IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5408 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine by 

Russia and armed groups commanded by Russia. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ukraine Religious 

3 Freedom Support Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) Russia invaded the Crimea region of 

7 Ukraine in February 2014, continues to occupy and 

8 control that region, and has exercised control over 

9 part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 

10 April 2014 through non-state armed groups and ille11 gal entities it has established, instigated, com12 manded, and supported, including with military and 

13 intelligence personnel on the ground from Russia. 

14 (2) International humanitarian law, including 

15 the Geneva Conventions, to which Russia is a signa16 tory, requires Russia to respect and protect the reli17 gious freedom of the inhabitants of the territory it 

18 occupies or controls, including through organized 

19 non-state armed groups and illegal entities it com20 mands and supports, and holds Russia responsible 

21 for violations of religious freedom in this territory. 

22 (3) According to the Department of State’s 

23 International Religious Freedom Reports, and other 

24 reporting, violations of religious freedom in the Cri25 mea region of Ukraine since Russia invaded and oc26 cupied the territory have included abduction, detenVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5408.RFS H5408

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1 tion and imprisonment, torture, forced psychiatric 

2 hospitalizations, fines, restrictions on missionary ac3 tivities, confiscations of property, including churches 

4 and meeting halls, expulsions and obstructions to re5 entry, denying registration of religious groups, van6 dalism, fines, and banning peaceful religious groups, 

7 and targeted groups have included Muslim Crimean 

8 Tatars, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly 

9 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patri10 archate, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 

11 Protestant Christians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

12 (4) According to the Department of State’s 

13 International Religious Freedom Reports, violations 

14 of religious freedom in the part of the Donbas region 

15 of Ukraine controlled by armed groups commanded 

16 by Russia have included detention and imprison17 ment, torture, confiscation of property, including 

18 churches and meeting halls, physical assaults and 

19 threats of violence, vandalism, fines, restrictions on 

20 missionary activities, religious services, ceremonies, 

21 gatherings, and literature, and banning of peaceful 

22 religious groups, and targeted groups have included 

23 the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly the 

24 Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, the 


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1 Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestant Chris2 tians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

3 (5) The International Religious Freedom Act of 

4 1998, as amended by the Frank R. Wolf Inter5 national Religious Freedom Act, requires the Presi6 dent to— 

7 (A) designate a foreign country as a coun8 try of particular concern for religious freedom 

9 when its government has engaged in or toler10 ated particularly severe violations of religious 

11 freedom in that country over the previous 12 

12 months; 

13 (B) take one or more of the actions de14 scribed in paragraphs (9) through (15) of sec15 tion 405(a) of the International Religious Free16 dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6445(a)), or com17 mensurate actions in substitution, not later 

18 than 90 days, or 180 days in case of a delay 

19 under paragraph (3), after the date of the des20 ignation of a country as a country of particular 

21 concern for religious freedom; and 

22 (C) designate a foreign country on a ‘‘Spe23 cial Watch List’’ when its government has en24 gaged in or tolerated severe violations of reliVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5408.RFS H5408

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1 gious freedom in that country over the previous 

2 12 months. 

3 (6) On December 18, 2019, the Secretary of 

4 State re-designated Russia for the ‘‘Special Watch 

5 List’’. 

6 (7) The National Security Strategy of the 

7 United States issued in 2017, 2015, 2006, 2002, 

8 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, committed the United 

9 States to promoting international religious freedom 

10 to advance the security, economic, and other na11 tional interests of the United States. 

12 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

13 It is the policy of the United States to consider any 

14 alien who, while serving as an official of the Government 

15 of Russia, was responsible for or directly carried out par16 ticularly severe violations of religious freedom in the sov17 ereign territory of Ukraine that Russia illegally occupies 

18 or controls, including through non-state armed groups and 

19 illegal entities it commands and supports, to have com20 mitted particularly severe violations of religious freedom 

21 for purposes of applying section 212(a)(2)(G) of the Im22 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) 

23 with respect to any such alien. 


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1 SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF RUSSIA AS A COUNTRY OF PAR2 TICULAR CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS FREE3 DOM. 

4 For purposes of making a determination of whether 

5 to designate Russia as a country of particular concern for 

6 religious freedom under section 402 of the International 

7 Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442), the 

8 President shall consider any particularly severe violation 

9 of religious freedom in the territory of Ukraine that Rus10 sia occupies or controls, including controls through non11 state armed groups and illegal entities it commands and 

12 supports, during the period of time that is the basis for 

13 the determination and designation, to be a particularly se14 vere violation of religious freedom that the Government 

15 of Russia has engaged in or tolerated. 

16 SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

17 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

18 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

19 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

20 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

21 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

22 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, proVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Dec 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5408.RFS H5408

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1 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

2 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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