A Bill introducing changes into the federal law ‘On freedom of conscience and religious associations’ has been adopted by the Russian Parliament. The Bill now awaits the signature of the Russian president. One of the provisions prescribes the effective reregistration of all religious organisations of the country by 1 January 2016. Further provisions in the Bill…
A total of 65 individuals and religious communities are known to have been prosecuted in 2014 across Russia for possession of allegedly “extremist” banned religious literature which does not appear to incite violence or hatred, Forum 18 News Service notes. Of these, 56 ended up with punishments. The cases were brought under Administrative Code Article…
The European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) has refused to review an appeal filed by the Russian Federation over a decision in favour of the Church of Scientology. The case concerned the refusal of St. Petersburg authorities to officially recognise the Church of Scientology in St. Petersburg as a legal entity. The group had applied for registration six…
SOURCE: Jehovas Witnesses website, JANUARY 23, 2015: Russian Federation Supreme Court Decision Sets Dangerous Precedent for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia On November 12, 2014, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld a lower court ruling that declared the Local Religious Organization (LRO) of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Samara to be extremist. The prosecutor’s office in…
