RESIDENT OF PYT-YAKH FINED FOR ILLEGAL EVANGELISM
SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 11 July 2017
A resident of the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous District-Yugra reported to police about a citizen who prayed for his son. She is a member of a religious organization with "headquarters" outside the borders of Russia. The believer was fined for "illegal evangelism."
On 5 July 2017 a magistrate court of judicial district No. 1 of the Pyt-Yakh judicial region of the Khanty-Mansiiskii Autonomous Region-Yugra issued an order for holding a resident of Pyt-Yakh accountable under part 5 of article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (conducting missionary activity with violation of the requirement of legislation on freedom of conscience and freedom of religious confessions and on religious associations). The court fined her 5,000 rubles.
According to materials of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the resident of Pyt-Yakh is a member of a religious organization "with headquarters outside the borders of the Russian federation," and she described her religious belief to persons who are not members of this organization. A check was conducted on the basis of a complaint by a certain citizen to whom the woman reported a curse that was laid on his family and she read a prayer over his son. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 July 2017)
WOMAN WHO CONDUCTED MISSIONARY ACTIVITY HELD
ADMINISTRATIVELY ACCOUNTABLE IN PYT-YAKH
Website of the Directorate of MVD for Kh-MAO-Yugra, 6 July 2017
Yesterday a magistrate judge of the judicial district No. 1 of Pyt-Yakh judicial region of Khanty-Mansiiskii Autonomous District-Yugra issued an order for holding a local resident administratively accountable.
On the basis of materials presented by the OMVD of Russia for the city of Pyt-Yakh to a court it was learned that a citizen engaged in missionary activity in her apartment that was aimed at spreading information about her religious belief among persons who are not members of the religious association. Along with fellow believers she canvassed in apartment buildings of Pyt-Yakh. To citizens who opened their doors the woman reported that she is a representative of a religious organization with headquarters outside the borders of the Russian federation.
One of the witnesses said that while visiting his apartment the woman maintained that an ancestral curse lay upon the family and only by means of special prayers could it be removed. Having been convinced, the citizen permitted her to read a prayer over his son and then he gave the woman contact information for future communications. Later the witness realized that this was an attempt to draw him into a "religion" that in his view is a sect. The citizen went to the police department and later cooperated with personnel of agencies of internal affairs.
In accordance with article 5.26, part 4 "Violation of legislation on freedom of conscience and freedom of religious confession and on religious associations," the magistrate court found the citizen guilty of violation of the law and assessed an administrative penalty in the form of a fine of 5,000 rubles. The court's decision has taken legal effect. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 July 2017)
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