The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
16 June 2025
RUSSIA: Prosecutions for unlawful "missionary activity" – 2024 to 2025
At least 90 people in 2024 and 34 in January-April 2025 were prosecuted for unlawful "missionary activity". Fines are typically several weeks' average wages, but foreigners can be deported. A Kurganinsk Magistrate's Court fined six Baptists – including Pastor Aleksandr Chmykh - for leading worship meetings. A Stavropol Muslim teacher was fined for leading prayers and Koranic studies for girls. Police and prosecutors did not respond on why they had brought charges to punish individuals who had conducted worship services in places of worship, prayer rooms, or residential premises.
7 May 2025
BELARUS: Police take relatives' DNA after KGB declares religious freedom group "extremist"
On 1 April the KGB ruled that religious freedom group Christian Vision, its website and social media channels are "extremist" and banned. Police raided the homes of three relatives of Dzmitry Korneyenko, one of the members identified by the KGB, taking DNA samples from two. "When [my brother] asked the police why they needed his DNA, they responded that it made it easier for them to hunt for me," Korneyenko said. Orsha District Police refused to say why officers visited Korneyenko's relatives and why they needed DNA samples.
2 May 2025
BELARUS: "They decided to fabricate a case and accuse him of espionage"
On 1 April, the Supreme Court rejected Catholic priest Henryk Okolotovich's appeal against his 11-year jail term on treason charges. Both his trial and appeal were closed. In a message from prison, he denied "espionage for Poland and the Vatican". He rejected pressure to implicate the country's Catholic bishops. "Priests are being persecuted to shut our mouths, so that the Catholic Church does not tell the truth." Even before his arrest, the 65-year-old had suffered a heart attack and had part of his stomach removed due to cancer.
17 April 2025
RUSSIA: Criminal prosecution to follow fine for anti-war post?
Police prosecuted Apostolic Orthodox Church Archbishop Grigory Mikhnov-Vaytenko for allegedly "discrediting" Russia's Armed Forces in a 2022 online video. On 1 April, a St Petersburg court fined him a week's average wages. He quoted in court Jesus' words "blessed are the peacemakers", adding "the Church is obliged to voice precisely this position". A court spokesperson explained his conviction: "He uploaded a video in which it was said that Russia groundlessly invaded Ukraine. What other reasoning do you need?" Archbishop Grigory expects a second "discreditation" accusation and criminal prosecution.
16 April 2025
RUSSIA: Criminal trial of anti-war believer begins, another continues, third awaited
On 14 April, a military court began the trial of Christian preacher Eduard Charov on criminal charges of repeat "discreditation" of the Armed Forces and "public justification of terrorism". He is accused over social media posts criticising Russia's war against Ukraine. The trial of Zen Buddhist leader Ilya Vasilyev – arrested in June 2024 - continues in Moscow over anti-war posts he made "solely out of religious conviction". Protestant pastor Nikolay Romanyuk is under investigation for an anti-war sermon. A court extended pre-trial detention until June, despite his poor health.
28 March 2025
RUSSIA: Second jail term for discussing faith during first term
Jehovah's Witness Dmitry Terebilov was due for release from his 3-year prison term in September 2024. But he was already being prosecuted for answering a fellow-prisoner's questions about his faith. Using covert recordings, a court in Kostroma jailed him for just over five years for "continuing the activities of a banned extremist organisation". "I cannot understand what evil I have committed and to whom," Terebilov told the court. Neither the court nor the Prosecutor's Office responded to questions. A Vladivostok court jailed two Jehovah's Witness men and handed five women suspended sentences.
10 February 2025
RUSSIA: Multiple trials, convictions, for criticising invasion of Ukraine
Christian preacher Eduard Charov's trial for repeatedly allegedly "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces and state bodies is due soon. Buddhist Ilya Vasilyev is on trial for allegedly spreading "knowingly false information" about the Armed Forces "on grounds of hatred or enmity". Pastor Nikolay Romanyuk, tortured while arrested, is under investigation for preaching that "on the basis of Holy Scripture" Christians should not fight in Ukraine. On 27 January, Christian bard Andrey Buyanov received possibly the largest total fine yet for criticising from a religious perspective Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
24 January 2025
RUSSIA: Getting Alternative Civilian Service "a hellishly difficult task"
Military officials deny many young men Alternative Civilian Service (ACS), rather than military service, despite their demonstrating their pacifist convictions. A Krasnoyarsk Region court fined Baptist conscientious objector Zakhar Asmalovsky three weeks' average wages in November 2024. He is appealing against the conviction. German Strelkov, another Baptist, is on his fourth round of legal proceedings to try to realise his right to conscientious objection. "After the war began, the situation changed dramatically, and now it has become very difficult to obtain ACS," Seventh-day Adventist Andrey Bondarenko told Forum 18.
16 January 2025
BELARUS: "Low status" prisoners denied prison church visits
The administration of Labour Camp No. 2 in Bobruisk deemed political prisoner Vadim Yermashuk to be "low status" (alongside more than 100 other prisoners) and thus banned from attending the camp's Orthodox church. "When my brother died I was not even allowed to go to light a candle for him." Another political prisoner, Yahor Martsinovich, expressed shock at the ban. Forum 18 was unable to reach camp officials. Political prisoners are particularly targeted for denial of rights. Protestant political prisoner Vladimir Matskevich has had no visit from a pastor since his 2021 arrest.
20 December 2024
RUSSIA: Fined for citing Vatican, Scottish Episcopal texts
A Moscow court fined an Anglican Christian three weeks' average wage under Russia's "gay propaganda" law for social media posts citing a Vatican declaration condemning "unjust discrimination" on the basis of sexual orientation and a Scottish Episcopal Church essay on equal marriage. This is the first known time a court imposed such a fine for sharing church documents. Amid ever-tightening laws for opposing Russia's war against Ukraine, a Buddhist is on criminal trial and a Pentecostal Pastor in pre-trial detention (despite suffering a mini-stroke). Courts fined two religious leaders for violating the "foreign agents" law.
3 December 2024
BELARUS: Concern and secrecy surround compulsory re-registration process
Officials and most religious leaders Forum 18 reached refuse to discuss how the compulsory re-registration of the more than 3,500 registered religious communities by the deadline of 5 July 2025 is proceeding. The Religious Board of Muslims, a registered religious association, will have to be liquidated as it does not meet new legal requirements. Nor will many village religious communities. Officials so far re-registered only one religious organisation. Officials are to go to court to liquidate all registered communities that fail to gain re-registration by the deadline.
21 November 2024
RUSSIA: Pentecostal pastor, Buddhist in pre-trial detention for anti-war remarks
Under arrest since 18 October, Moscow Pentecostal pastor Nikolay Romanyuk faces up to 6 years' imprisonment if convicted for preaching in September 2022 that believers should not go to fight in Ukraine "on the basis of Holy Scripture". His arrest came after early-morning armed raids on church members' homes. Under arrest since 22 June is Ilya Vasilyev, director of the Moscow Zen Centre. He is being prosecuted for an online post about Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities which he made "solely out of religious conviction", his lawyer told Forum 18.