The Russian government views independent religious activity as a threat to social and political stability and to its own control, yet it simultaneously cultivates relationships with what it deems “traditional” religions. The population is religiously diverse: around 68 percent identify as Russian Orthodox Christian; 7 percent identify as Muslim; and 25 percent comprise an array of communities, including Protestants, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists, Jews, Baha’is, and indigenous religions. The government enforces laws that restrict religious freedom, including a 1996 religion law; a 2002 law on combating extremism; and more recent laws on blasphemy, “stirring up religious hatred,” and “missionary activity.” These vague laws give authorities broad powers to define and prosecute any religious speech or activity or to ban any religious literature they deem harmful. The anti-extremism law, for example, lacks a clear definition of extremism and includes no prerequisite for the use or advocacy of violence. The law is a powerful way to intimidate religious communities as it allows for the prosecution of virtually any speech; suspects can be financially blacklisted or liquidated, and they can face criminal prosecutions. Muslims In February, seven members of the Muslim missionary organization Tablighi Jamaat were arrested, and in September at least seven previously arrested members were sentenced to prison for organizing a “conspiratorial extremist cell.” Readers of the moderate Sunni Muslim theologian Said Nursi were also prosecuted for extremism, including a 62-year-old woman. Evgeny Kim, a convicted Nursi reader stripped of his citizenship after serving out his sentence, remained in a detention facility for stateless persons at year’s end. In August, the city of Saratov blocked efforts to reconstruct a historic mosque after local citizens objected. In the Russian republic of Mordovia, police raided at least two mosques with no explanation beyond the need for “prophylactic measures” against extremism prior to New Year’s celebrations. The mufti of one of the mosques had previously been fined for distributing literature linked to Tablighi Jamaat. In December, the city of Rostov gifted a historic mosque building to a jazz school despite objections from local Muslims. Roughly 300 people are serving harsh prison sentences of 10–20 years for their alleged involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, including 19 men charged with terrorism in October despite a lack of evidence that they supported violence and amid allegations of torture during their interrogation. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Other Religious Minorities At the end of the year, 45 Jehovah’s Witnesses were in prison and 26 under house arrest; between late October and mid-December, 86 house searches led to investigations against at least 26 members. Jehovah’s Witness prisoner Dennis Christensen was granted parole in June, but a state prosecutor immediately challenged the decision. Even though Christensen has been eligible for early release for a year due to time served in pretrial detention, he was instead placed in a poorly ventilated cell for allegedly violating prison rules. He has already contracted pneumonia once while in prison, and his pulmonary health remains a serious concern amid the continuing threat of COVID-19. Protestant Christians are frequently fined for “illegal missionary activity” and have been accused on state television of spreading COVID-19. There were numerous incidents of vandalism against religious minorities throughout the year, including the burning of a synagogue in Arkhangelsk, the placing of an Orthodox Christian icon in a sacred grove of the indigenous Mari religion, and the burning of a site sacred to the indigenous Khakas religion. Desecration of indigenous religious sites has increased in recent years, leading to the establishment of a monitoring group in 2020. Although Russia has many indigenous religions, they are not given the privileged status of “traditional religions” like Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Buddhism. In June, a Yakut shaman who vowed to exorcise Russian President Vladimir Putin was forcibly confined to a psychiatric facility. Proposed Legislation In December, the Russian Duma considered new legislation that would dramatically expand the state’s ability to restrict religious practice, including requiring all foreign-educated clergy to be recertified within Russia and prohibiting anyone on the government’s expansive extremism and terrorism list from participating in or leading religious groups. At the end of 2020, that list included many individuals who had not been convicted of a crime, since “evidence” of involvement was the only apparent prerequisite. Individuals may remain on the list even after serving out sentences, with their finances frozen or restricted. Although the law was not yet enacted, officials in one region began demanding information about clergy from local religious groups. Key U.S. Policy U.S.-Russia relations remain at a low point amid tensions over Russian military involvement in Syria, the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory, and allegations of Russian tampering in U.S. elections. The U.S. government has implemented numerous sanctions over the occupation of Crimea, most recently in January 2020. In December, the U.S. Department of State again placed Russia on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to IRFA. The same month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions against Kadyrov and associated individuals and entities, citing his many human rights violations against the LGBTI community and others in Chechnya. In January 2021, the State Department announced sanctions against individuals and entities associated with Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian citizen with close links to Russian intelligence services, who is accused of running a Russian disinformation campaign to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election. U S C I R F – R E C O M M E N D E D F O R C O U N T R I E S O F PA R T I C U L A R C O N C E R N ( C P C ) 39 RUSSIA Background