Believers of the Protestant Church "New Life" Started to Appeal the Actions of the Minsk Executive Committee in the Economic Court of Minsk

18.10.2005.

The pastor and the administrator of the "New Life" Church came to Minsk Economic Court to cancel the decision taken by the city authorities to transfer the believers' temple form private ownership into state ownership.
Problems with the city authorities started after the adoption of the new version of the Law on religions. Then the new administrative code also gave reasons to bring the believers to administrative responsibility for worshipping without the authorities' permission. Because the Church does not have any possibility to use the building address for registration in the Ministry of Justice, it can be liquidated.
Vasil Iurevich, the church administrator, had to stand trial three times for organizing worshipping without the authorities' sanction. He was fined 6000 US dollars. Vasil Iurevich is sure that the main aim of the authorities is to liquidate the Protestant Church, which has more than a thousand believers: "I believe that the problem is not with the building but with the policies pursued by the authorities. In fact the authorities have already liquidated two protestant churches and want to eliminate another one. All these trials and police reports show that the authorities are trying to give us an image of some criminals. As regards our building, we are not giving it up. I believe that the actions of the city officials are absolutely illegal. In civilized countries this is nonsense taking a building privately owned by a church and transferring it to the state".
Despite the persecution in court, the believers staged daily duties in the temple. They do not leave their building so that it is not captured in their absence. If the court passes a ruling to transfer the building from private ownership into state ownership, court marshals will take the building by force.

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