I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5408 

To oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine by Russia and armed 

groups commanded by Russia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 12, 2019 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. MEADOWS, 

Ms. MOORE, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. COHEN, 

Mr. HARRIS, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Ms. KAPTUR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Freedom Support Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Russia invaded the Crimea region of 

2 Ukraine in February 2014, continues to occupy and 

3 control that region, and has exercised control over 

4 part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 

5 April 2014 through non-state armed groups and ille6 gal entities it has established, instigated, com7 manded, and supported, including with military and 

8 intelligence personnel on the ground from Russia, 

9 such as the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Repub10 lic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. 

11 (2) International humanitarian law, including 

12 the Geneva Conventions, to which Russia is a signa13 tory, requires Russia to respect and protect the reli14 gious freedom of the inhabitants of the territory it 

15 occupies and controls, or controls through organized 

16 non-state armed groups it commands, and holds 

17 Russia responsible for violations of religious freedom 

18 in this territory. 

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

20 International Religious Freedom Reports, and other 

21 reporting, violations of religious freedom in the Cri22 mea region of Ukraine since Russia invaded and oc23 cupied the territory have included abduction, deten24 tion and imprisonment, torture, forced psychiatric 

25 hospitalizations, fines, restrictions on missionary acVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:52 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5408.IH H5408

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1 tivities, confiscations of property, including churches 

2 and meeting halls, expulsions and obstructions to re3 entry, denying registration of religious groups, van4 dalism, fines, and banning peaceful religious groups, 

5 and targeted groups have included Muslim Crimean 

6 Tatars, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly 

7 the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patri8 archate, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 

9 Protestant Christians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

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

11 International Religious Freedom Reports, violations 

12 of religious freedom in the part of the Donbas region 

13 of Ukraine controlled by armed groups commanded 

14 by Russia have included detention and imprison15 ment, torture, confiscation of property, including 

16 churches and meeting halls, physical assaults and 

17 threats of violence, vandalism, fines, restrictions on 

18 missionary activities, religious services, ceremonies, 

19 gatherings, and literature, and banning of peaceful 

20 religious groups, and targeted groups have included 

21 the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formerly the 

22 Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, the 

23 Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestant Chris24 tians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. 


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1 (5) The International Religious Freedom Act of 

2 1998, as amended by the Frank R. Wolf Inter3 national Religious Freedom Act, requires the Presi4 dent to— 

5 (A) designate a foreign country as a coun6 try of particular concern for religious freedom 

7 when its government has engaged in or toler8 ated particularly severe violations of religious 

9 freedom in that country over the previous 12 

10 months; 

11 (B) to take 15 actions, or commensurate 

12 actions in substitution, following the designa13 tion of a country as a country of particular con14 cern for religious freedom; and 

15 (C) designate a foreign country on a ‘‘Spe16 cial Watch List’’ when its government has en17 gaged in or tolerated severe violations of reli18 gious freedom in that country over the previous 

19 12 months. 

20 (6) On November 28, 2018, the Secretary of 

21 State designated Russia on the ‘‘Special Watch 

22 List’’. 

23 (7) The National Security Strategy of the 

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

25 2000, 1999, 1998, and 1997, committed the United 


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1 States to promoting international religious freedom 

2 to advance the security, economic, and other na3 tional interests of the United States. 

4 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

5 It is the policy of the United States to consider— 

6 (1) any alien who, while serving as an official 

7 of the Government of Russia, was responsible for or 

8 directly or indirectly carried out particularly severe 

9 violations of religious freedom in the territory of 

10 Ukraine that Russia occupies and controls, or con11 trols through non-state armed groups it commands; 

12 and 

13 (2) the spouse and children, if any, of such 

14 alien, 

15 to have committed particularly severe violations of reli16 gious freedom for purposes of applying section 

17 212(a)(2)(G) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

18 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with respect to any such alien and 

19 spouse and children of such alien. 

20 SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF RUSSIA AS A COUNTRY OF PAR21 TICULAR CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS FREE22 DOM. 

23 For purposes of making a determination of whether 

24 to designate Russia as a country of particular concern for 

25 religious freedom under section 402 of the International 


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

2 President shall consider any particularly severe violation 

3 of religious freedom in the territory of Ukraine that Rus4 sia occupies and exercises controls, or controls through 

5 non-state armed groups it commands, during the period 

6 of time that is the basis for the determination and des7 ignation, to be a particularly severe violation of religious 

8 freedom that the Government of Russia has engaged in 

9 or tolerated. 

Æ 


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