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2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Belarus
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The constitution grants the freedom to profess and practice any religious belief but prohibits religious activities directed against the sovereignty of the state, its constitutional system, and “civic harmony.” A concordat grants the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC) rights and privileges not granted to other religious groups, and the law recognizes the “determining role […]
Project «Martyrology of Belarus» at Rome, June 18-21, 2024
The exhibition of portraits of Belarusian political prisoners painted by member of the Christian Vision for Belarus Xisha Agneloga will be exhibited in Rome in June 2024. Address:Complesso di Vicolo Valdinasala della SacrestiaVia di Campo Marzio 42, Roma Opening hours of the exhibition:The exhibition will be open from 18-20 June from 11:00-19:00 and 21 June […]
Input for 2024 report of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus to the Human Rights Council: Freedom of Religion or Belief in Relation to Freedom of Association
10 February 2024 In the following input for 2024 report of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus to the Human Rights Council, which is focused on freedom of association, Christian Vision is going to focus on restriction of the collective, communal, corporate dimension of freedom of religion or belief, which is strongly undermined by the new […]
Forum 18. BELARUS: Repressive new Religion Law imposes compulsory re-registration
11 January 2024Felix Corley, Forum 18, and Olga Glace, Forum 18 Belarus’ repressive new Religion Law – now signed and which comes into force on 5 July 2024 — continues to require all religious communities to gain state registration before they are allowed to exist and continues to ban the activity of unregistered religious organisations. […]
Forum 18. BELARUS: Officials warn clergy not to violate strict state restrictions
4 January 2024Felix Corley, Forum 18 Olga Chemodanova, Head of Minsk City Executive Committee’s Ideology Department, warned a Minsk Orthodox Diocese clergy meeting not to violate the state’s strict restrictions. «Her address contained open threats towards priests who are ideologically alien,» Christian Vision noted. «Chemodanova gave them to understand that they should expect prison.» Religious […]
The Christian Vision’s Statement Demanding Immediate Release of Political Prisoner Pavel Kuchynski for Receiving Vital Medical Care
8 December 2023 A Roman Catholic believer from Maladziečna, Pavel Kuchynski, was arrested and detained on 26 January 2022 for publishing critical comments online. On 7 June 2022, the Vilejka District court sentenced him to five years in a penal colony. He was charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code: 369 (Insulting a […]
Religious Freedom Conditions in Belarus
By Dylan Schexnaydre, Researcher, UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM December 2023 Overview The religious freedom situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka subjugates every aspect of social life to the state’s security and bureaucratic apparatuses. Following popular protests against the fraudulent 2020 election which kept President Lukashenka in power, […]
Defamation of believers by the authorities and propagandisits
Believers and religious organizations are systematically subjected to insults and persecution for their Christian and civic position by government officials, the pro-government media and activists. Hate speech is widely used. The persons detained by security forces may be insulted, humiliated and mocked for their faith or religious affiliation in the so-called “repentance videos” recorded agains […]
Forum 18. BELARUS: New Life Church appeals against liquidation
14 November 2023Felix Corley, Forum 18, and Olga Glace, Forum 18 On 17 October, Minsk City Court ordered the liquidation of New Life Full Gospel Church, Yekaterina Kaverina of Minsk City Executive Committee stating that some of the Church’s online materials are «extremist». Kaverina refused to explain why she had sought the Church’s liquidation after […]
