AJCommittee Commends President Yeltsin For Veto Of Bill Which Threatened Religious Tolerance In Russia

American Jewish Committee
Wednesday, 23 July 1997

The American Jewish Committee applauds Russian President Boris Yeltsin for his decision to veto a bill which would have seriously threatened freedom of religion in Russia. By his courageous action - one which clearly went against the will of the Parliament -- President Yeltsin further established himself as a leader committed to protecting democratic ideals, pluralism and the rights of religious minorities.

The bill, as written, could have severely limited the activities of non-registered religions including Roman Catholics and Baptists, potentially stripping them of property and the right to seek adherents.

Last month, an AJC leadership delegation in Moscow, led by AJC President Robert S. Rifkind, met with Valentin Yumashev, Head of the Presidential Administration, and other senior Russian officials, and pressed the issue of the religion bill. Mr. Rifkind expressed AJC's deep concern with this legislation and pointed out the various troubling aspects of it. At the time, Mr. Yumashev acknowledged that there were problematic aspects of the legislation but expressed the hope that some of the "controversial" and "dangerous" elements of the bill would be dropped as it progressed through Parliament. This was not to be the case, however, and so it fell upon President Yeltsin, to his credit, to veto the bill.

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