The document says that the Russian government violates international humanitarian law and international obligations to respect and protect religious freedoms.
Congressmen Joe Wilson and Emmanuel Cleaver introduced a bill in the US Congress to support religious freedom in Ukraine and punish the Russian Federation for religious persecution in the occupied part of Ukraine. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the published document on the website of the legislative body.
The document says that the Russian government violates international humanitarian law and international obligations to respect and protect religious freedoms.
"For more than five years, the Russian Federation illegally manitains occupation of the Crimea and part of Donbas by armed groups, which it leads. The Kremlin officials and mercenaries kidnap, arrest and torture people in these regions for their faiths. The Russian government violates international humanitarian law and international obligations to respect and protect religious freedoms, " the text reads.
In addition, it is pointed out that Russian officials are responsible for religious persecution, and the bill should help bring them to justice.
The congressmen note that the violations that the Russian Federation carries out in the occupied and controlled territory are mainly directed against the Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestants and Jehovah's Witnesses.