The US State Department has published its annual report on the state of international religious freedom, Aleteia reported. org.
12 countries, including Russia, fall into the list of countries in the world with repressions against religious freedom.
„Respect for religious freedom reinforces other rights, such as the right to speak freely, to assemble peacefully, the ability to participate in politics. "Protecting this universal right enables people to express themselves, to realize their full potential, to contribute fully to their communities," said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The latest report identifies 12 countries – Burma (Myanmar), People's Republic of China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – as countries with degraded religious freedom for citizens.
The Constitution of Russia proclaims the state to be secular and guarantees freedom of religion, equal rights regardless of religious belief, and the right to worship and practice religion. However, the reality in the federation is harsh. The government can, without any explanation, criminalize a wide range of activities as extremist and declare people inconvenient to power as foreign agents. The Kremlin continues the repression against the people who oppose the military aggression against Ukraine.
Russia's war against Ukraine has brought to the surface many problems with religious freedom, especially in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces. In these places, Russia has denied the right to worship to members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Ukrainian Greek Catholics, Muslims such as the Crimean Tatars, Jehovah's Witnesses, Evangelicals, Baptists and others.