Bureaucracy, delays, and lack of transparence – Human Rights organizations’ definition of the authorities’ treatment of religious organizations in Ukraine
March 29, 2017 – Experts have determined a series of problems in Ukraine’s religious sphere, particularly concerning the registration of charters of religious organizations.
This information is available at the Institute of Religious Freedoms, in an annual report entitled “Human Rights in Ukraine – 2016”.
Upon analyzing the current situation, human rights activists have come to the conclusion that the bureaucratic backlog is so big, that Ukrainian authorities would not be able to re-register even half of the charters of religious organizations by the end of 2017.
The executive director of the organization, Maxim Vasin, has noted that the “procedure of registering charters of religious organizations requires legal changes and consultations with them”.
According to the expert, the problem stems from a lack of effective communication between the Ukrainian civil authorities and the religious organizations. This has the consequence of creating a bureaucratic procedure with excessive red tape and with a lack of transparence.
In his report, Maxim Vasin emphasizes “Article 133.4.1 of the Ukrainian Tax Code”, modified by the Ukrainian Law # 652 on July 17, 2015, which aimed to facilitate the status of obtaining a “non-for-profit” status, but was in fact used by the Ukrainian government for so-called “inventory” of non-profitable organizations and for the creation of a separate register for them.
A similar problem was voiced by the Department of Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture, reminds M. Vasin. “One needs to stop the automatic re-registration of religious organizations, but rather their charters, in which all regulations must be conform to the law”, said the director of the Department, Andrey Yurash.
This approach was criticized by various religious organizations. One can cite the necessary laws endlessly, noting especially the fact that they are continuously modified.
Certain laws have complicated the re-registration of charters. One notes especially the “Anti-Raider” Law of Ukraine, # 1666, VIII, from October 6, 2016 (Bill # 5067) has created a further administrative procedure in the double-registration step of religious organizations. Religious leaders have also rejected Bill 4128, which seeks to modify Article 8 of the Ukrainian Law “On Religious Consciousness and religious organizations”.
The Ukrainian government needs to coordinate its actions with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations to avoid misunderstandings and to conduct effective work, notes the document. Such was the position adopted by Maxim Vasin in his report to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and to the Department of Religions and Nationalities of the Ministry of Culture.
Sources