{"id":47621,"date":"2023-08-08T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T05:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=47621"},"modified":"2023-08-08T13:36:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T04:36:30","slug":"vomk-report-265","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/08\/08\/vomk-report-265\/","title":{"rendered":"RUSSIA: NEW REPORTS ABOUT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS \u201cONLY SCRATCH THE SURFACE\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47613″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Religious freedom is continuing to decline sharply across the Russian Federation and occupied Ukraine, as authorities apply vague laws targeting extremism, terrorism, missionary activity, and undesirable organizations to ban various religious activities by Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and other groups. That is the conclusion of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan government commission tasked with making policy recommendations to US officials on religious freedom violations internationally. USCIRF published two new Russia Updates in July, following its 2023 Annual Report released in April which lists Russia as one of 17 countries it recommends the United States State Department should designate as \u201cCountries of Particular Concern\u201d due to the number and severity of religious freedom violations. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]The <\/span>special <\/span>report<\/span>s<\/span> also <\/span>call attention to religious freedom violations associated with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, including <\/span>Russian government <\/span>prosecution of <\/span>protestors opposing <\/span>the war on <\/span>religious <\/span>grounds, as well as <\/span>mistreatment of religious minorities in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47617″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Pastor Andrey Shirokov with his wife following his release (photo from Telegram channel Mirt)\u202f” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley<\/span>, President of <\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea<\/span>, <\/span>says her organization welcomes the <\/span>international attention the <\/span>USCIRF <\/span>report<\/span>s<\/span> bring to religious freedom violations <\/span>by Russian authorities <\/span>but <\/span>says <\/span>the report<\/span>s<\/span> \u201conly scratch the surface\u201d. \u201cThe reports by USCIRF and others <\/span>highlight <\/span>the <\/span>high-profile<\/span> cases <\/span>of religious discrimination <\/span>involving <\/span>government <\/span>allegations of extremism, terrorism, and anti-state activity<\/span> against religious groups<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>says Representative Foley<\/span>. \u201cBut far more common\u2014and in our opinion, far more concerning\u2014are the surging number of much less well-known cases where ordinary Russian Christians who are doing ordinary Christian activities end up fined or imprisoned by <\/span>ordinary <\/span>police and <\/span>judges applying ordinary Russian laws<\/span> to stop them<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative <\/span>Foley<\/span> says<\/span> those cas<\/span>es are typically too low-profile to appear in religious freedom reports by USCIRF and other watchdog groups but are in her organization\u2019s view more representative of the day-to-day discrimination being faced by an increasing number of Protestant Christians in Russia.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47618″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Vyacheslav Koldiaev receives flowers from children at the Baptist church in Arkhangelsk, Russia, following his release from prison (Source: \u041f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0430\u043b \u0412\u0435\u0440\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c)\u202f” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This year, Voice of the Martyrs Korea has profiled the following cases:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n