At least 159 individuals and organisations prosecuted for violating anti-missionary restrictions in Russia during 2018, say Forum 18
At least 159 individuals and communities were prosecuted for violating Russia’s controversial “anti-missionary” restrictions in 2018, according to an analysis by Forum 18. The Oslo-based religious freedom organisation said there at least 56 cases involving organisations and 103 involving individuals reached court during the year with 129 of them resulting in fines. Of the 14 […]
“Complex labyrinth of ‘legal’ restrictions” for religious communities in Azerbaijan
World Watch Monitor Azerbaijan’s government continues to claim its “tolerance” but restrictions of freedom of religion and belief, censorship of religious literature and jail sentences for prisoners of conscience are ongoing, Forum 18 reports. According to Forum 18’s recent survey, the exercise of freedom of religion and belief in the country is impinged by “a complex […]
Ukraine Baptist church closed by separatists
World Watch Monitor A Baptist church in Ukraine’s south-eastern town of Novoazovsk was forced to close by a separatist group last month, reports Oslo-based news service Forum 18. Novoazovsk is a seaside town in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, eastern Ukraine. The DPR, along with the Luhansk People’s Republic, both backed by Russia, declared independence from Ukraine in […]
Russia’s religious communities face ‘unclear’ requirements
World Watch Monitor Legal requirements applied to the expression of freedom of religion in Russia impose a significant burden on religious communities not recognised by the state – in the shape of fines, legal costs and bureaucracy – reports regional news agency Forum 18. The requirements are “unclear” and applied “inconsistently”, Forum 18 says, and are […]
Hundreds punished for practising faith in Kazakhstan in 2017
World Watch Monitor Kazakhstan prosecuted 279 individuals, groups and organisations last year for conducting activities related to religion, according to news agency Forum 18. The ‘offences’ included attending worship meetings, importing religious literature, telling other people about a faith, praying, allowing a parent to bring a child to a religious meeting, and inadequate security measures. Punishments […]
Uzbekistan should ‘protect religious freedoms, not see religion as a threat’, says UN Special Rapporteur
World Watch Monitor Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief PICTURE: UNHCR Uzbekistan should invest more time in protecting religious freedoms in its ongoing reforms rather than see religion as a threat, a UN expert has concluded after an official visit to the country. “Resilience against religious extremism can be […]
Turkmenistan says religious communities that don’t re-register don’t exist
World Watch Monitor Eighteen months after Turkmenistan introduced a law requiring religious communities to re-register with the authorities, only two have done so – other applications have been rejected by the government because of “errors”, reports regional news agency Forum 18. The two groups – both Protestant – were part of 131 religious organisations that […]
Baptist pensioners fined in Kazakhstan for worshipping in house meeting
Seven Baptists – including two aged in their late 70s – were fined for meeting for worship in a home without state registration in Kazakhstan this week. Forum 18 reports that the congregation is a member of the Baptist Council of Churches and has adopted a policy of civil disobedience by refusing to pay the many […]