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Belarus

• Officials Issue Threats to Church Leaders

  

  On December 20th, a meeting was held for the Minsk Orthodox Diocese. During the gathering, which consisted of more than two hundred priests, Olga Chemodanova from the Ideology Department of the Minsk Executive Committee was invited to speak. She told those present that state agencies were monitoring more than 500 religious communities and openly warned against committing any act that could potentially be perceived as being political in nature, including the use of "non-religious symbols." Her address clearly threatened any church leaders who may be considered "ideologically alien," further indicating that such leaders should expect to serve time in prison.

• Revised Religion Law Passes First Reading

  

  A new religion law, which was introduced to Belarus' House of Representatives on September 29th, passed its first reading on October 11th. The text of the draft law was only made public on October 10th. While some aspects of the previous version of the law will remain the same, the new legislation would impose significantly tighter restrictions on the country's Christians if approved.

• New Life Church Faces Liquidation

  

  Since 2002, the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, has faced repeated harassment from the country's governing authorities. Though legally recognized by the government, the church has been continually denied a place of worship. After many years of court challenges, the congregation's sanctuary was destroyed in June 2023 (read more).

• Christian Threatened With Prosecution for Sharing Faith

  

  On June 1st, Vladimir Burshtyn was detained because he had been sharing his Christian faith on the streets of Drogichin, Belarus. The elderly man received a $300 fine for his actions. (For further details on this incident, go to this report.) However, this was not the first time Vladimir was punished for practising his faith. He was previously fined in 2005 for leading an unregistered congregation, and again in 2008 for sharing his faith publicly.

• More Harassment and Sentences for New Life Church

  Pastor Vyacheslav and his wife Irina Goncharenko
  Photo: New Life Church

  For several years, the New Life Church in Minsk has faced opposition from the government, including the complete destruction of their place of worship on June 20th. (For more details, click here.) That act of destruction, however, did not stop ongoing harassment from government officials.

• New Life Church Building Destroyed
  

  In 2002, the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, purchased a cowshed on the outskirts of the city in order to convert the building into a suitable place of worship for the congregation of 600 members. Since that time, the government's religious affairs department has opposed their use of the building. For more than 18 years, The Voice of the Martyrs Canada has been following the plight of this church, calling for prayer as the believers continually sought to find ways to meet for services in the face of opposition.

• Christian Man Fined for Sharing His Faith

  

  On June 1st, a musical group of Baptist believers arranged a performance on the streets of Drogichin in southwestern Belarus. In addition to providing uplifting music, the Christians shared their faith with those who passed by. One of the evangelists, Vladimir Burshtyn, is a Christian man in his early 70s. He travelled 110 kilometres from his home in order to participate in the meeting.

• Seven Young Christians Fined

  

  A court in Minsk has fined seven young Christians the equivalent of two months' average wages each. The charges were laid against the believers as punishment for talking to others about the meaning of Easter on April 15th, the day before Orthodox Easter Sunday.

• Outdoor Worship Service Banned and Pastors Fined

  

  On September 15th, the Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on renewed threats against the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus (read more). The church building was sealed by governing authorities in February 2021, and since then its members have met weekly in the facility's parking lot.

• Legal Threats Facing Churches

  

  A recent report from Forum18 has provided updates on two situations currently affecting churches in Belarus. In both cases, ongoing pressures from governing officials could potentially mean the churches would lose their legal status to operate.