MILITIAS
CLOSE
ANOTHER TWO EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN OCCUPIED DONETSK OBLAST
In
Makiivka,
representatives of the so-called "MGB DNR" [Ministry of State
Security of the Donetsk People's Republic] forbade parishioners
of the local
"Word of Life" church to assemble, the well known pastor and
volunteer, Sergei Kosiak, told the Vchasno news agency.
He said
the militias
came to the home of the pastor of the "Word of Life" church in
Makiivka and warned that if he conducts church meetings in the
future they will
be penalized.
A
similar situation
occurred involving one of the evangelical church of Khartsyzk.
"The
occupying
power demands that all churches in ORDLO [separate districts of
Donetsk and
Luhansk oblasts] be reregistered in accordance with the laws of
the fake
republics," Sergei Kosiak explained. "At the same time,
registration
is being conducted in such a way that makes it not so simple to
do. In the
occupied Luhansk region not a single evangelical church has been
registered. In
the so-called "DNR" evangelical churches are being registered,
but at
the same time some of the churches for certain reasons are being
refused
registration in principle on the basis of the laws of the
militias."
Sergei
Kosiak noted
that the occupying authority is trying to close churches that
are functioning
"illegally," and clergy are being fined and even charged with
extremism.
"According
to
the law of the fake republics, the fine for an 'illegal meeting'
is from 500 to
10 thousand rubles (192 to 3847 hryvnia), and a second fine is
up to 200
thousand rubles (76940 hryvnia), Sergei Kosiak reported. "If a
church
continues to meet, then they may act even more brutally. For
example, in the
so-called 'LNR' there was a case where a Jehovah's Witnesses
pamphlet and the
book Cross of Hitler were planted on a priest. In ORDLO this is
forbidden
literature and the priest was charged with the creation of an
extremist
organization." (tr. by PDS, posted 11 November 2019)
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