Religious Freedom in Ukraine

Ukrainian constitutional and legal structures contribute to the free exercise of religion, but a regional conflict exacerbates religious discrimination. Ukraine has no official state religion and the public school system is not allowed to present any type of religious curriculum. The Ukrainian parliament has passed laws that criminalize religious discrimination and increase penalties for the desecration of religious sites. Ukraine’s hate crimes laws single out religiously and ethnically based violence for special prosecution, fines, and increased jail time. President Viktor Yanukovych (2010-present) has spoken openly about his government’s commitment to religious freedom and non-intervention in religious affairs. Religious organizations are required to register with the central government; however, the guidelines and procedures are not transparent and cause considerable confusion. Contradictory and confusing language in the Law on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, and the Law on the State Registration of Legal Entities and Private Individuals has prompted the government to reexamine its registration processes. Much of Ukraine’s religious tension occurs in the semi-autonomous region of Crimea, where the Muslim Crimean Tatars face discrimination at the hands of the Christian, ethnically Russian majority. Muslim Tatars struggle to secure land for mosques and cemeteries, although they recently won a major victory in February 2011 as the city of Sevastopol almost unanimously approved the building plans for what became the first mosque in Ukraine. In December 2011, a mosque also opened in Kiev after 17 years of stalled construction. The primary Ukrainian Muslim organization, the Majlis, has criticized the autonomous Crimean government for continuing to publish and use textbooks that promote religious discrimination and foment religious strife.