Belarus: Treatment of persons affiliated with the New Life Church, and the availability of state protection for them (January 2000 - February 2001)

Pages 4 and 5 of the No. 3 Issue of Frontier, published by the Keston Institute, a "charity researching religious freedom and religion in postcommunist and communist countries," state:

In recent years the Belarusian authorities have made it increasingly difficult for Full Gospel congregations to function. ... The 800-strong congregation of another Full Gospel church in Minsk, New Life, currently meets in six sections, pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko told Keston on 19 March [2000]: "After the presidential decree on meetings [No. 36, 'On Certain Measures to Prevent Accidents During Mass Meetings"] we were refused at all palaces of culture and theatres.' Until December 1999, he said, the church had rented the palace of culture attached to Minsk Tractor Factory in the Partisan Region of the city, but "the directors then warned us that this would no longer be possible."

A resolution on administrative violations of the law dated 18 February 2000 and signed by A. Gurinovich, assistant public prosecutor of Partisan Region, resolves that Goncharenko be prosecuted for violation of Decree 36. As New Life community organised services for "a large number of parishioners – up to 700 – " Gurinovich notes, "in a place not specially designed for this purpose", permission from MCEC [Minsk City Executive Council] should have been sought for such gatherings from the moment that Decree 36 came into force, but New Life failed to obtain it. Goncharenko related to Keston how he first learned of the attempt to prosecute him soon after Decree 36 was introduced. In late September, he said, he was called for a four-hour interrogation by a female assistant public prosecutor and a man who did not identify himself. ... The pair threatened to try him in a closed court, Goncharenko told Keston, and only then accused him of gathering without the permission of MCEM in violation of Decree No. 36. At a subsequent court hearing with a lone judge, said Goncharenko, he and lawyer and New Life administrator Vassili Yureyevich stated that changes in the law, such as the introduction of Decree No 36, could not affect already existing agreements – including the rental contract with the car factory – and so the case collapsed. ... That agreement at an end, New Life are now obliged to seek permission from MCEM before holding meetings, but this is being withheld. ...

Newly-formed congregations are therefore unable to register using a home address – and those already registered under such an address must change it to either a church building or rented premises by 1 June 2001. In practice, according to Sakovich [Aleksandr Sakovich, president of the Full Gospel Association of Belarus and pastor of Word of Faith congregation], the option of meeting in a church or prayer house is not viable as none of Belarus's 54 Full Gospel congregations has its own building: "No one has been given permission to buy or build since President Aleksandr Lukashenko came to power." On 19 March Keston asked Vassili Yureyevich whether it was the case that since Full Gospel congregations were apparently not permitted to meet in flats and were increasingly being denied access to rented premises, they would soon be unable to meet anywhere. "Yes," he replied (2000).

The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2000 does not contain a reference to the New Life Church, but does contain the following information on the Full Gospel churches:

A number of Protestant faiths confront a situation in which they are refused registration because they do not have a legal address, and are refused property that could qualify as a legal address because they are not registered. The Full Gospel Pentecostal churches regularly are refused registration in this way. Article 272 of the Civil Code, which states that property may only be used for religious services once it has been converted from residential use. However, the authorities decline to permit such conversion to unregistered religions. Religious groups that can not register often are forced to meet illegally or in the homes of individual members. Several charismatic and Pentecostal churches have been evicted from property they were renting because they were not registered as religious organizations. A number of nontraditional Protestant and other faiths have not attempted to register because they do not believe that their applications would be approved (Sept. 2000).

Please consult the Report for additional information on the situation of minority religions in Belarus, including societal attitudes towards minority religions, government policies on freedom of religion and government restrictions on religious freedom.

No additional information on the treatment of persons affiliated with the New Life Church in Belarus, nor information on the availability of state protection available to them, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Annual Report on International Religious Freedom September 2000. Washington, DC. United States Department of State. [Accessed 19 Feb. 2001]

Frontier [Oxford]. 2000. No. 3. Geraldine Fagan. "Minsk Charismatics on the Verge of Being Forced Underground."

Additional Sources Consulted

Correspondence sent to one source

IRB databases

NEXIS/LEXIS

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Belarusian Helsinki Committee

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

The Human Rights Centre "Viasna" - Minsk

International Christian Concern

International Coalition for Religious Freedom

New Life Church, Minsk, Belarus - Official Home Page

Russia Intercessary Prayer Network

Russian Religion News - Stetson University

World News Connection