Russia: Treatment of Hare Krishna adherents

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada introduced the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) (Hare Krishna) in Russia in 1971 (The Moscow Times 17 Apr. 2003). First registered as a religion in 1988 (Krylova 17-19 April 1998; AP 28 Aug. 1999), ISKCON was officially re-registered on 23 October 1998 under the purview of the 1997 law on religion (Providence Journal-Bulletin 7 Nov. 1998).

There were 120 Krishna communities in Russia in 1998 (ibid.; The Moscow Times 23 Sept. 1998); however, the 2001 Russian Ministry of Justice records indicate 106 officially registered Krishna groups (RFE/RL 19 Apr. 2001; KSN 2 Apr. 2001). The ISKCON website lists the addresses of 39 Krishna centers in Russia (n.d.). Reportedly, 100,000 Krishna adherents worship in more than 20 Russian cities (Moscow Times 15 Nov. 2002; ibid. 17 Apr. 2003). One Muscovite temple claims 10,000 members and Moscow hosts an accredited school called the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula, which has been educating pre-school to grade 11 students for 12 years (ibid.). Additionally, a 1999 report refers to an unregistered Hare Krishna splinter organization called the Institute of Knowledge on Identity based in Primorye in Russia's far east with 200 members (AP 16 July 1999). No further information on the latter group was found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The Providence Journal-Bulletin stated in 1998 that "[u]ntil the early 1980s, Russian Krishnas were persecuted by the government" (7 Nov. 1998). Although identified as a "dangerous" religious influence by the Moscow Russian Orthodox Patriarchate in 2001, ISKCON "for the most part" functions freely (KNS 19 Aug. 2002). The Moscow Times also indicated past harassment, but referred to the current situation as "a new era of freedom" (17 Apr. 2003). According to Bhakti Vijnana Goswami (Vadim Tunayev), the head of the Russian chapter of ISKCON, there have not been any particular recent problems in Russia, "especially from the government" and adherent's situation has been "one more or less of acceptance" (The Moscow Times 15 Nov. 2002). The most recent attack on members of the Krishna community found by the Research Directorate occurred in 1999 when a group of youths entered a Muscovite temple and assaulted members (AP 28 Aug. 1999).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associated Press (AP). 28 August 1999. "Krishna Group in Russia Attacked." (NEXIS)

_____. 16 July 1998. Anatoly Medetsky. "Russia Church: Probe Missionaries." (Vaishnava News 16 July 1998) [Accessed 6 May 2003]

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). n.d. "ISKCON World Wide: Address and Directory Search." [Accessed 8 May 2003]

Keston News Service (KNS). 19 August 2002. Geraldine Fagan and Lawrence Uzzell. "Special Report: Russia: Religious Freedom for Sale?" [Accessed 6 May 2003]

_____. 2 April 2001. Geraldine Fagan. "Russia: Re-Registration Figures for Religious Organizations." [Accessed 6 May 2003]

Krylova, Galina A. 17-19 April 1998. "The Unconstitutionality of Russia's New Law on Religion and Its Applications." Paper presented at the International Coalition for Religious Freedoms Conference "Religious Freedom and the New Millennium", Washington D.C., 17-19 April 1998. [Accessed 8 May 2003]

The Moscow Times. 17 April 2003. Avery Johnson. "Hare Krishna Offer an Alternative Kind of School." (Vaishnava News 17 Apr. 2003) [Accessed 6 May 2003]

_____. 15 November 2002. "He Went from Biology to Bhakti." (NEXIS)

_____. 23 September 1998. Julia Solovyova. "Sex Question Splits Hare Krishnas." (Vaishnava News 24 Sept. 1998) [Accessed 6 May 2003]

Providence Journal-Bulletin [Rhode Island]. 7 November 1998. "Kremilin Oks Krishnas." (NEXIS)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 19 April 2001. Paul Goble. "Russia" Analysis from Washington - A Religious Flowering." [Accessed 6 May 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

NEXIS

Internet sites, including:

Adherents.com

Amnesty International

Center for Studies on New Religions

Godhead

Hare Krishna World

Human Rights Watch

ISKCON Communications Journal

ISKCON Russia

Krishna.ru

Religious News (Stetson.edu)

World News Connection