The Belarusian parliament has announced it will put off until October consideration of a piece of legislation that has been described as one of the most repressive religion laws of any former Soviet republic.
The Belarusian parliament has announced it will put off until October consideration of a piece of legislation that has been described as one of the most repressive religion laws of any former Soviet republic. The temporary reprieve comes after supporters of the legislation pushed the bill through the lower house of parliament June 27, but failed to have it considered by the upper house before the parliamentary session ended June 28.
Seventh-day Adventists and other Protestant minorities in Belarus have strongly opposed the legislation, saying it would all but shut down their operations in the country. Local Adventist Church leaders warn that the law, if passed, would restrict almost every facet of their activities—their ability to publish religious literature, to meet together for worship, and to legally register as a church.
“The situation in Belarus has never been simple, and there is a strong resistance to religious pluralism,” says John Graz, public affairs and religious liberty director for the world church. “In spite of strong encouragement for the Belarusian government to conform their religion policies to international norms of human rights, there is still an internal fight over the extent that tolerance should be extended to religious minorities.”
Graz says there is little recourse for religious minorities should the parliament pass the bill and the president sign it into law. “We can send letters, protest to public officials, and keep the matter in the international spotlight,” he says, “but the Belarusian government is also facing internal pressure from an intolerant religious majority, which feels threatened by the idea of religious freedom.” This religious majority believes their traditions and culture are endangered by religious freedom, explains Graz.
The Adventist Church in Belarus is a small, but growing community; there are some 45 Adventist congregations in the country, up from 12 congregations in 1991. Church members there are often targeted for harassment—over the past two years, two Adventist Church buildings have been destroyed by fires authorities believe were deliberately set.
