,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cjfd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #ag1 
#bjai,mr4 ,wicker introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations  ,a ,,bill  ,to oppose       
violations of religious freedom in      
,ukraine by ,russia and armed groups    
commanded by ,russia4  #a4 ,short title 
,this ,act may be cited as the ,ukraine 
,religious ,freedom ,support ,act4  #b4 
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,russia invaded the     
,crimea region of ,ukraine in ,february 
#bjad1 continues to occupy and control  
that region1 and has exercised control  
over part of the ,donbas region of      
eastern ,ukraine since ,april #bjad     
through non-state armed groups and      
illegal entities it has established1    
instigated1 commanded1 and supported1   
including with military and intelligence
 personnel on the ground from ,russia1  
such as the self-proclaimed ,donetsk    

,people's ,republic and the ,luhansk    
,people's ,republic4  7#b7              
,international humanitarian law1        
including the ,geneva ,conventions1 to  
which ,russia is a signatory1 requires  
,russia to respect and protect the      
religious freedom of the inhabitants of 
the territory it occupies and controls1 
or controls through organized non-state 
armed groups it commands1 and holds     
,russia responsible for violations of   
religious freedom in this territory4    
7#c7 ,according to the ,department of   
,state's ,international ,religious      
,freedom ,reports1 and other reporting1 
violations of religious freedom in the  
,crimea region of ,ukraine since ,russia
 invaded and occupied the territory have
 included abduction1 detention and      
imprisonment1 torture1 forced           
psychiatric hospitalizations1 fines1    
restrictions on missionary activities1  
confiscations of property1 including    
churches and meeting halls1 expulsions  
and obstructions to reentry1 denying    

registration of religious groups1       
vandalism1 fines1 and banning peaceful  
religious groups1 and targeted groups   
have included ,muslim ,crimean ,tatars1 
the ,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1      
formerly the ,ukrainian ,orthodox       
,church of the ,kyivan ,patriarchate1   
the ,ukrainian ,greek ,catholic ,church1
 ,protestant ,christians1 and ,jehovah's
 ,witnesses4  7#d7 ,according to the    
,department of ,state's ,international  
,religious ,freedom ,reports1 violations
 of religious freedom in the part of the
 ,donbas region of ,ukraine controlled  
by armed groups commanded by ,russia    
have included detention and             
imprisonment1 torture1 confiscation of  
property1 including churches and meeting
 halls1 physical assaults and threats of
 violence1 vandalism1 fines1            
restrictions on missionary activities1  
religious services1 ceremonies1         
gatherings1 and literature1 and banning 
of peaceful religious groups1 and       
targeted groups have included the       

,orthodox ,church of ,ukraine1 formerly 
the ,ukrainian ,orthodox ,church-,kyiv  
,patriarchate1 the ,ukrainian ,greek    
,catholic ,church1 ,protestant          
,christians1 and ,jehovah's ,witnesses4 
7#e7 ,the ,international ,religious     
,freedom ,act of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4   
#fdja et seq47 requires the ,president  
to-- 7,a7 designate a foreign country as
 a country of particular concern for    
religious freedom when its government   
has engaged in or tolerated particularly
 severe violations of religious freedom 
in that country over the previous #ab   
months2  7,b7 to take #ae actions1 or   
commensurate actions in substitution1   
following the designation of a country  
as a country of particular concern for  
religious freedom2 and  7,c7 designate a
 foreign country on a ,special ,watch   
,list when its government has engaged in
 or tolerated severe violations of      
religious freedom in that country over  
the previous #ab months4  7#f7 ,on      
,november #bh1 #bjah1 the ,secretary of 

,state designated ,russia on the        
,special ,watch ,list4  7#g7 ,the       
,national ,security ,strategy of the    
,united ,states issued in #bjag1 #bjae1 
#bjjf1 #bjjb1 #bjjj1 #aiii1 #aiih1 and  
#aiig committed the ,united ,states to  
promoting international religious       
freedom to advance the security1        
economic1 and other national interests  
of the ,united ,states4  #c4 ,statement 
of policy ,it is the policy of the      
,united ,states to consider-- 7#a7 any  
alien who1 while serving as an official 
of the ,government of ,russia1 was      
responsible for or directly or          
indirectly carried out particularly     
severe violations of religious freedom  
in the territory of ,ukraine that       
,russia occupies and controls1 or       
controls through non-state armed groups 
it commands2 and  7#b7 the spouse and   
children1 if any1 of such alien1  to    
have committed particularly severe      
violations of religious freedom for     
purposes of applying section            

#bab7;a77#b77;,g7 of the ,immigration   
and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4     
#aahb7;a77#b77;,g77 with respect to any 
such alien and spouse and children of   
such alien4  #d4 ,designation of ,russia
 as a country of particular concern for 
religious freedom ,for purposes of      
making a determination of whether to    
designate ,russia as a country of       
particular concern for religious freedom
 under section #djb of the              
,international ,religious ,freedom ,act 
of #aiih 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #fddb71 the     
,president shall consider any           
particularly severe violation of        
religious freedom in the territory of   
,ukraine that ,russia occupies and      
exercises controls1 or controls through 
non-state armed groups it commands1     
during the period of time that is the   
basis for the determination and         
designation1 to be a particularly severe
 violation of religious freedom that the
 ,government of ,russia has engaged in  
or tolerated4