Russia: Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest November 16-30
29.11.2024 – Draft law would ban house of worship in Russia
Bitter Winter – The Russian Evangelical Alliance and other religious bodies, including Muslims, are opposing a bill introduced on October 30, 2024, in the State Duma that would ban worship services in apartment buildings.
The bill’s authors claim that religious gatherings in apartment buildings disrupt resident comfort and cause conflicts. Their main points are: (1) Public safety: Strangers, including illegal migrants, may participate in religious gatherings and increase crime risks and public order concerns. (2) Fire safety: Crowds meeting in residential buildings violate fire safety regulations, endangering residents. (3) Resident comfort: Noise and increased foot traffic inconvenience neighbors and lead to disputes.
28.11.2024 – A resident of Pyatigorsk convicted of involvement in the Falun Gong movement
Caucasian Knot – The court in Pyatigorsk sentenced a local resident to two years in prison for organizing the activities of the religious movement “Friends of Falun Gong”*.
The religious movement “Falun Gong”* was founded by Li Hongzhi in the early 90s in China. In 1999 the country’s government banned school teaching, its leader moved to the United States. Hongzhi’s book “Rzhuan Falun”, the brochure “Report on the verification of allegations of organ harvesting from Falun Gong followers* in China” and the information sheet “Falun Dafa in the world” “World torch relay in the protection of human rights” in Russia are included in the all-Russian list of materials recognized by the court as extremist. The list is published in the “Reference” section on the “Caucasian node”.
27.11.2024 – In Izhevsk, a case is being investigated under Art. 239 of the Criminal Code against the pastor
Sova – On February 2, 2024, it became known that a case under Part 1 of Art. 239 of the Criminal Code (creation of a religious association whose activities involve violence against citizens or other harm to their health, as well as the management of such an association). The accused is the head of a religious organization.
We are talking about the pastor of the Local Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians (Pentecostal) “Church “Light to Peace”” Sergei Artemyev.
According to the investigation, from 2019 to January 2024, as a pastor, he “held weekly services to parishioners on a paid basis, during which intentionally, consciously used and systematically used: methods of psychological impact on the person, <…> psychological violence” in order to “further receive money from the parishioners” and to extract “financial profit from the controlled followers”.
26.11.2024 – Court in Sverdlovsk Region passes guilty verdict for faith. Three Jehovah’s Witnesses received six-years suspended sentences
JW – The city court of the town of Lesnoy found three local believers guilty. On November 25, 2024, Andrey Kozhushko, Andrey Bannykh and Pavel Loshchinin were sentenced to suspended sentences. Religious meetings, during which biblical teachings were discussed, were equated by the court with organizing the activities of an extremist organization.
The investigation lasted about a year. The Sverdlovsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened the case in March 2023, and in May of the following year it was submitted to the city court for consideration by Lyudmila Yerzikova.
21.11.2024 – Pentecostal pastor, Buddhist in pre-trial detention for anti-war remarks
Forum 18 – Under arrest since 18 October, Moscow Pentecostal pastor Nikolay Romanyuk faces up to 6 years’ imprisonment if convicted for preaching in September 2022 that believers should not go to fight in Ukraine “on the basis of Holy Scripture”. His arrest came after early-morning armed raids on church members’ homes. Under arrest since 22 June is Ilya Vasilyev, director of the Moscow Zen Centre. He is being prosecuted for an online post about Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities which he made “solely out of religious conviction”, his lawyer told Forum 18.
21.11.2024 – In Komi, the state prosecutor requested five to seven years in prison for Jehovah’s Witnesses
Sova – The re-examination of the case of believers from Pechora, which was initiated in 2020, is being completed.
On October 9, 2024, in the Pechora City Court of the Republic of Komi, the public prosecutor requested punishment for Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the believers, Nikolai Anufriev, Alexander Vorontsov, Eduard Merinkov, Gennady Polyakevich, Viktor Shchannikov, the representative of the prosecutor’s office asked to be sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in a general regime colony under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization) and Part 1 of Art. 282.3 of the Criminal Code (financing of extremism).
20.11.2024 – For his love of the Bible, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Barnaul will serve forced labor.
JW – The Industrial District Court of Barnaul sentenced Vitaliy Manuylov to 2 years of forced labor for his faith in God. Judge Yevgeniy Saprykin made this decision on November 19, 2024. On that day, the arguments of the parties and the defendant’s last word took place. 10 minutes later, the court announced the verdict.
More than 20 years ago, Bible study changed a believer’s life for the better. In his final statement, he said: “My lifestyle was not entirely healthy—I drank a lot, fought a lot and got into different stories. As I got to know God better, I loved him with all my heart. And now I try to live according to biblical principles and not violate them.” However, investigator Yevgeniy Kozuchenko saw extremism in Manuylov’s peaceful meetings with friends.
20.11.2024 – A resident of Komi was fined for keeping seven Islamic books
Sova – In November, it became known that on October 17, 2024, the Usinsky City Court of the Republic of Komi fined a local resident Sirozhidin Khudoinazarov for two and a half thousand rubles. He was found guilty under Art. 20.29 Administrative Code (storage of extremist materials for mass distribution).
18.11.2024 – Russian parliament tries to ban house churches
CNE – The Russian Parliament is trying to ban worship services not held in special religious buildings. For Russian Protestants, the consequence could be a latent form of religious persecution, Vitaly Vlasenko said last week from Moscow. He is Secretary General of the Russian Evangelical Alliance (REA).
On October 30, 2024, a bill was introduced to the State Duma proposing a ban on worship services in non-residential premises of apartment buildings.
The initiative of the New People deputies in the Duma has sparked active discussions among religious leaders, especially Muslims and Protestants, who often hold prayers on such premises due to the lack of specialised buildings.