ICC NOTE: The first Russian citizen to feel the effects of the controversial missionary portion of the latest anti-terror law is a member of the Indian Krishna faith. The individual in question was reportedly speaking to some individuals regarding his faith and proceeded to hand them religious literature. Normally this would not be an issue, but he was not authorized by any organization or religious group to do so. This is unfortunately a requirement of the latest guidelines for “missionary activity”. According to the story from the Moscow Times, the individual in question has been charged but the punishment was not divulged. Under the law, the likely punishment is a heavy fine for the accused with the risk of greater fines and or prison time if he were to repeat in the future. 

8/12/2016 Moscow, Russia (The Moscow Times) – A Krishnaite in southern Russia’s Cherkessk has been charged under the “Yarovaya Law” for handing out religious books on the street, the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis reported Thursday. This is the first time that charges have been pressed under the anti-missionary part of the controversial law.