Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has increased its enforcement of a law that criminalizes “insulting the religious feelings of believers” as part of the government’s campaign to present itself as the defender of “traditional values.”
“Authorities have subjected those accused of blasphemy to fines, pretrial detention, imprisonment, mandatory community service, deportation, compulsory psychological treatment, and other forms of ill treatment,” a report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states.
Russia has cracked down on perceived offensive expression toward religion, religious texts and religious leaders, the commission reports in “Prosecuting Blasphemy in Russia,” released April 14.
In doing so, Russia violates basic principles of religious freedom, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the commission report states.
In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill that amended Article 148 of Russia’s Criminal Code to criminalize “insulting the religious feelings of believers.” Between 2013 and 2020, arrests for violations of that law produced only 32 convictions, the report notes, but that changed after Russia’s assault on Ukraine in 2022.
“The war refocused the efforts of Russia’s domestic security apparatus to aggressively suppress independent civil society and dissent, especially on the internet,” the report states.
“Authorities began expending considerable time and resources to surveil online content and investigate complaints from ordinary citizens, including about perceived blasphemous content.
“Combating perceived religiously offensive expression served a special role in Russia’s wartime policy objectives of protecting so-called ‘traditional values’ and bolstering anti-Western sentiments.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ken Camp and originally published by Baptist Standard.
