Oryol, Russia, on May 25, 2017, following the raid of a prayer service in which he was participating. As of September 13, 2018, Mr. Christensen has appeared 38 times before Oryol’s District Court. He faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Mr. Matsitsky, the director of the Church of Scientology in St. Petersburg, was arrested on June 5, 2017, on various charges including involvement in “an extremist conspiracy.” He has been held in pretrial detention since his arrest.
“The cases of Dennis Christensen and Ivan Matsitsky are emblematic of the Russian government’s complete disregard for religious freedom,” stated Vice Chair Arriaga. “I am committed to doing all I can to raise awareness of Ivan’s and Dennis’ cases and secure their speedy release.”
The government of Russia considers groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Scientologists “nontraditional” religious minorities, frequently targeting them with fines, detentions, and criminal charges under the pretext of combating extremism. In April 2017, the Russian Supreme Court banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses as an extremist organization.
Vice Chair Arriaga added, “These two cases are examples of the Russian government ‘securitizing’ religion—targeting religious communities it considers illegitimate on the pretext that they pose a national security threat. But these religious communities only seek to practice their beliefs peacefully and without fear. When they arrested Dennis, he was reading the Bible with fellow believers. The international community must uphold internationally recognized human rights and press for the release of Ivan, Dennis, and the many others imprisoned in Russia for their religious identity or activities.”
In 2018 USCIRF again recommended that Russia be designated as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). To learn more about religious freedom conditions in Russia, click here.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov or Javier Peña at jpena@uscirf.gov or +1-202-674-2598.