ST. PETERSBURG: CASE OF ILLEGAL EVANGELISM AGAINST ARCHBISHOP SERGEI ZHURAVLEV ENDS WITH FINE OF 5,000 RUBLES
Portal-credo.ru, 6 September 2016
A magistrate's court of Frunze district of St. Petersburg found a representative of the Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior (Kiev archdiocese), Sergei Zhuravlev, guilty of violating the rules of missionary activity in the RF which were established two months ago by the so-called "Yarovaya Laws." The court sentenced him to a fine of 5,000 rubles, Fontanka.ru reported on 5 September.
Zhuravlev was arrested on 27 August in the premises of the "New Hope" organization on Borovaia Street. The police visit was caused by a complaint of a certain citizen about Zhuravlev's illegal missionary activity. The man was taken to the police department No. 5 where a police report was composed on the basis of article 5.26, part 4 (conducting missionary activity with violation of laws), which appeared in the Code of Administrative Violations of Law due to the "Yarovaya Package" in July of this year. Zhuravlev was accused on trying to persuade a Jewish congregation to convert to Orthodoxy.
During the trial, Zhuravlev himself declared that he was conducting a seminar for former drug addicts, alcoholics, and prostitutes regarding the history of Christianity, and particularly about the relations of the Christian church and Israel. He did not invite anybody into any organizations and he opposes changing confessions.
After the court issued its decision, Sergei Zhuravlev declared that he will not pay the fine and is appealing the verdict. "I do not want to create a dangerous precedent," the representative of the Reformed Church declared. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 September 2016)
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