Source: www.forum18.org
Date: October 29, 2026
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Victoria Arnold, Forum 18
On 10 September, a Moscow Region court convicted a researcher for one of
Russia's leading freedom of religion and belief monitors of participating
in the activities of an "undesirable organisation". The judge handed her
the maximum possible fine for a private individual. Prosecutors had accused
Olga Sibiryova of the Moscow-based Sova Centre for Information and Analysis
of collaborating with the International Freedom of Religion or Belief
Alliance (IRFBA, ruled "undesirable" in 2024). The Sova Centre says neither
it nor Sibiryova has ever interacted with the IRFBA.
A repeat offence could lead to criminal prosecution, with a maximum 4-year
jail term (see below).
Prosecutors appeared to have initiated Sibiryova's prosecution on the
grounds of citation of her publicly accessible research reports in IRFBA's
own materials. This is "the first time such a surprising interpretation of
the offence defined under [Administrative Code] Article 20.33 has been
encountered", according to Sova (see below).
In court, prosecutors based the case on "expert analysis" which claimed
that Sibiryova was "an engaged agent within a network" of international
organisations linked to IRFBA, rendering "systematic expert-informational
support" and serving as "a significant provider of data for one of the key
institutional actors influencing the activities of IRFBA – the US
Commission on International Religious Freedom" (see below).
The expert analysis "failed to cite a single instance in which IRFBA had
actually used publications by Sibiryova or the Sova Centre", Sova commented
in its statement on the case on 10 September. "Such a method of 'proving' a
connection between an individual and an organisation goes far beyond the
realm of common sense" (see below).
Mikhail Bezborodov, a political scientist at Petrozavodsk State University
who provided "expert analysis" for Sibiryova's prosecution, did not respond
to Forum 18's questions. Naro-Fominsk Prosecutor's Office and Moscow
Regional Prosecutor's Office similarly did not respond to Forum 18's
questions, including on why prosecutors initiated the case solely on the
grounds that an "undesirable" organisation allegedly used publicly
available materials without the author's knowledge (see below).
Other recent prosecutions for participating in the activities of an
"undesirable organisation" reviewed by Forum 18 appear to be based on
minimal or unknowing "participation". Many are based on the presence on
church premises of material published by US-based Protestant missionary
body Mission Eurasia. Russia's General Prosecutor's Office named Mission
Eurasia an "undesirable organisation" on 30 April 2026. The Justice
Ministry added it to the register of "undesirable organisations" two weeks
later (see below).
A court in Moscow fined both the Golgotha Baptist church and its pastor,
Pyotr Mitskevich, for the presence of a single copy of a Mission Eurasia
Bible inside a church office, found during a Prosecutor's Office
inspection. Butyrsky Inter-District Prosecutor's Office, Moscow City
Prosecutor's Office, and Butyrsky District Court did not respond to Forum
18's questions, including on whether the seized book has been destroyed (as
happened in a Moscow Region town earlier this year) (see below).
In the town of Vladimir, the same court fined both Protestant pastor Roman
Usmanov and Baptist pastor Andrey Butorin for "distribution" of various
Mission Eurasia books and pamphlets. Forum 18 wrote to Vladimir City
Prosecutor's Office and Lenin District Court asking whether the literature
seized in the inspections is going to be destroyed. Lenin District Court
press service responded, refusing to answer Forum 18's question.
Prosecutors did not respond (see below).
A court in St Petersburg fined Apostolic Orthodox Archbishop Grigory
Mikhnov-Vaytenko for reposting a video of himself giving an interview to
Novaya Gazeta.Europe more than eight months before the Justice Ministry
added the independent media outlet to its register of "undesirable
organisations", and more than three years before prosecutors opened the
case. Because Mikhnov-Vaytenko had not deleted the post in the interim,
prosecutors classified it as an "ongoing offence" (see below).
St Petersburg's Central District Prosecutor's Office and the City's
Prosecutor's Office did not respond to Forum 18's question as to why the
Archbishop's "Prison, War and Faith" Telegram channel was subject to
Federal Security Service (FSB) monitoring (see below).
If the General Prosecutor's Office decides that a foreign or international
organisation poses a threat in Russia's political and security sphere, it
can order it to be added to the Justice Ministry's register of "undesirable
organisations". Inclusion in this list shuts down a legal entity
immediately and bars individuals' involvement with it, even outside Russia
(see below).
"In practice, independent media outlets, as well as political, human
rights, religious, educational, research, and other projects, are
designated 'undesirable' for simply carrying out their lawful activities,"
human rights monitor OVD-Info notes (see below).
The General Prosecutor's Office has declared "undesirable" more than 20
religiously-affiliated foreign organisations - religious bodies, religious
media, missionary, or educational organisations, or non-governmental
organisations with religious links or which promote freedom of religion and
belief. These include Jehovah's Witness, Falun Gong and Protestant
organisations (see below).
Charges and punishments
Administrative Code Article 20.33 punishes "Participation in the activities
of a foreign or international organisation whose activities have been
declared undesirable within the territory of the Russian Federation in
accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, or violation of
prohibitions established by Federal Law No. 272-FZ of 28 December 2012 'On
Measures Against Persons Involved in Violations of Fundamental Human Rights
and Freedoms and the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens of the Russian
Federation'".
This Article carries the following penalties: for individuals – a fine of
5,000 to 15,000 Roubles; for people in an official capacity – 20,000 to
50,000 Roubles; for legal entities – 50,000 to 100,000 Roubles; staff of
election commissions are disqualified for one year. A fine of 100,000
Roubles represents about six weeks' average wage.
The law on "undesirable organisations" includes a ban on "the dissemination
of information materials issued by a foreign or international [undesirable]
organisation and/or disseminated by it – including via mass media and/or
using the Internet information and telecommunication network – as well as
the production or storage of such materials for the purpose of
dissemination".
A repeat offence under Article 20.33 may lead to criminal prosecution under
Criminal Code Article 284.1, Part 1 ("Participation in the activities of a
foreign or international organisation whose activities have been declared
undesirable within the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance
with the legislation of the Russian Federation, committed by a person who
has been subjected to an administrative penalty for a similar act").
Penalties for this include: a fine of 300,000 to 500,000 Roubles; up to 360
hours' compulsory labour [obyazatelniye raboty]; up to 4 years' assigned
labour [prinuditelniye raboty] with up to 2 years' possible restriction of
freedom [ogranicheniye svobody]; or 1 to 4 years' imprisonment with a
possible ban on "holding certain offices or engaging in certain activities"
for up to 10 years.
(Criminal Code Article 284.1 also includes Part 2, which covers the
financing of "undesirable organisations", and Part 3, which covers the
organisation of their activities.)
Moscow Region: Researcher's fine for "systematic expert-informational
support for activities of transnational network"
On 10 September 2026, Naro-Fominsk City Court in Moscow Region convicted
Olga Sibiryova, a researcher at the Moscow-based Sova Centre for
Information and Analysis, of "participation in the activities of an
undesirable organisation" – apparently because the International Freedom
of Religion or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), the US Commission on Religious
Freedom, and potentially other unnamed organisations in a vaguely defined
"transnational information infrastructure" had used her publicly available
reports in their own work
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
The Court fined Sibiryova 15,000 Roubles, the maximum punishment for an
individual under Administrative Code Article 20.33 ("Participation in the
activities of a foreign or international organisation whose activities have
been declared undesirable"), according to the decision seen by Forum 18.
The fine represents about one week's average wage.
The Sova Centre considers the charge to be "completely false"
(https://t.me/sovacenter/514), and based on the "bizarre speculations" of
the political scientist who provided "expert analysis" to the prosecution.
"The ruling initiating the case indicated that her 'participation in the
activities' of IRFBA consisted merely of the fact that the alliance had
made use of Sibiryova's publications. This appears to be the first time
such a surprising interpretation of the offence defined in Article 20.33
has been encountered", Sova noted on 10 September
(https://t.me/sovacenter/516). "We maintain that a person cannot be charged
with an offence solely on the basis of actions taken by another party
without their consent or coordination. Neither Sibiryova herself nor the
Sova Centre as a whole has ever had any contact with IRFBA."
Sibiryova left Russia shortly before the court hearing and remains outside
the country. Her lawyer has lodged an appeal on her behalf, which the city
court passed to Moscow Regional Court on 26 October, according to the
former's website.
Sibiryova has worked for the Sova Centre, Russia's leading organisation
monitoring freedom of religion and belief violations, for over sixteen
years. Among other work, she produces the Centre's annual reports on such
violations (https://www.forum18.org/archi
The Justice Ministry added the Sova Centre to its register of "foreign
agents" (https://www.forum18.org/archi
went to court to have it liquidated as a legal entity
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
operated as an unregistered group of researchers.
The International Freedom of Religion or Belief Alliance describes itself
(https://www.state.gov/interna
as "a network of like-minded countries fully committed to advancing freedom
of religion or belief around the world", which "brings together senior
government representatives to discuss actions their nations can take
together to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief and protect
members of religious minority groups". The US State Department coordinates
its activities. Its website has not been updated since 2024, and many links
appear to be broken.
On 25 December 2024, Russia's General Prosecutor's Office named the
Alliance an "undesirable organisation". The Justice Ministry added it to
its register of "undesirable organisations" on 17 January 2025.
According to Mikhail Bezborodov, a political scientist at Petrozavodsk
State University who provided "expert analysis" for the prosecution,
Sibiryova "uses her publications for direct informational and conceptual
defence of the policies of the U.S. Commission on International Religious
Freedom (USCIRF)". He claims that, in her 2025 report on religious freedom
in Russia, Sibiryova "opposes the designation of IRFBA as an 'undesirable
organisation', falsely classifying this transnational political alliance as
a 'religious organisation', and condemns the actions taken by the
Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation".
(In this report
(https://www.sova-center.ru/re
Sibiryova simply states – without comment - that IRFBA, along with
Brigham Young University and German charity "Peace Unto All", has been
declared an "undesirable organisation".)
Nevertheless, Bezborodov takes this as evidence that Sibiryova "acts not as
an academic scholar specialising in research on the sociology of religion,
but as an engaged agent within a network, defending its coordination
infrastructure", and "serves as a significant provider of data for one of
the key institutional actors influencing the activities of IRFBA – the
[US] Commission on International Religious Freedom".
Bezborodov concedes that Sibiryova "does not occupy a central position in
the process of formulating or implementing the alliance's policies".
Nevertheless, he repeatedly describes her alleged participation in IRFBA as
"systematic", and states that she "plays a consistent role as a provider
and interpreter of information about the religious situation in Russia,
whose materials are regularly incorporated into the expert discourse of key
structures that influence the alliance's activities" and are "in steady
demand within the transnational network associated with [IRFBA]".
Prosecutors argued that Sibiryova "acts not as an outside observer, but as
a functional node within a distributed network, serving as infrastructural,
epistemic support and a structural-informational partner", provides
"informational legitimation and defence of this 'undesirable' organisation
[IRFBA] within the public sphere", and "serves as a functional element of
the Alliance's external civil-expert framework, generating a specialised
product", and playing "a consistent, indirect role in providing expertise
and information".
In the written court decision, seen by Forum 18, neither Bezborodov nor the
Prosecutor's Office names any other organisations or individuals in the
alleged "network" linked to IRFBA, apart from the US Commission on
International Religious Freedom. Nor does the court decision cite any
specific instances of IRFBA or any other organisation using Sibiryova's
work.
"Bezborodov, without any supporting evidence, invented the existence of an
entire network of various Western organisations allegedly linked to IRFBA.
He then claimed to have found references to Sibiryova's work within these
disparate entities", the Sova Centre wrote in its statement on the case
(https://www.sova-center.ru/ab
10 September. "This method of 'proving' a connection between an individual
and an organisation falls well outside the bounds of common sense".
Dmitry Goncharov is a political scientist from the Higher School of
Economics who provided expert analysis for the defence
(https://www.sova-center.ru/ab
argued that Bezborodov's analysis "does not meet the most basic criteria
for scientific expert analysis" and "and generally replaces scientific
reasoning with biased speculation".
Forum 18 wrote to Mikhail Bezborodov on 27 October, seeking to clarify
where and by whom Sibiryova's work had allegedly been cited, and what
evidence he had that she had consciously provided information to IRFBA,
rather than simply published reports which the Alliance may later have
quoted without her knowledge. Forum 18 had received no response by the end
of the working day in Petrozavodsk of 29 October.
Forum 18 has repeatedly put questions about Sibiryova's case in writing to
Naro-Fominsk Prosecutor's Office and Moscow Regional Prosecutor's Office,
including:
- on what materials from the Alliance, or other organisations within the
so-called "network", was the administrative case based?
- why did prosecutors initiate the case solely on the grounds that an
"undesirable" organisation allegedly used publicly available materials
without the author's knowledge? In what way does this constitute
participation or cooperation?
- why does the publication of research reports on a publicly accessible
website mean that Sibiryova is a "significant provider of data" for IRFBA
and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom – to the extent
that she has been held administratively liable?
Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in
Naro-Fominsk of 29 October.
Forum 18 put the same questions to Naro-Fominsk City Court on 21 October,
asking why Sibiryova was found guilty on this basis. Forum 18 had received
no response by the end of the working day in Naro-Fominsk of 29 October.
St Petersburg: Apostolic Orthodox Archbishop fined for video
On 22 September, Smolny District Court in St Petersburg found Archbishop
Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko guilty under Administrative Code Article 20.33
("Participation in the activities of a foreign or international
organisation whose activities have been declared undesirable") for
reposting a video of himself giving an interview to Novaya Gazeta.Europe.
Judge Yekaterina Mezentseva issued the minimum fine of 5,000 Roubles. The
Archbishop has lodged an appeal, which the district court registered on 27
October, according to its website.
Archbishop Mikhnov-Vaytenko is leader of the Apostolic Orthodox Church,
which was founded in 2000 by Gleb Yakunin (whom the Moscow Patriarchate had
defrocked and excommunicated after he published information on the
Soviet-era links between it and the KGB). It is not in communion with the
Moscow Patriarchate. He has consistently opposed Russia's war against
Ukraine and helped Ukrainian refugees inside Russia. In July 2024, the
Justice Ministry named him a "foreign agent"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
"The court (along with the St Petersburg Central District Prosecutor's
Office) was placed in an impossible position in which even imposing a fine
of 5,000 Roubles looked like an act of defiance," Mikhnov-Vaytenko wrote on
his Telegram channel (https://t.me/turma_i_vera/299
"The problem is that the materials from the operational-investigative
activities were provided to the prosecutor's office by none other than the
'Second Service of the FSB [Federal Security Service]', a 'fearsome beast'
to which no one in our Russian land dares to object. But *I* object!"
Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta launched its European
edition in Latvia in April 2022, shortly after suspending its Russian
operations in response to official censorship after Russia's full-scale
invasion of Ukraine. Roskomnadzor blocked its website in Russia almost
immediately.
Novaya Gazeta.Europe interviewed the Archbishop about the practical and
spiritual help he and his church were providing to Ukrainians who had fled
to Russia. It posted the video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch
November 2022 under the title "Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko on anti-humanity,
faith, and helping refugees". The Apostolic Orthodox Church's Telegram
channel posted a link to the interview, also on 5 November 2022, and
Mikhnov-Vaytenko himself reposted this on his own "Prison, War and Faith"
Telegram channel the same day.
The General Prosecutor's Office declared Novaya Gazeta.Europe an
"undesirable organisation" on 26 June 2023. The Justice Ministry added it
to the register of "undesirable organisations" on 14 July 2023.
According to the resolution initiating the administrative prosecution
(https://t.me/endoflaw/3853), dated 9 June 2026, St Petersburg's Central
District Prosecutor's Office received information from the FSB on 20 March
2026 that Mikhnov-Vaytenko had reposted the Novaya Gazeta.Europe interview.
"In this way, G. A. Mikhnov-Vaytenko disseminated material of the foreign
organisation BDR Novaja Gazeta-Europe [sic] .. (Latvian Republic), the
activity of which has been deemed undesirable on the territory of the
Russian Federation, by which means participation in this organisation's
activity was effected".
Despite the fact that Mikhnov-Vaytenko had posted the link to the video
before Novaya Gazeta.Europe had been ruled an "undesirable organisation",
and that more than three years passed before the FSB became aware of it,
prosecutors still opened a case on the grounds that the offence was deemed
to be "ongoing", as the post remained publicly accessible on the "Prison,
War and Faith" Telegram channel as of 5 June 2026.
According to Article 4.5, Part 2 of the Administrative Code, for an
"ongoing" offence, the two-year statute of limitations on Article 20.33
"shall begin to run from the day the administrative offence is discovered"
– in this instance, "the moment the specified unlawful material was
discovered, 17.45 on 20 March 2026", the resolution noted.
Archbishop Mikhnov-Vaytenko represented himself in court, the Slovo i
Zashchite Telegram channel reported on 22 September
(https://t.me/endoflaw/3853). "It is my interview; I did give it. The fact
that I failed to keep track of it and did not delete it – yes, I accept
responsibility for that. But the material was deleted a long time ago,"
Mikhnov-Vaytenko said.
Forum 18 wrote to Central District Prosecutor's Office and St Petersburg
City Prosecutor's Office on 21 October, asking why the Archbishop's
"Prison, War and Faith" Telegram channel was subject to Federal Security
Service (FSB) monitoring. Forum 18 had received no response by the end of
the working day in St Petersburg of 29 October.
General Prosecutor's Office names Mission Eurasia "undesirable
organisation"
Russia's General Prosecutor's Office named Mission Eurasia an "undesirable
organisation" on 30 April 2026. The Justice Ministry added it to the
register of "undesirable organisations"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
likely because of its open support for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale
invasion (https://t.me/shaltnotkill/129
Mission Eurasia was founded in 1991 by American Protestant pastor Peter
Deyneka to evangelise in the former Soviet Union. It now trains local
Protestant leaders in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Israel, who then
engage in church planting and evangelism in workplaces and schools. It also
publishes and distributes translations of the Bible and what it calls
"strategic Christian books and resources".
It is common for Protestant churches and educational institutions to
possess Bibles and other literature published by Mission Eurasia, even if
they have no other relationship to the organisation.
In 2017, Russia's Deputy General Prosecutor stated in a letter to the
Culture Minister (No. 27/3-491-2015/Нд26284-17
(https://www.rba.ru/netcat_fil
that, firstly, "It is necessary to distinguish between materials that
disclose the content and results of an 'undesirable' organisation's
activities, and works by well-known authors that were merely republished or
distributed by such an organisation as part of humanitarian projects", and
secondly, "If the organisation is not the author of the works and their
content is unrelated to the activities of the 'undesirable' organisation,
the possession of such books cannot be considered a violation of the law
and does not require their seizure".
Nevertheless, as soon as Mission Eurasia was included in the register of
"undesirable organisations" in May, prosecutors began inspecting churches,
religious educational institutions, and religious bookshops. Prosecutors
seized literature and initiated administrative cases
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
involved only copies of the Bible. A Moscow court fined a Baptist pastor in
June and ordered Bibles and other literature destroyed. Another Moscow
court fined Baptist leader Pyotr Mitskevich in July for literature in the
Baptist seminary library. And in August, a St Petersburg court fined the St
Petersburg Christian University.
Moscow: Church and Pastor both fined for single Bible
In September 2026, Butyrsky District Court in Moscow heard cases under
Administrative Code Article 20.33 ("Participation in the activities of a
foreign or international organisation whose activities have been declared
undesirable") against Golgotha Baptist church and its pastor Pyotr
Mitskevich. The Court found both guilty
(https://irp.news/minimalno-os
separate prosecutions for the same alleged offence – the presence of a
single copy of an illustrated New Testament, published by Mission Eurasia.
Judge Olga Sudyina fined the church 50,000 Roubles on 7 September, and
Pastor Mitskevich 20,000 Roubles on 10 September. (Pastor Mitskevich was
held liable "in the capacity of an official who failed to ensure proper
oversight of the organisation's activities", according to the court
decision.) The ruling against the church entered legal force on 6 October
2026, according to the Moscow court system's online portal. Pastor
Mitskevich lodged an appeal against his own conviction on 21 October 2026.
From the written court decisions, seen by Forum 18, Prosecutor's Office
staff appear to have inspected the church in summer 2026, during which they
found a copy of "The Bible in action. New Testament". This appears to be an
illustrated version of the Bible produced for children by Mission Eurasia.
(The Russian State Library in Moscow lists the book on its online catalogue
as a "Restricted Access Document".)
Officials claimed that the book was in the church's library, but a
parishioner called as a witness at Mitskevich's hearing stated that it was
in fact inside the pastor's office, which was kept locked.
Judge Sudyina dismissed this on the grounds that the church administrator
also had a key to the office, concluding that it was therefore "accessible
to third parties". "The presence of a locking device does not necessarily
mean that a storage location is inaccessible, if multiple persons have
access to it and the storage arrangements do not ensure exclusive control
by the owner," the judge concluded.
At both hearings, Pastor Mitskevich testified that he had issued a formal
order to the church administrator on 14 May (the day Mission Eurasia was
added to the "undesirable organisations" register) "to review printed
materials" and discard anything prohibited – an order which was not
properly carried out.
The judge concluded on both occasions that this meant that the church and
its pastor were aware of potential violations of the law, but had failed to
exercise due diligence in ensuring the order was fulfilled.
"Thus, Pastor [Mitskevich], while acting within the scope of his official
duties, did not properly carry out his organisational and administrative
functions, which resulted in the continued presence of prohibited materials
in the organisation's library. This constitutes the objective element of
the administrative offence stipulated in Administrative Code Article
20.33", the judge noted on 10 September.
Judge Sudyina also rejected the defence argument that Mitskevich should not
have been held liable after the church, as a legal entity, had already been
prosecuted for the same offence.
Forum 18 sent enquiries to Butyrsky Inter-District Prosecutor's Office,
Moscow City Prosecutor's Office, and Butyrsky District Court on 23 October,
asking why the church and the pastor had been prosecuted for the same
offence, in what way possession of the Bible could be considered
"participation in the activities of an "undesirable organisation" in light
of the Deputy General Prosecutor's letter of 2017, and whether the seized
book had been destroyed.
Court chair Glera Dosayeva replied on 29 October, refusing to answer these
questions and directing Forum 18 to the written decisions on the Moscow
court system's online portal. Forum 18 had received no response from
prosecutors by the end of the working day in Moscow of 29 October.
Vladimir: Two pastors fined for Mission Eurasia literature in separate
cases
In Vladimir, prosecutors conducted inspections of two churches on 1 July.
They subsequently opened cases under Administrative Code Article 20.33
("Participation in the activities of a foreign or international
organisation whose activities have been declared undesirable") against both
church leaders – Baptist pastor Andrey Butorin and Protestant pastor
Roman Usmanov – for alleged distribution of Mission Eurasia material.
The city's Lenin District Court fined each of them 20,000 Roubles (as
persons in an official position) on 29 September and 30 September
respectively. This represents about 10 days' average wage.
The Prosecutor's Office inspection of Chapel at Golgotha Protestant church
found 81 copies of a book called "How to Tell Children About the Gospel",
as well as six copies of booklets entitled "New Testament" and
"Forgiveness, Love, Word, Peace, Life, God, Truth", all published by
Mission Eurasia. These were "openly accessible on shelves", according to
the 30 September court decision, seen by Forum 18.
Pastor Roman Usmanov admitted guilt in court, stating that he had been
aware of Mission Eurasia's designation as an "undesirable organisation".
The literature in question "had been placed in a box with the intention of
disposing of it. However, some copies were indeed left accessible to the
public".
"Although aware of the decision made by the General Prosecutor's Office,
and despite having the opportunity to comply with the rules and
regulations, the violation of which entails administrative liability,
Usmanov failed to take all measures within his power to ensure such
compliance," Judge Anna Ryzhkova concluded. She noted Usmanov's expression
of remorse and his having three underage children as mitigating factors in
the case.
Unlike Usmanov, Baptist pastor Andrey Butorin denied knowing that Mission
Eurasia was on the register of "undesirable organisations", though he also
admitted guilt.
The Prosecutor's Office inspection of Pastor Butorin's church lasted two
hours, during which officials found one book entitled "False Links in the
Great Chain" and ten booklets entitled "The Gospel According to John". All
of these were "freely accessible" in the church's library, according to the
30 September court decision.
Judge Irina Piskunova noted Butorin's remorse as a mitigating factor in the
case.
Neither Butorin nor Usmanov appealed against his guilty verdict, and both
decisions have entered legal force.
Forum 18 wrote to Vladimir City Prosecutor's Office and Lenin District
Court on 23 October, asking whether the literature seized in the
inspections is going to be destroyed (as has happened elsewhere
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Court press service responded on 27 October, refusing to answer Forum 18's
question. Forum 18 had received no response from prosecutors by the end of
the working day in Vladimir of 29 October.
Designating organisations "undesirable"
The process of designating organisations "undesirable"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 3.1 (adopted on 23 May 2015) of the 2012 Federal Law "On measures
of influence on persons involved in violations of fundamental human rights
and freedoms [and the] rights and freedoms of citizens of the Russian
Federation" (known as the Dima Yakovlev Law).
This legislation applies to foreign or international non-governmental
organisations which allegedly threaten Russia's constitutional order,
defence capabilities, or state security – explicitly including influence
on elections and referendums – or which are deemed to have acted as a
financial intermediary for an "undesirable organisation" already on the
list.
Once listed, an "undesirable organisation" must close all its branches in
Russia and is banned both from opening more and from founding any other
legal entities. It can no longer produce, distribute, or store any
informational materials, online or offline, and is barred from carrying out
any programmes or projects.
In 2021, Russian legal entities and citizens (plus stateless persons
resident in Russia) were barred from involvement with "undesirable
organisations" outside Russia (punishments for such involvement inside
Russia had already been in place since 2015). In 2024, further amendments
made it possible for organisations founded by foreign government bodies to
be placed on the register.
"Because the law does not clearly define the criteria for designating an
organisation as 'undesirable', the authorities can, in effect, ban any
activity that runs counter to their interests under the guise of protecting
the constitutional order", human rights monitor OVD-Info notes
(https://ovdinfo.legal/instruc
"In practice, independent media outlets, as well as political, human
rights, religious, educational, research, and other projects, are
designated 'undesirable' for simply carrying out their lawful activities,"
OVD-Info adds.
More than 20 religiously-affiliated "undesirable" organisations
The register of "undesirable organisations" currently has 391 entries. More
than 20 of these are religious bodies, religious media, missionary, or
educational organisations, or non-governmental organisations with religious
links or which promote freedom of religion and belief.
These include: Jehovah's Witness bodies from the US, Germany, and Ukraine;
Brigham Young University (which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints); Friede Allen (Peace Unto All), which supports
Russian clergy who have opposed Russia's war in Ukraine; Mission Eurasia;
Child Evangelism Fellowship; the International Freedom of Religion or
Belief Alliance; and seven Falun Gong or Falun Gong-linked organisations.
Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information
Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) has blocked the websites of many
of these organisations, including Friede Allen (Peace Unto All), Mission
Eurasia, and Child Evangelism Fellowship. (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Russia
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For background information see Forum 18's Russia religious freedom survey
(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
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