SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS FINED FOR READING BIBLE
Tulskie Prianiki, 29 January 2021
In Uzlovaya, a decision that is unprecedented for Tula oblast was rendered with respect to two members of a religious organization.
During a religious service, which was conducted in the church of Seventh-Day Adventist Christians in Uzlovaya, police entered the building and arrested three members of the religious organization, who were reading Sacred Scripture to members of the congregation.
An affidavit for violation of part 4 of article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (violation of legislation on freedom of conscience and freedom of religious confession and on religious associations) was composed with regard to two of them.
According to part 4 of this article, conducting missionary activity in violation of the requirements of legislation on freedom of conscience and freedom of religious confession and on religious associations incurs the levying of an administrative fine on citizens of from 5,000 to 50,000 rubles; for legal entities the fine is from 100 thousand to one million rubles.
In the end, a magistrate judge decided on the minimum penalty.
According to commentaries on the existing law, citizens who conduct missionary activity in the name of a religious group are required to have in their possession a decision of a general meeting of the religious group granting them corresponding authorization, that includes an indication of the particulars of the written confirmation of receipt and registration of notification about the creation of and commencement of the activity of the aforesaid religious group, provided by the territorial office of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
The leader of a religious organization, a member of its board, and/or a clergyman of a religious organization have the right to conduct missionary activity in the name of a religious organization.
Other citizens and legal entities have the right to conduct missionary activity in the name of a religious organization if they have in their possession a document issued by the ruling body of the religious organization and conferring the authorization to conduct missionary activity in the name of the religious organization.
According to the lawyer representing the interests of the believers, the corresponding document was presented in court, but the magistrate judge, in accordance with his own inner conviction, concluded that this fact in no way prevented holding the evangelists administratively accountable.
Who else recalls that in the time of the
U.S.S.R. the
reading of the Bible also was banned? Has this nostalgic time now
returned, or
has it still not gone away? (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2021)
PASTORS OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH FINED FOR ILLEGAL EVANGELISM IN TULA OBLAST
On 28 January 2021 it was learned that in Tula oblast, pastors of the church of Seventh-Day Adventists—a man and a woman—were fined 5,000 rubles each for "illegal evangelism" in Uzlovaya.
A magistrate court found them guilty on the basis of part 4 of article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (conducting missionary activity in violation of the requirements of legislation on freedom of conscience and freedom of religious confession and on religious associations) for preaching a sermon inside the church building without specially prepared documents for such an incident. The question of whether preaching or divine worship within their own religious building is missionary activity did not interest the "law enforcers," who were violating the law. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 February 2021)
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