In Russia, the two laws commonly invoked to prosecute blasphemy — one criminal, one civil — have been used to enforce compliance with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has leveraged the nation’s predominantly Russian Orthodox religious identity and what it calls “traditional values” to rally the nation against the West.
“For years, President Putin has championed his interpretation of ‘traditional values’ to oppose the West on human rights and justify his authoritarian practices, which include systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” said USCIRF.
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