Seventh-day Adventists in Belarus spent last weekend fasting and praying in response to a proposed religion law that, if passed, threatens to seriously impact Adventist church activity in this eastern European country. The draft law, which was passed by the lower house of parliament May 31, seeks to impose tough new restrictions on re-registration of minority religious groups, and would allow authorities to censor or ban religious materials produced locally or brought into the country.

“The proposal threatens every activity of our church: our right to publish literature, our right to legally register, and our right to meet together,” says Ivan Ostrovsky, Global Mission director for the Adventist Church in Euro-Asia.

Ostrovsky, who visited Belarus last weekend, says church administrators are particularly concerned about how the law would impact the newly established Adventist congregations in the country that are part of the so-called “300 Program.” This program, started in 2000, has set the goal of training 300 new ministers, establishing 300 new congregations, and providing 300 new church buildings across Euro-Asia by 2003.

“The worst threat is to our new churches [in the 300 Program],” says Ostrovsky. “The heart of this program is small groups, but the proposal forbids groups of less than 20 from meeting legally. A law like this was proposed last year, but it didn’t pass. This time the lawmakers have already approved the first reading, so there is a strong chance that it could pass the second reading.”

The Adventists were among four major Protestant groups who released a joint statement earlier this month publicly protesting the draft law. Leaders from the Baptist, Pentecostal, Full Gospel, and Adventist groups said the proposed law violates the country’s constitution, as well as international human rights conventions. “If this law passes its second reading and is signed by the country’s president, many of our congregations will run up against great difficulties in passing the obligatory re-registration,” the statement read.

The draft law affirms the “pre-eminent role of the Orthodox Church,” reports Keston News Service. It would compel all religious groups to re-register within two years. Church administrative structures could only gain legal status by showing they had at least 10 registered congregations in 1982; which, as Keston points out, was at the height of Soviet repression of religion. Under these restrictions, only the Orthodox, one main Jewish group, and the Roman Catholics would be able to re-register.

There are some 45 Adventist congregations in Belarus, up from only 12 congregations in 1991. Religious minorities in this country often face hostility and discrimination. In April 2001, an Adventist church in Tolochen, Belarus, was burnt to the ground in a blaze authorities believe was deliberately set. In 2000, an Adventist church building in the Belarusian town of Polotsk was also destroyed by arsonists.