North Ossetia has become the first Russian region to place "untraditional" religions' missionary activities under firm state control.
Stanislav Kesayev, a deputy speaker of North Ossetia's parliament, told Vremya Novostei that "all missionaries who intend to engage in their activities in our republic will have to obtain all the required documents and permits that prove their authority and competence." The relevant law also stipulates venues for authorized missionary activities, according to Mr. Kesayev.
The need for the bill arose from various totalitarian religious groups stepping up their activities after the Beslan hostage crisis, according to Alina Levitskaya, North Ossetia's education minister. Immediately after the tragedy, local law enforcement bodies began receiving complaints against totalitarian group members, primarily scientologists, from psychologists, local Health Ministry and Education Ministry officials, and ordinary people.
"Missionaries were recruiting new members under the guise of psychological aid, taking advantage of people's suffering," said Ms. Levitskaya. "This is absolutely unacceptable as this does psychological damage to the victims, especially children. We have done our best to shield the victims' loved ones from such contacts. The first step we took was to ask the scientologists to leave Beslan," said Ms. Levitskaya.
Once the law has been approved, law enforcers will find it easier to counter the scientologists and other religious groups in the republic, above all the activities conducted by Jehovah's Witnesses and the International Society of Krishna's Consciousness, the North Ossetian Interior Ministry's press service reported.