§ Mr. Bendallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the level of compliance by the Soviet Union with those provisions of the Helsinki final act relating to freedom of worship.
§ Mr. RifkindDespite its United Nations and Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe commitments, the Soviet Union does not permit freedom of religion and belief as we know it. Significant numbers of Soviet citizens do attend religious services, but the Council of Religious Affairs maintains tight controls through the requirement to register a congregation and through controls on the printing and distribution of prayer books, and so on. Unofficial worshippers suffer 637W discrimination and harassment and there have been several cases in which individuals who persist in the face of official discouragement have been imprisoned.