Whereas the Russian Federation is a participating State of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and has freely
committed to fully respect the rights of individuals, whether alone or in
community with others, to profess and practice religion or belief;
Whereas the 1989 Vienna Concluding Document calls on OSCE
participating States to take effective measures to prevent and eliminate
discrimination against individuals or communities on the grounds of religion or
belief
and to grant upon their request to communities of
believers, practicing or prepared to practice their faith within the
constitutional framework of their States, recognition of the status provided
for them in the respective countries
;
Whereas Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian
Federation declares that everyone shall be guaranteed the right to
freedom of conscience, to freedom of religious worship, including the right to
profess, individually or jointly with others, any religion
and Article
8 of the 1997 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations provides
for registration for religious communities as religious
organizations,
if they have at least 10 members and have operated
within the Russian Federation with legal status for at least 15 years;
Whereas religious freedom has advanced significantly for
the vast majority of people in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet
Union;
Whereas many rights and privileges afforded to religious
communities in the Russian Federation remain contingent on the ability of the
communities to obtain government registration;
Whereas some religious groups have not attempted to
register with government authorities due to theological considerations, and
other communities have been unjustly denied registration or had their
registration improperly terminated by local authorities;
Whereas many of the unregistered communities in the
Russian Federation today were never registered under the Soviet system because
they refused to collaborate with that government’s anti-religious policies and
they are now experiencing renewed discrimination and repression by authorities
of the Russian Federation;
Whereas over the past 2 years there have been an estimated
10 arson attacks on unregistered Protestant churches, with little or no
effective response by law enforcement officials to bring the perpetrators to
justice;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation reacted
swiftly in response to the January 2006 attack on a Moscow synagogue, but there
have been numerous other anti-Semitic attacks against Jews and Jewish
institutions in the Russian Federation, and there is increasing tolerance of
anti-Semitism in certain segments of society in that country;
Whereas there has been evidence of an increase in the
frequency and severity of oppressive actions by security forces and federal and
local officials against some Muslim communities and their members;
Whereas there are many cases involving restitution for
religious property seized by the Soviet regime that remain unresolved;
Whereas in some areas of the Russian Federation law
enforcement personnel have carried out acts of harassment and oppression
against members of religious communities peacefully practicing their faith and
local officials have put overly burdensome restrictions on the ability of some
religious communities to engage in religious activity; and
Whereas the United States has sought to protect the
fundamental and inalienable right of individuals to profess and practice their
faith, alone or in community with others, according to the dictates of their
conscience, and in accordance with international agreements committing nations
to respect individual freedom of thought, conscience, and belief: Now,
therefore, be it
That it is the sense of Congress that the
United States Government should—
(1)urge the
Government of the Russian Federation to ensure full protection of freedoms for
all religious communities without distinction, whether registered or
unregistered, and end the harassment of unregistered religious groups by the
security apparatus and other government agencies, thereby building upon the
progress made over the past 15 years in promoting religious freedom in the
Russian Federation;
(2)urge the
Government of the Russian Federation to ensure that law enforcement officials
vigorously investigate and prosecute acts of violence, arson, and desecration
perpetrated against registered and unregistered religious communities, as well
as make certain that government authorities are not complicit in such
incidents;
(3)continue to raise
concerns with the Government of the Russian Federation over violations of
religious freedom, including those against unregistered religious communities,
especially indigenous denominations not well known in the United States;
(4)ensure that United
States Embassy officials engage local officials throughout the Russian
Federation, especially when violations of freedom of religion occur, and
undertake outreach activities to educate local officials about the rights of
unregistered religious communities;
(5)urge the
Government of the Russian Federation to invite the three Personal
Representatives of the OSCE Chair-in-Office and the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to visit the Russian Federation and
discuss with federal and local officials concerns about the religious freedom
of both registered and unregistered religious communities; and
(6)urge the Council
of Europe, its member countries, and the other members of the G–8 to raise
issues relating to religious freedom with Russian officials in the context of
the Russian Federation’s responsibilities both as President of the Council in
2006 and as a member of the G–8.