Russia

Russia Synopsis

In the context of growing human rights abuses, religious freedom conditions in Russia suffered serious setbacks. The Russian government's application of its extremism law violates the rights of members of certain Muslim groups and allegedly "non-traditional" religious communities, particularly Jehovah's Witnesses, through raids, detentions, and imprisonment. Various laws and practices increasingly grant preferential status to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Federation has a highly centralised political system, with power increasingly concentrated in the president, and a weak multiparty political system. The most significant human rights problems include the restriction of civil liberties; violations of electoral processes; and the administration of justice. This book provides an overview of Russian human rights and religious freedom reports.