Recommendations from the SOVA Center presented at the OSCE Conference on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians

*On May 18, 2015, a conference was held in Vienna OSCE “Expanding Efforts to Counter Intolerance and discrimination against Christians." Director of the Information and Analytical Center Alexander Verkhovsky, in his speech, touched upon problems relating to Christian minorities in Russia. In addition, he spoke about the difficulties face various groups of believers, including those related to religious most.

We publish the recommendations presented in the speech of A. Verkhovsky.*

For OSCE Member States

1. Refuse any laws interpreting religious controversy as incitement to religious hatred, and review previous decisions in this spirit. This can be done, for example, by Supreme Court.

2. Do not use such a tool of protection tolerance, including religious tolerance, as lists of prohibited literature. This the tool has already demonstrated its complete inefficiency, but it generates many human rights violations.

3. Accept that religious tolerance should be protected by the same mechanisms as other forms of tolerance, and refuse to create special rules that restrict certain freedoms for the sake of religious tolerance.

4. Prevent the adoption of laws and other acts specifically limiting the public display of their religious beliefs.

5. Eliminate norms that limit the ability believers and religious organizations to teach religion to their followers and their children beyond compulsory education.

6. States should not give preference to that or any other Christian organization (including in a situation of schism), based on canon law and other arguments not based on legislation.

7. A range of religious organizations, including - Christian, with which the state has institutionalized forms cooperation should gradually expand, reflecting the growing religious diversity in society.

Religious and other non-governmental organizations:

1. Protrude against crime and hatred and discrimination, including when problems arise from religious organizations and groups, relations with which are problematic.

2. Contribute the inclusion of an ever wider range of Christian and other religious organizations in dialogue and cooperation with the state.

Sources

• Inc. inf.