Ten Days in Jail for Reading the Bible

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000321 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/15 TAGS: PGOV PHUM BO SUBJECT: Ten Days in Jail for Reading the Bible ¶1. (C) Summary: On March 14, Poloff met with head of the Christ Convenant Reformed Baptist Church who had just served 10 days in jail for holding an unsanctioned religious service in his private residence. This is the first time in 20 years that a person has been jailed for holding religious worship in Belarus. In order to avoid further persecution by the GOB, Vyazorsky plans to employ "Soviet-era tactics," including varying the times of meetings as well as locking the doors to the church once the services begin. End Summary Religious Worship Leads to Imprisonment -------------- ¶2. (U) On March 3, a Partyzanski (Minsk region) court sentenced pastor Georgi Viazovsky of the Christ Convenant Reformed Baptist Church to 10 days in jail for holding religious services in his home on February 5. According to the Oslo-based religious freedom group Forum 18, this is the first time the authorities have sentenced a pastor to jail in Belarus for holding an unsanctioned religious service in 20 years. ¶3. (C) Irina Zhikhar, a member of the church who was present at the February 5 services, told Emboff that the pastor was conducting services at his residence when a person - who introduced himself as a representative from the Minsk City Executive Committee - entered with camera and started taking photographs. Irina said that a local sheriff who counted the worshippers as they left the residence accompanied the representative. Irina reported that when the pastor asked for an explanation, the representative said that the pastor would receive an official warning for holding an unsanctioned religious service. ¶4. (C) On March 14, Pastor Vyazorsky told Poloff that this was his second warning for holding an unsanctioned service. According to Vyazorsky, police and one city official came to his church in November 2005 to observe the services. Shortly after, Vyazorsky received an official warning for holding an unsanctioned religious meeting. ¶5. (C) Pastor Vyazorsky told Poloff that the Christ Convenant Reformed Baptist Church was first registered in Belarus in 1994, but failed to be re-registered under the 2002 religious laws in 2004 because the pastor refused to provide authorities with a list of church members and refused to limit church activities to Minsk. Christ Convenant Reformed Baptist Church bought a small private house in 1997 and refurbished it to make it into a place of worship. The congregation meets approximately four times per week for services, bible study and choir practice. The church also publishes a booklet through the help of the London Reformed Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle Church. The Trial -------------- ¶6. (C) Before the hearing began, the judge spoke with the local sheriff from the February 5 services and a representative from the city council for 20 minutes and 10 minutes, respectively, behind closed doors. ¶7. (C) At the trial, Pastor Vyazorsky attempted to defend his actions and the actions of the church. He informed the court that Article 3 of the 2002 religious law, which defines a religious service, states that a religious service includes the practice of rituals. The pastor claimed that since they were only reading the bible and not performing rituals or sacraments, their meeting was not a religious service as defined by the law. Therefore, the authorities were not correct to warn the pastor for holding a religious service. Numerous congregation members as well as the heads of several other Protestant communities attended the hearing to show support for the pastor. The judge deliberated for two hours before sentencing Vyazorsky to ten days in prison. The Jail -------------- ¶8. (C) Upon the conclusion of the trial, Vyazorsky was transferred immediately to the prison. He told Poloff that all the officers and officials at the prison were shocked and outraged that someone could be sentenced to prison for holding religious services. Vyazorsky remained in an unventilated prison with 13 other people for 10 days. His family was not allowed to visit him and he had no contact with the outside world. The prison guards did, however, provide a bible for him to read, although it was written in English. Future of the Church -------------- ¶9. (C) Vyazorsky told Poloff that he does not plan to close his church. As a precaution, however, he will revert to "Soviet-era practices", including varying the times of meetings as well as locking the doors to the church once the services begin. KROL