GOB RATCHETS UP HARASSMENT OF PROTESTANTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000484 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF BO SUBJECT: GOB RATCHETS UP HARASSMENT OF PROTESTANTS REF: A. MINSK 327 ¶B. 06 MINSK 321 Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reason 1.4 (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The GOB recently increased its harassment of Protestants. On June 3, Protestant Pastor Bokun, who had been arrested two times in eight days, was sentenced to three days in jail for organizing an unauthorized religious service in his home. Bokun's co-pastor, Polish citizen Yaroslav Lukasik, was ordered to leave the country by June 7. Lukasik's deportation followed a string of expulsions of foreign religious ministers and charitable workers in the past six months. Protestant leaders link the GOB's actions to Christian communities' abilities to unite people in defense of their rights and to attract youth and opposition activists. In response to increased GOB persecution, thousands of Protestants gathered for a prayer service on June 3 to demonstrate support for Christians' rights and religious freedoms. Additionally, Christians have collected 20,000 signatures since April for a petition to revoke the restrictive 2002 law on religion. End summary. GOB Increases Harassment of Protestants -------------- ¶2. (U) On June 4, Minsk District Court Judge Tatyana Pavluchuk sentenced the pastor of the registered John the Baptist Church, Antony Bokun, to three days in prison for organizing an unauthorized religious service in his home on June 3. (Note: Bokun was released on June 6. End note.) On June 3, two uniformed officers and eight plainclothes officials raided Bokun's home during church services and brought him and Polish Protestant Pastor Yaroslav Lukasik to the police station. The police released Lukasik after a few hours, but held Bokun overnight at the Okrestina detention center despite his poor health. Due to the intense heat of the building, Bokun, who suffers from a cardiovascular condition, became ill and needed medical attention. This was Bokun's second arrest in eight days. Police officers arrested Bokun on May 27 after entering his house and videotaping the religious services. On May 28, the court found Bokun guilty of conducting an illegal religious service and fined him 620,000 rubles (USD 2 90). ¶3. (U) On May 30, authorities fined Lukasik, who is an unofficial pastor of the John the Baptist Church, 31,000 rubles (USD 15) for conducting unauthorized religious services at Bokun's home on May 27. At the same time, they issued him deportation papers for "repeated violations of the regime governing the presence of foreigners on the territory of Belarus", ordered him to leave the country by June 7, and barred him from reentry for five years. Lukasik denied the charges to Poloff on June 3, stating that he had attended, not conducted, religious services on May 27 and that he had never been charged before for his religious activities. Earlier on May 8, authorities canceled Lukasik's residency permit due to his alleged involvement in "activities aimed at causing damage to the national security of Belarus in the sphere of interdenominational relations." Lukasik is married to a Belarusian woman, has three Belarusian children, and has been a legal resident of Belarus since 1999. Lukasik told Poloff that his wife will remain behind to try to appeal the authorities' decision, but that he will leave the country as ordered. ¶4. (C) According to Lukasik, his deportation and Bokun's arrest were just the latest examples of the GOB harassment of religious activists in Belarus. In the past six months, as many as 25 foreign ministers and religious charity workers, who possess long histories of service in Belarus, have been forced to leave Belarus, oftentimes with little or no advance notice. (Note: During a recent discussion with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Department regarding visa cancellations of American charity workers, Ambassador was told that the BKGB is particularly focused on foreign influences on youth. End note.) Lukasik linked his deportation to his public criticism of Belarus' religious laws. When asked by Poloff why the authorities have focused their attention on the John the Baptist Church, Lukasik explained that the composition of the 100-member church, which is made up primarily of youth and opposition activists, was the cause for authorities' concern and harassment. 5,000 Gather to Pray for Religious Freedom MINSK 00000484 002 OF 003 -------------- ¶5. (U) On June 4, independent news services reported that approximately 5,000 Protestants gathered at the Church of Grace in Minsk to pray for persecuted Belarusian religious activists and for freedom of religion, including the right to pray in private homes. (Note: Independent media and several attendees placed the number of participants between 4,000 and 7,000, although that number is probably inflated. End note.) According to unregistered opposition party Belarus Democracy Christian Democracy Head Aleksey Shein, Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists Bishop Mikhail Sinkavets and Union of Evangelical Faith Christians Bishop Sergey Khomich cautiously expressed their concern over the situation regarding freedom of conscience in Belarus. Shein reported, however, that while Full Gospel Union Bishop Vyacheslav Goncharenko echoed his colleagues' concerns, he also boldly called for justice and freedom for all Belarusians and urged people not to be afraid to defend their rights. The crowd adopted an appeal t o President Lukashenko, requesting a review of the 2002 religion law and an end to the arrests of ministers. GOB Denials Do Not Stop Protestant Protests -------------- ¶6. (C) On June 4, the Minsk City Executive Committee denied Shein permission to hold a rally on June 8 near Bangalore Square to protest the GOB's "crackdown" on freedom of conscience and believers' rights. Shein told Poloff that the city authorities refused his application because one letter in one word was incorrect. This is the second time the authorities have rejected Shein's request to hold a protest; on April 18, the Minsk City Executive Committee denied BCD permission to hold an April 20 demonstration for 50 people at Freedom Square in downtown Minsk (ref A). Shein noted that he will apply again to hold a protest in early July. ¶7. (C) Despite being denied permission to hold a large rally the day before, Shein and five youth activists staged a short unauthorized protest in front of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative for Religious and Nationality Affairs (OPRRNA). They held a sign saying, "I have the right to faith" and put on a mini-play for passersby. None of the youths was detained. Signature Campaign Against Religious Law Gains Momentum -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Christians have already collected 20,000 signatures since April 22 for the National Endowment for Democracy-financed campaign entitled, "The Campaign for the Protection of the Right to Freedom of Conscience," which focuses on persuading the GOB to revoke its repressive 2002 Law on Religion (ref A). According to Shein, this initiative is the most successful civil campaign in the nation's history, uniting Christians and non-Christians in standing up for their rights. Signature collectors worked in over 200 cities in Belarus to gather support for their petition. When talking with people, collectors distribute BCD bulletins to educate people about the religious freedom violations that occur in Belarus. Thus far, the authorities have not detained any collectors. Shein told Poloff that the campaign will continue throughout the summer and that the organizers hope to present the petition on the revocation of the religious law along with 50,000 signatures to President Lukashenko in the fall. More International Support for Freedom of Religion -------------- -------------- ¶9. (C) Religious activists called for increased international support of religious freedom in Belarus. Despite assurances from Poloff that the USG takes religious freedom seriously, New Life Church (NLC) lawyer Sergey Lukanin expressed his hope on June 3 that the U.S. and EU HOMs in Belarus are aware of religious rights violations occurring in Belarus and regularly pass this information to their respective governments. Shein told Poloff that the GOB continues to suppress religious freedoms because no one holds them accountable. He stated that he and youth activist Pavel Severinets will travel to Brussels this summer to try to convince EU officials to include freedom of conscience in their criteria for evaluation of Belarus' progress towards democracy. New Life Church Case Drags On -------------- ¶10. (C) On June 3, Lukanin told Poloff that the Supreme MINSK 00000484 003 OF 003 Economic Court (SEC) has yet to rule on the Minsk City Executive Committee's forced sale of the NLC building and the eviction of the church community. At the last hearing on March 19, the SEC judge adjourned the trial in order to consult with "competent authorities" on how best to proceed. According to Lukanin, the judge wrote a letter to the Plenipotentiary Representative for Religious and Nationality Affairs Leonid Gulyako on April 4 defending the NLC's position and urging the Minsk authorities to reverse its decision without court intervention. Gulyako responded on April 12 that the OPRRNA cannot comment on the NLC's case since it is an administrative issue and therefore does not fall under the authority of the OPRRNA. (Comment: Gulyako's excuse of the limits of his authority is the common response we receive from him when we request to discuss religious freedom issues. End Comment.) On May 15, the judge's superior on the SEC drafted a letter de fending the Minsk authorities' eviction and forced sale. In response, the NLC sent a letter of complaint to the Presidential Administration on May 25 but has yet to receive a response. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) Although the imprisonment of a pastor is not an unprecedented event in Belarus -- Protestant Pastor Georgiy Vyazorskiy was sentenced to 10 days in jail in March 2006 under similar charges (ref B) -- Bokun's sentence and Lukasik's deportation represent the most recent examples of the GOB's augmented harassment of Christians over the past six months. Coupled with the wave of expulsions of foreign ministers and religious charity workers, it appears that the GOB is growing increasingly more concerned with the influence and power of Protestants in Belarus. Although they represent only two percent of the population, their abilities to mobilize people to defend their rights and to attract youth and opposition activists are causes of concern for the GOB. We will continue to monitor and report on any further GOB repressions of religious freedom. Stewart