Source: www.forum18.org
Date: November 2, 2023
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Victoria Arnold, Forum 18
In early October, 10 unidentified armed men raided the Holy Intercession
Tikhonite Church in the southern Krasnodar Region. The Church's Russian
Orthodox (but non-Moscow Patriarchate) clergy have repeatedly spoken out
against Russia's war in Ukraine, both during worship and online. As well as
seizing electronic devices and documents, the armed men physically tortured
and detained a priest, 40-year-old Hieromonk Iona Sigida. They later
charged him with "disobeying a police officer" and "discrediting the
Russian Armed Forces", for which he was given two days' short-term
imprisonment. He also faces a further court hearing.
The church's 86-year-old Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov was threatened with
criminal prosecution for repeat "discreditation" of the Armed Forces. He
was in March fined two months' average pension for giving an anti-war
sermon in church (see below).
The raid on the church was not the only one. "At least five searches took
place simultaneously", Fr Iona told Forum 18. "One in the church, one at
Archbishop Viktor's place of registration, one at my place of registration,
one at Fr Aleksandr's house church, and the fifth at the place of
registration of Fr Aleksandr. All early in the morning" (see below).
It remains unclear which agencies organised and carried out the raid.
Neither the armed men nor the officers who interrogated Fr Iona identified
themselves. The Krasnodar Region branches of the Investigative Committee,
Federal Security Service (FSB), Interior Ministry, and National Guard have
failed to respond to Forum 18's questions about the case (see below).
"I was amazed by this level of aggression and anger", Fr Iona told Novaya
Gazeta Europe. "And the most important thing is that they entered the
church with machine guns. They completely turned everything over .. They
scattered everything as if on purpose" (see below).
On 4 October, a court gave Fr Iona two days' short-term imprisonment on the
first charge and he will appear in court later in November on the second.
There has been no answer to Forum 18's questions about the raid, including
why Fr Iona's torturers are not facing criminal prosecution for torture, in
line with Russia's obligations under the United Nations (UN) Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (see below).
Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov was not detained and has not yet been informed
of a criminal case against him, but the church believes that investigative
agencies are simply "preparing for the next attack on us", they told Forum
18 on 25 October. The raid "scared many people, but [Archbishop Viktor] and
I are not scared and are ready to die or go to prison", Fr Iona told Forum
18. At present, Sunday services are continuing as normal (see below).
Archbishop Viktor told Novaya Gazeta Europe that after Russia's annexation
of Crimea in 2014, he would say in his sermons that this was the "lawless
seizure and occupation of a foreign country", which led to a visit from the
police. "We are led to believe that the Church is outside politics,"
Archbishop Viktor commented. "This is an insidious, diabolical lie". Fr
Iona describes the war in Ukraine as "based on diabolical pride and the
obsession of one old Chekist [secret police officer] with building his own
fantasy empire. What he is doing is the devil's will" (see below).
"We preach against the propaganda that is on television. Of course, we are
afraid of reprisals, but to the extent that we are obligated to speak, we
do so because our greatest fear is reprisal from Jesus Christ, whom we
serve .. He was repressed, he was crucified on the cross by madmen like our
rulers today. And of course, we can end up like Christ when we are
crucified and destroyed, but we must be with Christ, and then we will be
truly Christian .. Otherwise, we will become separated from God .. So we
must do what we do" (see below).
"God will not save you if you do not take action, if you do not have love",
Fr Iona concludes in the video. "If you see lawlessness, evil, deceit, and
lies triumphing and you do not denounce it, you do not fight it, then you
are not a Christian" (see below).
Viktor Pivovarov was ordained a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside Russia (ROCOR), which opened parishes inside Russia in the early
1990s, and in 2006 became an Archbishop in the Russian [Rossiyskaya]
Orthodox Church (RosPTs), which was founded after a series of splits within
ROCOR. He now leads a rival branch of RosPTs which he established in 2009
after a further split. It is not in communion with either other parts of
ROCOR or the Moscow Patriarchate.
Specific penalties for criticising Russia's actions in its renewed war
against Ukraine came into force on 4 March 2022, and Russian courts have so
far convicted four people on criminal charges for opposing Russia's war in
Ukraine on religious grounds, giving two long jail terms. Also, military
courts have now jailed four men for refusing on religious grounds to go to
fight in Ukraine. There have also been multiple Administrative Code
prosecutions for opposition to the war on religious grounds (see below).
Russia's government has used a range of tactics to pressure religious
leaders into supporting the renewed invasion of Ukraine from 24 February
2022 (see below).
March fine for anti-war sermon
In March 2023, a Krasnodar Region court handed Archbishop Viktor a
40,000-Rouble fine (https://www.forum18.org/archi
under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3, Part 1 ("Public actions aimed at
discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation") for an
anti-war sermon he had given in church. The fine was the equivalent of
about two months' average pension.
Both Archbishop Viktor and Fr Iona have published a number of articles on
the church's website which discuss theological approaches to war in general
and criticise the Moscow Patriarchate's position on the war in Ukraine.
Archbishop Viktor and Fr Iona also speak at length in a video made about
their community by Novaya Gazeta Europe (the European edition of
independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta), explicitly condemning the war
as "cursed both by God and by people" (Archbishop Viktor) and "based on
diabolical pride and the obsession of one old Chekist [secret police
officer] with building his own fantasy empire" (Fr Iona).
Forum 18 wrote to the Krasnodar Region branch of the Interior Ministry and
the joint court press service for Krasnodar Region on 3 April, asking them
to clarify which statements of Pivovarov's could be considered
"discreditation" of the Russian armed forces
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Ministry press office responded the same day, refusing to answer Forum 18's
questions as "the case is with the court".
Forum 18 had received no reply from the court press service as of 2
November.
"Because I'm a Christian, unlike you"
At 6am on 3 October, there was "an enormous din" outside the Holy
Intercession Tikhonite Church in Slavyansk-na-Kubani. Hieromonk Iona
Sigida, who was alone inside (Archbishop Viktor Pivovarov was still in the
adjoining house), opened the door to find about 10 armed men.
"They burst into the church with machine guns, in camouflage, in SOBR
[Special Rapid Response Unit] balaclavas, actually with machine guns, like
soldiers", Fr Iona told Novaya Gazeta Europe on 8 October
(https://novayagazeta.eu/artic
(Novaya Gazeta Europe was launched in Riga in April 2022, after censorship
in Russia forced Novaya Gazeta to suspend publication and many of its staff
left the country. Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Novaya
Gazeta Europe's website on 29 April 2022, and on 28 June 2023, the Justice
Ministry declared it an "undesirable organisation.)
"They pinion me on the floor. And [one of them] puts his knee on my back
and presses me down, so that I'm suffocating," Fr Iona added. "The
following dialogue took place between us: ‘Well, tell me, what kind of
article did you write there? Why did you do that?' ‘Because I'm a
Christian, unlike you'."
(Fr Iona notes that this was a reference to an article he had posted on the
church website on 28 September 2023, entitled "The Cult of War", in which
he discusses how "the cult of war is an integral part of all totalitarian
anti-human regimes". He refers to prophecies in the Book of Daniel and the
Book of Revelation, and criticises the "militarisation" of the Moscow
Patriarchate.)
The men – who did not identify themselves – searched both the house and
the church, including the sanctuary, keeping Fr Iona and Archbishop Viktor
separated throughout.
"They moved about out of control, and took everything they wanted, turning
everything upside down", the two priests wrote in their account of the
raid, posted on the church website on 10 October
(https://eshatologia.org/bibli
The armed men seized "at least three bags of items" – computers, phones,
documents, official church stamps, keys, and all the money they could find,
including from a donation box which they had broken open – and did not
give either of the priests an inventory or receipt. None of these items has
since been returned.
When the armed men went upstairs and found a computer, "they began shouting
insults and asking questions". They struck Fr Iona in the head, face, and
stomach – when he cited Article 51 of the Constitution (according to
which nobody is obliged to testify against themselves), "they became very
angry [and] began to use force even more".
When they saw Ukrainian websites in the computer's browser, they called Fr
Iona a "Nazi" and "fascist", and forcibly tried to shave his hair and beard
with an electric razor they had found in the search, threatening to send
him to serve in the army. They stopped when Fr Iona began to have
convulsions because of an existing problem with his spine, according to Fr
Iona's comments to Novaya Gazeta Europe on 8 October.
"I was amazed by this level of aggression and anger", Fr Iona told Novaya
Gazeta Europe. "And the most important thing is that they entered the
church with machine guns. They completely turned everything over .. They
scattered everything as if on purpose".
The armed men then summoned a local police officer and two witnesses (whom
Fr Iona described as 18-year-olds) and stated that Fr Iona had resisted
them and tried to escape, and had refused to show them his passport.
The armed men had the police officer draw up two administrative protocols
– one under Administrative Code Article 19.3, Part 1 ("Disobeying a
lawful order or demand of a police officer, soldier, penal system employee,
or National Guard officer in connection with the performance of their
duties to protect public order and ensure public safety, as well as
obstruction of their performance of official duties"), and one under
Administrative Code Article 20.3.3 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting
the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"), with reference to
Fr Iona's article "The Cult of War".
Fr Iona told Novaya Gazeta Europe that his passport had been lying on a
table and the men had simply picked it up.
The armed men then took Fr Iona to the local police station. Archbishop
Viktor was not assaulted, detained or charged with any offence, but the men
threatened him with criminal prosecution for repeatedly "discrediting" the
Russian Armed Forces (Criminal Code Article 280.3, Part 1).
"Fingerprinted, palmprinted, and photographed, just like a criminal"
At the police station on 3 October, two people questioned Fr Iona,
ostensibly as a witness, about articles on the church website and the video
about the church and Archbishop Viktor which Novaya Gazeta Europe had
posted on its YouTube channel on 5 May 2023.
"One was probably an investigator, but he didn't say anything about himself
– he just waved his fists, threatening to beat me up again, and brought
scissors to cut my hair", Fr Iona told Forum 18 on 25 October. "The second,
who asked the most questions, and about a wide variety of things unrelated
to the topic, was probably an FSB officer, and was wearing a mask – like
a medical mask, but khaki. He was clearly of a higher intellectual level
than the first, and is aware of all the oppositionists."
The interrogation lasted three to four hours, Fr Iona told Forum 18.
Afterwards, police took him to a cell. According to the account of what
happened on the church website, "Only then, when he asked for
clarification, was he told for the first time that he was being detained
for disobeying police officers. Other police officers at the station did
not understand what had happened and behaved correctly and politely."
The next morning, 4 October, a police van took him to Slavyansk City Court,
where, "due to a number of circumstances", Fr Iona had to spend the entire
day, despite his hearing appearing to last only 20 minutes. He pleaded not
guilty, but Judge Natalya Kovalchuk convicted him under Administrative Code
Article 19.3, Part 1 ("Disobeying a lawful order or demand of a police
officer, soldier, penal system employee, or National Guard officer in
connection with the performance of their duties to protect public order and
ensure public safety, as well as obstruction of their performance of
official duties").
Judge Kovalchuk sentenced Fr Iona to two days' short-term imprisonment,
according to the court decision seen by Forum 18.
Because he had already spent the previous night in a police cell, Fr Iona
was released from the detention centre – where "he was fingerprinted,
palmprinted, and photographed, just like a criminal" – the following day,
5 October.
Five raids by unidentified armed personnel
In their statement on the church website on 10 October, both priests
disavowed all documents they had signed during and after the raid. They
noted that Fr Iona's signature on the protocol of his interrogation (five
pages of which he corrected) was "given under unfree circumstances", and
that Archbishop Viktor claimed that he was put under pressure to sign
documents that he could not read, as he has cataracts and glaucoma in both
eyes.
Fr Iona and Archbishop Viktor still do not know which investigative agency
organised the raid on their church. Neither the armed men who assaulted Fr
Iona during the search nor the officers who interrogated him identified
themselves. "When I asked who they were, they just laughed at me [and]
insulted me and no one answered anything", Fr Iona told Forum 18.
On the church website, Fr Iona and Archbishop Viktor describe the men as
belonging to "SOBR" (Spetsialny Otryad Bystrogo Reagirovaniya), the Special
Rapid Response Unit which has been part of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya)
since 2016.
On 24 October, Forum 18 wrote to the Krasnodar Region branches of the
Investigative Committee, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the
Interior Ministry, as well as the Slavyansk District Police Department, and
asked them the following questions:
– why armed force had been considered necessary (especially as
Archbishop Viktor is 86 years old);
– whether the men who had beaten and threatened Fr Iona had been
suspended from duty and placed under investigation with a view to criminal
prosecution for torture, in line with Russia's obligations under the United
Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
– why Fr Iona had been prosecuted for "disobeying a police officer" when
he had neither resisted nor refused to present his passport;
– why the expression of religious opinion on war in general was taken to
be "discreditation" of the Russian Armed Forces, especially as Fr Iona had
not mentioned the armed forces in his "Cult of War" article;
– whether and on what grounds a criminal case has been opened against
Archbishop Viktor.
Only the Krasnodar Region Investigative Committee responded, directing
Forum 18 to contact the Federal Investigative Committee in Moscow. Forum 18
sent the same questions to the Federal Investigative Committee the same
day, 24 October, but has received no reply.
Forum 18 also wrote to the Krasnodar Region National Guard, asking why
armed force had been considered necessary, whether the men who had beaten
and threatened Fr Iona had been suspended from duty and placed under
investigation, and why Fr Iona had been prosecuted for "disobeying a police
officer". Forum 18 had received no response by the afternoon of 2 November.
The raid on the church was not the only one. "At least five searches took
place simultaneously", Fr Iona told Forum 18. "One in the church, one at
Archbishop Viktor's place of registration, one at my place of registration,
one at Fr Aleksandr's house church, and the fifth at the place of
registration of Fr Aleksandr. All early in the morning."
Fr Aleksandr Alekseyev is the priest of another RosPTs parish in the
village of Olginskaya in Primorsko-Akhtarsk District, about 100 kms (60
miles) from Slavyansk-na-Kubani. Fr Iona and Archbishop Viktor describe him
in their 10 October statement as "a blind, infirm, disabled person who has
recently experienced a heart attack and stroke, and other illnesses". They
note that Fr Aleksandr was not present during the raids. It appears that he
has so far not been detained, questioned, or charged with any offence.
"I think they're preparing for the next attack on us"
The raid on the church "scared many people", Fr Iona told Forum 18 on 25
October. "But Vladyka [Archbishop Viktor] and I are not scared and are
ready to die or go to prison." Sunday services, he said, are currently
being held as usual.
Judge Yuliya Pelyushenko of Slavyansk-na-Kubani City Court initially
returned to police the case against Fr Iona under Administrative Article
20.3.3, Part 1 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed
Forces of the Russian Federation"). According to court records, the
protocol had been "drawn up by unauthorised persons". Police resubmitted
the case, however, on 20 October, and a hearing is due to take place on 20
November, according to the court website.
No criminal case against Archbishop Viktor appears on the court website and
he does not know as yet whether one has been opened.
"For now [the investigators] are silent, but most likely they are just
preparing for the next steps", Fr Iona told Forum 18. "They took several
hard drives and flash drives – they're probably still studying the
materials on them." He added that the searchers had also taken "all the
property documents they could find", including plans of the church
buildings, and had threatened to close the church. "I think they're
preparing for the next attack on us."
"If you see lawlessness triumphing and you do not denounce it, then you are
not a Christian"
Fr Iona believes that any criminal case against Archbishop Viktor would be
based on the articles he has posted on the church website throughout the
year, and on a story about the church published by Novaya Gazeta Europe on
5 May 2023
(https://novayagazeta.eu/artic
Iona commented to the same paper on 8 October that the men who carried out
the raid appeared very interested in this story, and that it "made them
very angry".
Novaya Gazeta Europe's piece about the church
(https://novayagazeta.eu/artic
includes a 17-minute YouTube video showing parish life and worship and
interviews with Archbishop Viktor and Fr Iona about their opposition to the
war in Ukraine and the pressure they have come under from the authorities.
Referring to his conviction in March under Administrative Code Article
20.3.3, Part 1, Archbishop Viktor says that he told investigators and the
court that "If there are foreign tanks under our windows, that means we are
at war with an enemy, but if our tanks are in a neighbouring country, and
our soldiers are savagely torturing the people, waging an aggressive war,
then such a war is cursed both by God and by people".
Archbishop Viktor also recalls that after Russia's annexation of Crimea in
2014, he would say in his sermons that this was the "lawless seizure and
occupation of a foreign country", which led to a visit from the police. "We
are led to believe that the Church is outside politics," Archbishop Viktor
commented. "This is an insidious, diabolical lie".
Fr Iona describes the war in Ukraine as "based on diabolical pride and the
obsession of one old Chekist [secret police officer] with building his own
fantasy empire. What he is doing is the devil's will".
He attempts to explain why he and the Archbishop are so open in their
opposition to the government's policies:
"We preach against the propaganda that is on television. Of course, we are
afraid of reprisals, but to the extent that we are obligated to speak, we
do so because our greatest fear is reprisal from Jesus Christ, whom we
serve .. He was repressed, he was crucified on the cross by madmen like our
rulers today. And of course, we can end up like Christ when we are
crucified and destroyed, but we must be with Christ, and then we will be
truly Christian .. Otherwise, we will become separated from God .. So we
must do what we do".
"God will not save you if you do not take action, if you do not have love",
Fr Iona concludes in the video. "If you see lawlessness, evil, deceit, and
lies triumphing and you do not denounce it, you do not fight it, then you
are not a Christian."
"Discreditation" and "False information"
Specific penalties for criticising Russia's actions in its renewed war
against Ukraine came into force on 4 March 2022. These include
Administrative Code Article 20.3.3
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation"), which is used against apparently any form of anti-war
statement either in public spaces or online, and Criminal Code Article
207.3 (https://www.forum18.org/archi
dissemination, under the guise of credible statements, of knowingly false
information on the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation").
If individuals commit an offence covered by Administrative Code Article
20.3.3 more than once within a year, they may be prosecuted under Criminal
Code Article 280.3 ("Public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in order to protect the interests of
the Russian Federation and its citizens, [and] maintain international peace
and security").
On 28 March 2023, a series of amendments to the Criminal Code came into
legal force (https://www.forum18.org/archi
increasing penalties for disseminating "false information" about and
repeatedly "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces (Criminal Code Articles
207.3 and 280.3). The amendments also widen the definition of these
offences (and of Administrative Code Article 20.3.3) to include criticism
of "volunteer formations, organisations and individuals who assist in the
fulfilment of tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"
(that is, private mercenary units).
Under Criminal Code Article 280.3
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation and its
citizens, [and] maintain international peace and security"), Part 1, the
maximum prison sentence was raised from 3 years to 5 years. Under Part 2,
the same offence if resulting in "death by negligence", harm to health or
property, or mass public disorder, the penalty was raised from 5 years to 7
years.
Under Criminal Code Article 207.3 ("Public dissemination, under the guise
of credible statements, of knowingly false information on the use of the
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"), Part 1, the maximum prison
sentence was raised from 3 years to 5 years (Part 2 remains unchanged).
Two imprisoned, two fined for opposing Russia's war in Ukraine on religious
grounds
Russian courts have so far convicted four people on criminal charges for
opposing Russia's war in Ukraine on religious grounds:
– on 17 October 2022, Verkhoturye District Court (Sverdlovsk Region)
fined Fr Nikandr Igoryevich Pinchuk
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in communion with neither the Moscow
Patriarchate nor RosPTs) 100,000 Roubles under Criminal Code Article 280.3,
Part 1 for posts on VKontakte. In the posts, he accused the Russian army of
shelling Ukrainian cities, called it the "horde of the Antichrist", and
praised the "perseverance" of the defenders of "the city of Mary,
Mariupol";
– on 30 March 2023, Timiryazevsky District Court in Moscow handed
63-year-old Mikhail Yuryevich Simonov a 7-year prison sentence
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 207.3, Part 2 for two online comments about the war ("Killing
children and women, on Channel One [television] we sing songs. We, Russia,
have become godless [bezbozhniki]. Forgive us, Lord!"; and "Russian pilots
are bombing children"). He appealed unsuccessfully on 25 July 2023. As of
early September, he was in transit, at Investigation Prison No. 1 in Nizhny
Novgorod, on his way to a labour camp;
– on 7 August 2023, Soviet District Court in Tomsk fined Anna Sergeyevna
Chagina 100,000 Roubles
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 280.3, Part 1 for making anti-war posts on VKontakte after first
being convicted for displaying a poster reading "Blessed are the
peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)" at an anti-war protest. She appealed
unsuccessfully at Tomsk Regional Court on 26 October;
– on 31 August 2023, Kalinin District Court in St Petersburg sentenced Fr
Ioann Valeryevich Kurmoyarov (of the same branch of ROCOR as Fr Nikandr) to
3 years' imprisonment (https://www.forum18.org/archi
under Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraphs G and D for posting
videos condemning the war on his YouTube channel; between 13 September and
17 October, he and his lawyer lodged four appeals, but St Petersburg City
Court has not yet listed any hearings.
Investigators have also opened three criminal cases against people who have
left Russia:
– Nina Aleksandrovna Belyayeva
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Communist municipal deputy from Voronezh (Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part
1);
– Fr Aleksandr Nikolayevich Dombrovsky
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Patriarchate priest from Bryansk Region who was told by local police that
the FSB security service had opened a case against him (Article unknown);
– Yury Kirillovich Sipko
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
former head of the Russian Baptist Union (under investigation under
Criminal Code Article 207.3, Part 2, Paragraph D), whose home in Moscow the
Investigative Committee raided on 8 August 2023; they could not arrest him
as he had already left the country, and they have now had him placed on the
Interior Ministry's wanted list.
Also, military courts have now jailed four men for refusing on religious
grounds to go to fight in Ukraine
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
In Vladivostok, Baptist Vyacheslav Reznichenko entered the prison
colony-settlement on 18 September to start his 2 year, 6 month term. In
Murmansk, a court handed long-serving contract soldier Maksim Makushin, a
Pentecostal Christian, a term of 2 years and 8 months "for refusing to kill
Ukrainians". He lodged an appeal on 16 October, according to the website of
Murmansk Garrison Military Court, but the Northern Fleet Military Court has
not yet listed any hearings. Neither courts nor prosecutors answered Forum
18's questions why the men were not allowed to do alternative civilian
service.
Lawyers and human rights defenders agree that Russian federal legislation
does not provide for alternative civilian service (ACS) for reservists
during mobilisation. They insist, however, that the Constitution guarantees
the right to ACS in any case, and that men who object to fighting on
religious or other conscientious grounds should therefore lodge
applications for ACS and go to court when they are refused
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Administrative Code punishments, pressure against religious leaders
There have also been prosecutions under Administrative Code Article 20.3.3
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation"), which is used against apparently any form of public or online
protest, including against individuals opposing the war based on their
religious beliefs (https://www.forum18.org/archi
The first such prosecution was of Fr Ioann Burdin of the Moscow
Patriarchate's Kostroma Diocese, who was on 10 March 2022 fined for posting
an anti-war statement on the website
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Karabanovo and for giving a Sunday sermon in church condemning Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. In the sermon, he stressed the importance of the 6th
commandment, "Thou shalt not kill". The court decision is "a ban not only
on expressing one's opinion but also even on professing one's religious
beliefs", Fr Ioann told Forum 18.
Russia's government has used a range of tactics to pressure religious
leaders into supporting the renewed invasion
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
February 2022. These tactics include warnings to senior and local religious
leaders (https://www.forum18.org/archi
prosecuting and fining religious believers and clergy who have publicly
opposed the war. It is unclear what effect this has had on religious
believers who may have considered making a public protest against the war.
On 27 January 2023, Buddhist former leader Telo Tulku Rinpoche – who left
Russia in 2022 - became the first religious leader to be declared a
"foreign agent" (https://www.forum18.org/archi
the Justice Ministry. Similar warnings and prosecutions have been used
against many Russians who express opposition to the war for any reason.
Among the thousands of Russians detained and taken to court for protesting
against the war, a small number have done so from a religious perspective
or using explicitly religious imagery. Among them was Moscow Patriarchate
Deacon Sergey Shcherbyuk. A court in Samara fined him about one month's
average local wage (https://www.forum18.org/archi
April 2022 for "discrediting the Russian armed forces" in conversations
with parishioners and colleagues. One of them apparently reported him to
the Interior Ministry.
Similarly, in April 2023, a Moscow court fined Rostislav Charushin for a
poster quoting three of the Bible's Ten Commandments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
"clearly expresses a negative attitude towards the use of the Armed
Forces". (END)
Full reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For more background see Forum 18's survey of the general state of freedom
of religion and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
18's survey of the dramatic decline in this freedom related to Russia's
Extremism Law (https://www.forum18.org/archi
A personal commentary by the then Director of the SOVA Center for
Information and Analysis (https://www.sova-center.ru), Alexander
Verkhovsky, about the systemic problems of Russian "anti-extremism" laws
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 (https://twitter.com/forum_18)
Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService
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