Rep of President in Parliament Proposes to Stipulate Dual Registration of Religious Organizations in Law

Bill 10221 of the President’s Representative in the Parliament, Yurii Miroshnychenko (Party of Regions) envisages making alterations to the registration articles of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Worship and Religious Organizations,” reported the Institute for Religious Freedom (ІRS).

In particular, the bill envisages alterations to Articles 13 and 14 of the Law. According to the bill,  religious organizations will assume the status of a legal person only upon their state registration by the State Registrar Service. The legal consequences of the procedure of registration of their statutes in the regional state administrations in accordance with the current requirements of the law are not clear.

The Main Scholarly Expert Board of the Supreme Council noted in this regard: “The introduction of dual” registration of religious organizations can be viewed as restriction of their rights and freedoms which is in contradiction to Part three of Article 22 of the Constitution of Ukraine. …Introduction of registration of religious organizations will move them back to the Soviet times when registration was not only of an accounting but also of a permissive character.”