Print this pageFor Immediate Release
December 23, 2011
After denying registration, Belarusian authorities raid religious meetings for being unregistered
MINSK, Belarus—Police raid meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses in three locations while Belarusian authorities deny legal registration and prohibit meetings in private homes.
On September 25, police interrupted a Christian meeting being held at a private residence in Mikashevichi, citing that the religious service cannot be held in an unregistered location for worship. For years, authorities in Mikashevichi repeatedly denied all registration attempts by the Local Religious Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses (LRO). Because of the lack of registration, the LRO was not permitted to buy property or build a suitable meeting place for worship and was compelled to meet in a private home.
On October 13, police disrupted a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses taking place in a private apartment in Bykhov. Authorities refused to grant the Witnesses registration because they did not have a sufficient number of members in their community to qualify for registration. On November 24, police raided a religious meeting of the Witnesses held in a private home in Svetlogorsk. Police interrogated those in attendance, videotaped the proceedings, and confiscated religious literature. Prior to this incident, the Witnesses had submitted numerous applications to obtain property to construct a place of worship, but local authorities denied each request.
Pavel Yadlouski, the chairman of the Religious Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belarus, noted, “We are facing a difficult situation—our repeated efforts to register are denied while at the same time we cannot build places for worship or rent suitable facilities, and meetings in private homes is prohibited by law.” Local religious communities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belarus want to comply with the registration requirements of the State so that they can worship freely without interference.
Media Contacts:
J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5600
Belarus: Pavel Yadlouski, tel. +375 17 292 93 78
Belgium: European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, tel. +32 2 782 0015