Russia's occupation of Crimea has led to the oppression of religious freedom.

The enforcement of Russian law and the repressive policies of the occupying authorities have significantly worsened the situation of religious communities and associations in Crimea.

This conclusion was reached by human rights activists, religious figures, and experts, who on November 29, 2021 took part in an expert discussion on "Freedom of religion in Crimea: the view of human rights defenders and religious figures."

Participants in the discussion noted that since the beginning of the Russian military intervention on the Crimean peninsula, Ukrainian churches and religious communities have become targets for harassment because of their activities.

"Russian authorities have demanded the mandatory re-registration of religious organizations and religious sites in Crimea, coerced Crimean citizens to become Russian citizens, taken control over the publication and distribution of religious literature, and created special rules governing missionary work," – said Oleksandr Zaiets, Board Chairman of the Institute for Religious Freedom.

He added that one of the methods of pressure was the deprivation of ownership of religious buildings of Ukrainian churches through physical seizures and court decisions of the occupying power. Also, common today is the practice of mass raids in mosques in the Crimea to check the documents of Muslims. The number of cases initiated for belonging to religious organizations recognized in Russia as terrorists or extremists is growing.

Participants in the discussion testified that the occupying authorities of Crimea continue to persecute religious figures and individual believers, including Muslims from the Crimean Tatars, the community of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Evangelical Christians.

The authorized representative of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Andriy Shchekun, the Coordinator of the Crimean Childhood Initiative Mumine Salieva, the Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Ihor Bandura, Press Secretary of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Batul Rustamova, as well as the lawyer of the Crimean Solidarity initiative Lilya Gemedzhi, joined the discussion via video broadcast.

"From the perspective of international standards and human rights, the occupying government of Crimea and the Russian Federation generally do not recognize freedom of religion in Crimea but consider it rather as a collective category. If one or another religious organization is loyal to the Russian government or is under its special preferences, then the believers of this community have the opportunity to exercise their right to religious freedom, and if not – they are persecuted," – said Oleksandra Matviichuk, Board Chairman of the Center for Civil Liberties.

Russian human rights activists also see the actions of the occupying authorities in Crimea as the deliberate oppression of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Serhiy Davidis, the Board Member of the Memorial Human Rights Center, spoke about the use of Russian anti-terrorist and anti-extremist legislation to suppress religious freedom in Crimea:

"In Russia itself, anti-terrorism and anti-extremist legislation is being applied rather arbitrarily, but in recent years it is getting worse: the legislation has become increasingly strict and arbitrary. The severity of punishment on such charges and the arbitrary application of the law are exacerbated by the complete absence of an independent judiciary in Russia.”

The Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych also shared his assessments of the state of human rights in Crimea, and religious freedom in particular.

Representatives of many foreign embassies and missions took part in the event, including via video broadcast.

"The United Kingdom is firmly committed to the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of religion and belief throughout the world and has a strong international voice in such protection. Systematic violations of the rights of religious minorities in Crimea by the Russian Federation are unacceptable,” – said Nicolas Harrocks, Deputy Head of Mission, Chargé d'Affaires of the United Kingdom in Ukraine.

Human rights activists and religious figures also discussed what practical measures could and should be taken under the Crimean Platform to restore religious freedom in Crimea.

The discussion ended with the speakers' answers to the questions of the viewers from the video broadcast. The organizers of the event also said that the issue of religious persecution in Crimea by the Russian occupation authorities will be raised in a special resolution, which will be prepared and published by the participants of the Religious Freedom Roundtable in Ukraine.

The event is organized by the Institute for Religious Freedom, the Center for Civil Liberties, the British Embassy in Ukraine as part of the initiative of the Religious Freedom Roundtable in Ukraine with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine within the IRF project "Mobilization of the international community to end identity-based persecution in the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine."

Full video of the expert discussion:

For reference: The Religious Freedom Roundtable in Ukraine (ReligiousFreedom.in.ua) is a permanent platform for dialogue between various representatives of civil society, especially between religious and human rights organizations, with the involvement of experts and officials. The work of the Roundtable is coordinated by the Center for Civil Liberties and the Institute for Religious Freedom.