MOSCOW SALVATION ARMY STILL UNABLE TO REGISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001990 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2018 TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV RS SUBJECT: MOSCOW SALVATION ARMY STILL UNABLE TO REGISTER REF: 07 MOSCOW 1079 Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Robert Patterson for reason 1 .4(d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The Moscow Branch of the Salvation Army has been unable to re-register with the Federal Registration Service despite repeated attempts following their March 2007 victory at European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Salvation Army continues to function in Moscow under the umbrella of their national organization, as it has done since it lost its registered status in 1999. The Salvation Army will continue to try to re-register, but is also seeking other avenues to resolve this longstanding issue. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Background: The 1999 Law on Religion required all religious organizations to re-register with the Federal Registration Service (FRS). The Moscow branch of the Salvation Army applied but the FRS Moscow office denied them for several reasons, including the laughable claim that they were a "paramilitary organization." The Russian courts sided with the Salvation Army, but the FRS ignored the court order to re-register them, claiming that the time limit for re-registration had by that time expired. The Salvation Army appealed to the ECHR, which ruled in their favor in March 2007 (reftel). The Salvation Army's national organization and nine other local branches successfully registered without incident in 1999. End Background. ¶3. (C) In a July 10 meeting at the Embassy, Salvation Army representative Maj. Richard Herivel (AMCIT) told us that their Moscow branch had attempted to re-register several times following the ECHR decision, but the Moscow branch of the FRS continues to deny them, citing technical flaws in the paperwork. While admitting to some errors, such as the Salvation Army's failure to keep current the list of its officers, Herivel claimed that the errors cited by the FRS were not valid reasons to deny re-registration. Herivel, who has been working in Russia only one year, said that the "real reason" for the denial was not clear. ¶4. (C) The church has a small membership -- fewer than 500 people in all of Russia -- but is very active in social ministries and providing assistance to non-members. Herivel told us that the Salvation Army continued to operate in Moscow by transferring its staff and resources (except for real estate) to the national-level organization, but that this was not a viable permanent solution. The Moscow branch, for example, owns some real estate (two office buildings and apartments for some of its staff) that it cannot sell until it regains its legal status. According to Herivel, "99.9 percent" of all funding for the Salvation Army's Russian branches comes from abroad, mostly from the United States and the UK. ¶5. (C) The Salvation Army is now looking to pursue other avenues in addition to the FRS in order to solve their registration problem, although they are not yet planning a return to court. Herivel said that the Anglican Church had been very helpful, and that they might reach out to the Human Rights Ombudsman for help in pressing the FRS to register them. Herivel said that the Salvation Army's relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church varied by region, and that in places such as Rostov-on-Don, the Church had been actively campaigning against them. ¶6. (C) Ambassador Beyrle plans to raise this case during introductory calls on the MFA, and with Ombudsman Lukin at the first opportunity. BEYRLE