U.S. House of Representatives - 03.15.2006

U.S. House Passes Resolution Supporting Religious Freedom in Russia

The resolution passed the House under a roll call vote, with 411 in favor, one opposed (Rep. Ron Paul, R-TX) and one voting 'present' (Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-OH).

Full text of bill
Floor speeches by Reps. Chris Smith, Lantos, Cardin and Pitts
Extended remarks by Minority Leader Hoyer, Rep. Jackson-Lee and Rep. McIntyre.

U.S. Helsinki Commission press release
Russian response: Foreign Ministry rejects U.S. criticism

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ITAR-TASS - 03.18.2006

Russia rejects US criticism on freedom of religion

An attempt by US legislators to pass judgment on the detail of legal regulation in Russia on the issue of freedom of conscience "looks at the very least odd", the Russian Foreign Ministry has said in comments on a resolution by the US House of Representatives on violations of the rights of believers and restrictions on the freedom of religion in Russia.

"The draft was shelved and has lingered in the House since last summer, but has been dusted off for a vote only now - ahead of the St Petersburg summit of the G8," Russia's foreign policy department said. "The essence of the draft is that, according to it, non-traditional religions in Russia are infringed on as regards registration and the possibility to carry out their activities," it added.

"The particular nature of US assessments of legislative practices in other countries in such a delicate area as freedom of conscience has long been known," the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say. "The US model of legal regulation in that field is quite exotic, as it is founded on the formal declaration of total equality of all religious communities and their virtual removal from the domain of public affairs." "Nowhere else in the world, with the exception of the USA, is such a legal model in use," the Foreign Ministry underlined.

"On the other hand, in Russia - a country whose development has been in line with the tradition of Eastern Christianity - there exists today legislation on the issue of religious beliefs that, as European standards go, is uniquely liberal," the Foreign Ministry added. Since the new federal law "On freedom of conscience and on religious associations" was passed in Russia, the Russian authorities "have in effect not received a single complaint from religious organizations about the application of this law".

As for the practical application of the law, the "US backers of some public groups that have declared themselves to be religious organizations (such as the Church of Scientology) as well as of some Pentecostal movements and Jehovah's Witnesses associations know very well that those organizations can engage in their activities in Russia even without legal registration", the Russian Foreign Ministry observed.

"The number of those religious organizations which have been refused registration is minimal and is due to purely technical reasons," according to the Foreign Ministry. "It is mostly Orthodox communities that have been affected by refusals. Somehow, however, they are not mentioned in the House of Representatives resolution."

The Russian Foreign Ministry acknowledged that "there is a whole number of religious organizations, such as Aum Shinrikyo, Islamic Jihad and Muslim Brotherhood, that have indeed been refused registration in Russia". Russia's foreign policy department hopes the "US Congressmen are not concerned about their rights".