14.11.2006 - Source: UK Home Office

Amendment to 1997 law on ‘Freedom of Conscience’ requires all registered local religious organisations to inform the Registration Service within 3 days of any change in leadership or legal address ("Operational Guidance Note: Russian Federation") [ID 19910]

"A 1997 law on ‘Freedom of Conscience’ requires all religious organisations registered under the previous 1990 law to re-register by 31 December 2000. A January 2005 amendment to the law requires all registered local religious organisations to inform the Federal Registration Service Department (FRSD) within three days of any change in leadership or legal address, which brought the treatment of religious organisations into conformity with that of other non-governmental organisations. If a local organisation fails to meet this requirement on two occasions, the FRSD may file suit to have it dissolved and stricken from the registry."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

1997 Law remains the primary legislation governing religious organizations, but some provisions of the new NGO Law will apply to religious organizations as well; 1997 Law was amended in January 2005 ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 19911]

"The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the Government generally respected this right in practice; however, in some cases the authorities imposed restrictions on certain groups. The constitution also provides for the equality of all religions before the law and the separation of church and state; however, the Government did not always respect this provision.

The 1997 Law declared all religions equal before the law, prohibited government interference in religion, and established simple registration procedures for religious groups. Although the 1997 Law did not recognize a state religion, its preamble recognized Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions as constituting an inseparable part of the country's historical heritage, and also recognized the "special contribution of Orthodoxy to the history of Russia and to the establishment and development of Russia's spirituality and culture." Public opinion widely considered Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism to be the only religions "traditional" to the country.

Implementing regulations took effect on April 10, 2006, for the Law on Public Associations (NGO Law), which President Putin signed on January 10, 2006. The 1997 Law remains the primary legislation governing religious organizations, but some provisions of the new NGO Law will apply to religious organizations as well (...) such as new reporting requirements; the authority for the registration body (located in the MOJ) to request certain documents, send its representatives to participate in events, and review on an annual basis compliance of an organizations' activities with its statutory goals; and a requirement that covered nonprofit organizations inform the registering body of changes to certain data within three days of the effectuation of the changes.

In January 2005 authorities amended the 1997 Law to conform to a new law on state registration of other legal entities. The amended law requires all registered local religious organizations to inform the Federal Registration Service (FRS) within three days of a change in its leadership or legal address. If a local organization fails to meet this requirement on two or more occasions, the FRSD can file suit to dissolve and deregister the organization. Some denominations with numerous local organizations feared that compliance with this change will be highly burdensome. Neither the constitution nor the 1997 Law accords explicit privileges or advantages to the four "traditional" religions; however, many politicians and public figures argued for closer cooperation with them, and above all with the ROC. (...)"

Document(s): Open document

2006 - Source: CESNUR - Center for Studies on New Religions

Federal Law on Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations (in English) ("CESNUR Center for Studies on New Religions") [ID 11144]

Document(s): CESNUR Center for Studies on New Religions