Violation of the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion: Criminal Law and Canonical Aspects

The master's thesis examines the issues of committing illegal acts that infringe on freedom of conscience and religion in the legal as well as the canonical aspect. The work carried out a comprehensive analysis of the concept and specific characteristics of the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, identified the differences and similarities of these concepts, and highlighted the most common violations of the right to freedom of conscience and religion. The judicial practice regarding criminal prosecution and bringing persons to administrative responsibility for committing illegal acts that infringe on freedom of conscience and religion is also analyzed. In addition, the issues of the view of the Russian Orthodox Church on freedom of conscience and religion have been studied, the main documents in this area have been analyzed, and the characteristics of various acts that violate Orthodox religious norms regarding the right to freedom of conscience and religion have been studied. Based on the results of the analysis, proposals were developed to improve the current legislation and to bring religious and canonical norms into compliance to resolve existing contradictions. The results of the study can be used in legislative activities in the development and teaching of educational programs in the areas of training “Jurisprudence”.