RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Baptist leader acknowledges he broke religion law

LEADER OF RELIGIOUS GROUP ATTRACTS PROSECUTOR'S ATTENTION IN NOVOSERGIEVKA DISTRICT

Orenday, 17 March 2021

 

A magistrate judge of judicial district No. 2 of Novosergievka district of Orenburg oblast held a resident of Novosergievka administratively responsible for conducting missionary activity in violation of the requirements of legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religious confessions, and religious associations.

 

The prosecutor's office of Novosergievka district conducted an inquiry into the activity of a religious group of Evangelical Christians-Baptists which established that in the period from 23 November 2016 to 9 December 2020, the leader of the religious group conducted missionary activity in violation of the requirements of legislation.

 

He disseminated information about his religious teaching among persons who were not members of that religious association and also did it publicly, and until 9 December 2020 he did not send notification about the start of the activity of the aforesaid religious group to the department of the Ministry of Justice for Orenburg oblast

 

In the court session the leader partially acknowledged his guilt but stated that he did not conduct missionary activity. As the leader of the religious group he allegedly conducts worship services, to which any person who wishes may come. In them there is a library where each person who wishes may take a book with the permission of the person responsible. On 29 December 2020 he sent notification about the start of the activity of the religious group of Evangelical Christians-Baptists to the department of the Ministry of Justice. He requested to be penalized in the form of a fine.

 

Information:

 

According to the federal law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations" the leader (representative) of a religious group gives notification in written form about the start of the activity of a religious group to the agency that is authorized to make a decision about the state registration of the religious organization in the place where the activity of the religious group is conducted.

 

"The court found the leader of the religious group guilty of committing the administrative violation of law specified in part 4 of article 5.26 of the Code of the Russian Federation of Administrative Violations of Law: 'Conducting missionary activity in violation of the requirements of legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religious confession, and on religious associations' and issued to him a penalty in the form of a fine of 5,000 rubles. The court's order has now taken legal effect," the Novosergievka district court of Orenburg oblast noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 18 March 2021)
Russia Religion News Current News Items

Editorial disclaimer: RRN does not intend to certify the accuracy of information presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the articles as they appeared in news media of countries of the former USSR.

If material is quoted, please give credit to the publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please include reference to the URL, https://www2.stetson.edu/religious-news/