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Belarus
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Recent Updates from Belarus
Authorities are becoming increasingly aggressive against churches and public religious activities in Belarus. Since 2002, the New Life Church in Minsk has faced opposition in their attempts to convert a former cow shed into a place of worship. While a recent report suggested hope for the church (click here for more details), police came to the services on June 4 and demanded to see confirmation that the church had state permission to hold worship services. A protocol has been filed against Pastor Slava Goncharenko for holding a religious service in an unapproved location without permission.
Georgi Vyazovsky
in Minsk, a court has ordered the liquidation of the property of the Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, which has been unable to re-register under the 2002 religion laws. In March, the church's pastor, Georgi Vyazovsky, served ten days in prison for leading worship in his home.On June 1, three evangelical Christians met in the central square in Brest, Belarus for a twenty-four-hour vigil of silent Bible reading. According to a June 13 report from Forum 18, the three were joining in an act of solidarity with demonstrators who were arrested in the wake of March's presidential elections. As a result of their actions, the three received official warnings for violating a law which requires prior state permission for religious events held outside of a designated house of worship.
For more on the persecution on Christians in Belarus, visit theBelarus Country Report.
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Churches Under Pressure from Authorities
The chairman of the New Generation Church council in Baranovichi, Belarus is facing a fine for organizing an in-depth Bible study group within the registered church. When police raided the Bible study led by Gennady Akhrimovich early this year, they accused it of being an unauthorized religious gathering. A court hearing on April 6 was postponed for two weeks to allow the prosecution to adequately prepare.The New Generation Church is also facing difficulties acquiring a place of worship. Last year, the church purchased a warehouse that they intended to convert into a church building. However, the town authorities have refused to allow the designated purpose of the building to be changed. The New Life Church in Minsk is facing a similar problem and has been ordered to sell their building. The administrator of the New Life Church, Vasily Yurevich has been summoned to an April 24 preliminary hearing on the forced sale of the building to the Minsk City Property Department.
Pray that the leaders in both the New Generation Church and the New Life Church will fully rely on the Lord for the wisdom and strength they need to effectively carry out the Great Commission in their areas (James 1:5, 2 Timothy 4:17). Pray that Akhrimovich's fine will be lifted. Pray that both churches will be allowed to establish places to meet for worship.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus,click here. News reports from Belarus are also available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com -
Human Rights Lawyer Arrested for Unauthorized Religious Gathering
The Christian Business Initiative is a registered social organization in Belarus intended to provide support for Christians in business. When the organization wanted to hold a seminar for Christian businessmen at the Christ for the Nations Christian College in Minsk , local authorities insisted that they obtain specific permission to meet but then refused to give that permission. The decision was made to continue with the conference on March 22-24. On the last day, three police officers and a KGB officer entered the café where the meeting was being held. According to Forum 18, the thirty-five attendees were locked in the café while two pastors were taken to the police station for interrogation. Shortly after, human rights lawyer Sergei Shavtsov arrived and told police he was the organizer. The others were freed and Shavtsov was charged with "carrying out unauthorized mass activities." He was taken to court that day and within twenty minutes, was found guilty. He was given the option of a fine of 4,650,000 rubles ($2500 CDN) or ten days in prison. He chose prison and is scheduled to be released April 3.
Pray that the Lord will enable Shavtsov and other Christian leaders facing opposition to continue to trust the Lord to enable them to proclaim the gospel boldly. Pray that there will be full religious freedom in Belarus .
For more information on persecution facing Christians in Belarus ,click here. A video news report on the persecution of Christians in Belarus is available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.
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Update: Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky
On March 13, Baptist pastor Georgi Vyazovsky was released from prison after serving ten days for conducting unregistered religious activities (click here for more details). As thirty Christians had gathered at the prison to show their support for Vyazovsky as he was released, they were roughly shoved aside by police.
Picture from Grace to RussiaThis is the first such jail sentence in Belarus in twenty years. However, another case may be imminent, as Sergei Tsvor, the pastor of the Good News Church in Minsk, faces a court hearing on similar charges. The 100-member congregation meets in a home but received government re-registration in 2002. More details will be released as they become available.
More information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus can be found on the Belarus Country Report.
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Pastor Imprisoned
On March 3, a Belarusian court found Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky of the Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Minsk guilty of conducting unregistered religious activities and sentenced him to ten days in prison. According to Georgi's son, Slava, "We expected that my father would be found guilty. What we did not expect at all is the punishment for his 'crime'. This was a real shock to all of us who were present." Fines and warnings are typically meted out for these types of offenses. According to Slava, this is the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1986 that a pastor has faced prison. According to Forum 18, the judge gave no reason for his decision, only stating that it was not open to appeal. Church members intend to meet Vyazovsky upon his release as a show of solidarity.Photo fromGrace to RussiaLog on to www.vomcanada.com for video and audio reports on religious liberty in Belarus. For more information on the persecution on Christians in Belarus, click here.
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Two Churches Face Legal Pressure
Two Protestant churches in Minsk, Belarus are facing increasing pressure because of restrictive registration laws, according to a February 23 report from Forum 18.
Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky of Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church has been charged with holding unsanctioned religious services. On February 5, a local district official entered the home of Pastor Vyazovsky as the congregation of 30 met for Bible reading and prayer. When a police officer arrived a few minutes later, the church members refused him entrance. The official responded by accusing the pastor of violating church registration laws. The court hearing against him is scheduled for March 3.
On September 20, 2005, the Belarusian Evangelical Church had its legal status removed by a city court (click here for more details). Pastor Sabilo has since been ordered to pay all court costs related to the case. With a membership of only twelve members and living on a meager pension, Sabilo told the court that he was unable to pay the 127,500 rubles ($67.00 CDN). He was told that bailiffs would make an inventory of his property for confiscation. At last report, this has not yet happened.
Pray that Pastor Georgi will be cleared of all charges against him. Pray that the court case on March 3 will result in freedom for him and praise to God from the Christian community in that area. Pray that the Belarusian Evangelical Church will be able to regain their legal status. Pray that God will soften the hearts of Belarusian officials.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus,click here. An audio and a video report on Belarus are available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.
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Priests Ordered to Leave Belarus
Two Catholic priests from Poland were ordered to leave Belarus by the end of December after officials refused to renew their religious visas. The priests, who had spent more than a decade in the country, were given no reasons for their removal. One of the priests serving in the Minsk-Mogilev diocese has chosen to not fight the deportation. He did so in order to assist in better relations with the Belarusian authorities, since a new priest was recently allowed to enter the country. According to a December 22 report from Forum18, the other priest, Fr Robert Krzywicki, attributes his expulsion to his work with young people in the town and his involvement with other Christian Churches in ecumenical and humanitarian events. The parishioners in the town of Borisov where Krzywicki has been serving have begun a petition calling for the authorities to overturn their decision.Belarus is the most religiously restrictive nation in Europe. Pray that religious freedom will improve in this country. Pray for the salvation of those in government leadership. Pray that young people will be allowed to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and be brought into a personal relationship with Him.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus,click here. A video news report filmed in Belarus is also available on the multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.
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Property To Be Confiscated
For several months, the difficulties facing the New Life Church on the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus have been closely followed. According to a December 7 report from Forum 18, the Economic Court of the City of Minsk has rejected the appeal of the city's plans to confiscate the property. The church's website also reports that proceedings have begun to confiscate all the property of the church's administrator, Vasilij Yurevich, in order to pay fines levied against him. Authorities told the news to Yurevich's family while he was at work and forced the family with four children to leave their home with nothing. Yurevich has been told that he must pay the fines totaling 8,000,000 rubles ($4300 CDN) within three weeks or his property will be sold. The fines amount to more than 25 years' wages at the minimum wage in Belarus. More information on Belarus is available through a video news report on www.vomcanada.com.For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus, click here.
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Administrator of Church Faces Enormous Fine
The New Life Church in Minsk continues to face harassment and fines in their quest for the freedom to worship. The church administrator, Vasily Yurevich, has recently been handed his third fine in the last year. Even though he insists that he was on leave at the time, police claim to have identified him "by his outward appearance" as being the individual who was leading unauthorized worship on September 4. The October 7 court decision ordered him to pay more than ten times the average monthly wage in Belarus. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko has stated his determination to continue meeting despite official opposition.
For more information on the persecution of Christian in Belarus,click here.
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Church Administrator Faces Huge Fine
In recent months, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the ordeal facing the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus. On September 23, the church administrator, Vasily Yurevich, was fined 4,080,000 rubles ($2250 CDN), for not stopping religious services as ordered. This is the second fine in less than a year. This fine is the equivalent of over 13 years' pay at the Belarusian minimum wage. On September 26, the New Life Church also announced that it will be filing a lawsuit against the Minsk City Executive Council over the decision to confiscate the church's land.For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus,click here.
