S.Amdt. 6717

SA 6717, submitted by Mr. Kennedy, aims to add a new section (SEC. 204) to title II of bill H.R. 5334. The purpose of this addition is to require reporting on the Russian Federation's persecution of religious groups in occupied Ukrainian territories and to allow for the imposition of sanctions.

Key Changes and Additions

• Required Reporting: The Secretary of State, working with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of the Treasury, must submit a report to specific congressional committees. This report must be delivered within 120 days of the Act's enactment and then annually for 3 years.

• Report Content: The report must include:

  • Descriptions of activities by the Government of the Russian Federation or its affiliates that involve discrimination, persecution, or human rights abuse against Muslims (including Crimean Tatars), Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities not affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church or its subordinate Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
  • Identification of religious facilities, such as mosques, synagogues, and churches, that were seized, repurposed, damaged, or destroyed.
  • Assessments regarding the number of people subjected to forced displacement, imprisonment, or persecution, as well as restrictions on religious education and worship services.
  • Information on efforts to force Christian organizations to affiliate with Moscow-based religious institutions or to suppress denominations not aligned with Russian state interests.
  • The general impact of the invasion and occupation on religious freedom in areas including Sevastopol and Crimea.
  • A list of entities and individuals affiliated with the Russian Government or those exercising de facto authority who are responsible for these actions.

• Sanctions: The President is granted the authority to impose sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act against any foreign person included on the list of persecutors mentioned in the report.