Russia's Extreme View on Religion
Last Thursday, the Russian Supreme Court ruled that the Christian denomination Jehovah’s Witnesses will henceforth be classified as an extremist organization. The religious group now enters the same category as the Islamic State and its 170,000 Russian worshipers have been declared illegitimate. Although the group has no record of hostility towards Russian authorities and practices non-violence, a representative of Russia’s Ministry of Justice maintained that they had shown “signs of extremist activity that represent a threat to citizens, social order and the security of society.” Human Rights Watch countered that assertion by classifying the recent ruling as a “serious breach of Russia’s obligations to respect and protect religious freedom.”
This is the same government that protected dictators like Assad, denied prosecution and torture of gay men in Chechnya and incited violence in Ukraine. The Russian constitution allows for freedom of religion, but additional laws make that right virtually impossible. They deny certain groups legal status and ban their religious literature. Even Russian Catholics spoke up in defense of Jehovah’s Witness out of fear they will be prosecuted next.
The Russian government’s actions are so far out of line that German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her first trip in two years to visit Vladimir Putin. In response to calls for Russian investigation into the Chechnya campaign, Merkel met with President Putin to achieve a resolution. Russia continues to deny the findings of journalists and NGO’s.
The Russian government has no right or grounds to dictate the beliefs of its citizens, no more than it has the right to control any other aspect of daily life. If Putin were outlawing a large, organized religion over clearly related threats to society, there would be a second side to this argument. Jehovah’s Witness is not in the business of disruption and has too few followers to pose any threat to the country’s ideals or culture. Not only does the action go against basic communal values, it also contradicts Russia’s constitution, thought that seems to carry little weight in the government’s decision.
In addition to being an unjust action, the ban is also impractical. If Russia were truly worried about a threat from groups like Jehovah’s Witness, imposing a ban would further serve to alienate the group and push it towards extremist action. There is clearly a separate motive behind Putin’s latest endeavor, one that doesn’t reflect the will or well-being of his citizens.
Russia continues to prove equally unreasonable in matters outside its borders. It stubbornly props up the murderous Assad regime and turns a blind eye to human rights abuses. It has continually been accused of an agenda to undermine the European Union and incite radical movements. In the country itself, the government works towards the opposite goal: less freedom of expression, less human rights and a frankly stupid unwillingness to cooperate with the rest of the international community.
In a recent stroke of luck, however, Trump and Putin appear to be on the road to partially mending their rent partnership. Trump’s airstrikes on a Syrian air base led to a significant downturn in relations between the two leaders. Now it seems the two are willing to work towards a resolution on the Syrian War, demonstrated by a recent phone call. The Kremlin released a statement that indicated the possibility of an in-person meeting between the Presidents at the G20 summit this July. Angela Merkel’s visit took a decidedly different tone, though accomplished little. The international community, and United States in particular, must clarify their stance on Russia moving forward. They must toe the line between cooperation and holding the Kremlin accountable for its history of improper conduct on a multitude of issues that have massive effects on the rest of the world.