Belarus: Christian youth leader beaten.

Date: Monday 17 December 2007
Subj: Belarus: Christian youth leader beaten.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal


BELARUS: CHRISTIAN YOUTH LEADER BEATEN

Malady Front (Youth Front (Belarussian)), is a Belarussian youth movement with Christian roots which advocates for freedom, democracy and Christian values in Belarus. It has had its application for registration denied six times, most recently in June this year despite meeting all the requirements. Their lack of registration gives the authorities grounds to repress and persecute the group, to ban their meetings and criminalise their activities. (Link 1)

In May 2006, Zmitser Dashkevich, the group's leader and an evangelical Christian, returned from a visit to the USA only to be arrested on charges of "hooliganism" for allegedly writing political graffiti, a charged that could not be proved. On 1 November 2006 Dashkevich was sentenced to 18 months in prison for "organising and participating in an activity of an unregistered non-governmental organisation". (Link 2: Amnesty International UK and Christian Solidarity Worldwide USA)

Dashkevich is not the first Malady Front leader to be punished by the Lukashenka regime. His predecessor, Paval Seviarynets who led the group from 1999-2004 and is also a professing Christian was sentenced in 2005 to two years' hard labour for organising a protest against the official (and clearly fraudulent) results of the referendum and parliamentary elections in October 2004.

In September 2007 Zmitser Fedaruk courageously took on the leadership of the Malady Front. Like his predecessors, Zmitser Fedaruk is a committed Christian. Though only 19-years-old he has first-hand experience of repression, including religious persecution and incarceration. He spent five days in a KGB prison earlier this year for meeting with other Malady Front members in a private apartment. He is a member of a Minsk-based Pentecostal church whose pastor has been imprisoned and its premises confiscated.

Fedaruk recently told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that his faith in God gives him both his conviction -- that freedom to do good is man's God-given right -- and the courage to fight for it. He also told RFE/RL that he seeks to serve "as a spiritual and moral guide to the group, whose members regularly risk intimidation, beatings, and arrest".

RFE/RL interviewed Zmitser Fedaruk on 6 December while he was in Washington on a visit sponsored by the US Helsinki Commission. The interview entitled "Belarus: 19-Year-Old Activist Fights For God and Country" was published on 7 December. Fedaruk returned to Belarus on 9 December and on 12 December he participated in a peaceful demonstration in support of Belarussian independence ahead of the visit of Russia's President Putin.

(Rumours have been rife that Belarus-Russia unification may be on the agenda once again. Lukashenka once sought this as a means of advancing his power; however, the rise and rise of the cult and power of Putin have laid waste to that fantasy. Now the rumours are that Putin may be seeking it to advance his own power, as a new state would require a new constitution. Stratfor Strategic Forecasting Inc.'s analysis of 13 December, "Geopolitical Diary: Reality Dawns in Belarus", discounts this believing that Putin is a dictator with such widespread support that he will not be limited by constitutional constraints. Stratfor believes Putin is more likely to want Belarus for geo-strategic purposes so he can move his Red Army right up to the borders of NATO-land, transforming Belarus from "buffer" to "launching pad".)

Not only did Belarussian police predictably break up the 12 December protest and beat the protestors, but they targeted Zmitser Fedaruk for special punishment. The security police isolated Fedaruk, beat him to the ground and stamped on him. His head hit the concrete hard, rendering him unconscious. Demonstrators phoned for an ambulance and Fedaruk was rushed to hospital where he was assessed to have a brain concussion of medium severity, as well as bruising. (Link 3)

RFE/RL immediately republished the 7 December interview with an Editor's note. (Link 4)

On 13 December Fedaruk spoke by telephone from his hospital bed to RFE/RL's Belarus Service. "I think my beating was linked to my trip to America. There were many indications of that. I was deliberately pushed behind the OMON [special police] cordon and there, separated from the demonstrators, knocked down and beaten. And then they threw me back, saying something like, 'Take your man back, he made a nice trip to America.'" (Link 5)

Zmitser Fedaruk has a compelling passion for liberty and justice and the glory of God. But even more than that, he has the very thing President Lukashenka fears even more than conviction: the courage to act on it.

"I believe in God. And I fear only God," Fedaruk told RFE/RL. "When I joined Malady Front I couldn't understand how people could stand up and be strong, and not be afraid. Later, when I received this faith I understood that only God and faith can help you be brave. In fact, the young people who come to Malady Front are also like this -- they are the new generation who can get to this new land."

There can be little doubt that Lukashenka will be very keen to crush that courage before it can grow or spread. However, if Fedaruk is right and this courage is from the Spirit of God, then Lukashenka has no idea what he is up against.

Elizabeth Kendal


Links

1) Malady Front Activist Make Another Attempt to Legalize Their Organization
6 June 2006 http://www.democraticbelarus.eu/node/1612

2) http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=249
http://www.democraticbelarus.eu/node/1795
http://www.cswusa.com/Reports%20Pages/Reports-Belarus.htm

3) Riot policemen brutally assaulted participants of rally "For Independent Belarus!"
http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2007/12/13/2372/
ALSO
Mother set to complaint to law-enforcers about beating of Zmitser Fedaruk
http://naviny.by/rubrics/inter/2007/12/13/ic_news_259_282235/

4) Belarus: 19-Year-Old Activist Fights For God And Country. By Heather Maher
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/12/d97651df-76f1-46ce-ab3a-6db0512d331c.html

5) Belarusian Activist Says Beating Linked To U.S. Trip. 14 Dec 2007
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/12/d5f35140-476c-4f47-9e07-419bd0d701b0.html

Belarus: Resuscitating the Soviet Machine.

Date: Thursday 4 September 2003
Subj: Belarus: Resuscitating the Soviet Machine.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal.



BELARUS: RESUSCITATING THE SOVIET MACHINE.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICIAL IDEOLOGY WILL PROVIDE IMMUNITY FROM "INFECTION"
- President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

In a 27 March 2003 speech, Lukashenka said, "Ideology for a state is what the immune system is for a living organism. If the immune system grows weaker, any infection, even the slightest one, turns deadly." He added that the inculcation of an official state-controlled ideology into the country's citizens was essential to protect Belarus from any possible "infection".

RESUSCITATING THE SOVIET MACHINE

President Lukashenka has determined that he will impose his "official Belarusian ideology" on the people of Belarus. The official ideology is to be taught in schools, universities and workplaces; through the media and the Orthodox Church. (President Lukashenka describes himself as an "Orthodox atheist".)

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), "Lukashenka said the Belarusian state ideology should incorporate the 'basis' of the Soviet-era ideology." (RFE/RL Newsline14 Aug 2003) He has also described the Soviet system as good and something that should not have been abandoned. (Link 1)

On 13 August 2003 Lukashenka convened a conference to discuss a draft presidential decree "On the system of state governing bodies and other organizations carrying out ideological work in the Republic of Belarus". The Belarusian Review reports, "On the practical side, Lukashenka said he has already made the necessary appointments to put the entire ideological machinery into operation. Lukashena advised rectors of both state-run and private universities to get rid of professors and lecturers who oppose government policies or are 'wavering' in their opinions regarding the government's course. 'If you do not accept the ideas declared by the government and the president, do not apply to a state university for a job,' Lukashenka said explicitly." (Link 1)

On 1 September 2003, the new mandatory subject - The Basis of Belarusian Ideology - was introduced to all Belarusian state-run and private Universities.

Belarus' new official ideology will also be taught in the workplace. "Reaching man's soul and mind is a great art and a hard work," said Lukashenka, stressing that no unit of the society can do without a deputy director for political instruction. Lukashenka plans to employ several thousand ideological instructors to work on staff in all enterprises and organizations with more than 300 employees, and every state-run farm with more than 150 farmers. He says that in some cases, directors will combine the jobs of an ideologist and a leader.

SYMBIOTIC CHURCH STATE RELATIONSHIP

Taras Kuzio has written an article for the Foreign Policy Association entitled "Belarus: Consolidated Authority" (Link 2). In it, Kuzio comments on the symbiotic relationship between the Orthodox Church and the State.

Kuzio writes, "Along with the very evident attachment to the Soviet and Belarusian Soviet past and attitudes, is Lukashenka's eastern Slavic ideology. In this ideology, religion and language are critical--and both lead to Russia. As in Russia, the state church in Belarus is the Belarusian (i.e. Russian) Orthodox Church. Its Metropolitan, who answers to the patriarch in Moscow, regularly praises Lukashenka for his Russophile and pan-eastern Slavic ideology. And indeed, in January, Lukashenka described his state ideology not as Communist, but as 'Orthodox Christian'. He praised the Belarusian Orthodox Church for opposing 'destructive forces', cooperating with the authorities, and contributing to stability.

"'Numerous benefits' have been conferred on the church, and the state in return enjoys its cooperation. As Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky said after a new agreement with the church was signed on 15 June [12 June - EK], 'cooperation between the state and the Orthodox Church' has now been placed 'on a systematic level'."

Forum 18 has reported on this Church/State agreement. "An 'Agreement on Co-operation between the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian Orthodox Church' was signed on 12 June by Prime Minister Gennadi Novitsky and Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeyev) of Minsk and Slutsk, who reportedly hailed it as 'a blank cheque to develop co-operation programmes with all branches of power'."

According to Forum 18, "the agreement endorses collaboration between the Orthodox Church and the Ministries of Education, Culture, Health, Labour, Information, Internal Affairs, Defence, Natural Resources, and the Ministry for Emergencies. The most significant (concept) is in Article 1, in which the state guarantees the Orthodox Church 'right of ecclesiastical jurisdiction on its canonical territory'." (This means that the Orthodox Church will have rights over all things religious in all of Belarus.) Church and state bodies will now work together in their common fight against "neo-cultic doctrines" and "pseudo-religious structures". (Link 3)

ANTI-SEMITISM

Kuzio also comments on the effect Lukashenka's pro-Soviet ideology has on Belarus' Jewish community. "The Soviet authorities in Soviet Belarus were particularly noted for their 'anti-Zionist' propaganda crusades, which were little more than thinly veiled anti-Semitism. Lukashenka's support for Arab rogue states is an outgrowth of his anti-Israeli ideology. Belarusian newspapers and publishers have also achieved a reputation for publishing anti-Semitic literature, including the notorious tsarist forgery, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Russian fascist parties, such as Russian National Unity, have been allowed to operate openly in Belarus and have been involved in violence against the opposition. The effect at street level is that the worst desecration of Jewish cemeteries and synagogues and expressions of race hate in the Commonwealth of Independent States have been in Belarus."

MEDIA

At his August ideology conference, Lukashenka emphasized the significant role of radio and television in this "struggle of ideologies". (Link 1)

On 2 September, RFE/RL reported that a media crackdown was underway in Belarus. "Zhanna Litvina, head of the Belarusian Union of Journalists, told RFE/RL she sometimes feels as if she is living in a time warp. Over the past two years, half of the country's independent media outlets have been shut down. Even Russian television and radio broadcasts, heavily watched due to their more balanced news coverage and better entertainment features, are having their local air time cut.

"'It would have been hard for me to imagine, say eight years ago, that this propaganda machine could be resuscitated to such a degree and that the methods used in communist times could be so easily taken up again. Belarus is an example of how easily this can be done, and it is dangerous,' Litvina said." (Link 4)

In an attempt to draw attention to their plight, Belarus's remaining independent journalists will stage a walkout on 19 September 2003 - the International Day of Solidarity With Journalists.

Not all those in Belarusian media are upset. Some agree with Lukashenka that the state alone should determine a citizen's ideology. Kuzio reports, "Ryhor Kisel, the head of State Channel 2 (and former head of State Channel 1), reportedly explained: 'We cannot allow the privatization of ideology, or subjects and objects of ideology. This should remain under the state's influence'." (Link 2)

CREATING AN OBEDIENT PEOPLE

RFE/RL reports, "Zhanna Litvina (head of the Belarusian Union of Journalists) believes that Lukashenka, now midway through his second term, is laying the groundwork for eliminating a constitutional ban on seeking a third mandate. 'It means that the president is very keen on controlling public opinion, to control the consciousness of the 10 million citizens of this country,' she said. 'There must be no dissent because at some key upcoming point, perhaps a referendum or a new presidential campaign, citizens will have to be obedient. And a person cannot make an informed choice when he or she is deprived of information.'" (Link 4)

According to RFE/RL, Tatsiana Protska, at the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, also believes the motivation is political. Opposition deputy Valery Frolov told Belarus Today, "Lukashenko is trying to subordinate the country so there will be no different opinions." (Link 5)

TOXIC LANGUAGE

The language of this campaign is toxic and ominous. Ideologies not in line with Lukashenko's will surely be deemed "infections", anti-state and dangerous. There will be campaigns against "privatisation of ideology" and friends of "liberal terrorists". ("liberal terror" - see link 1).

That this Soviet machine, which was once considered dead and buried, could be resuscitated so quickly is truly frightening and exceedingly dangerous nationally, regionally and possibly globally. Perestroika (openness) and the fall of Communism in Europe saw the subsequent embrace of freedom and growth of the evangelical Church. This resuscitation, which really amounts to national degeneration, is a world-class tragedy.

Elizabeth Kendal

Links

1) Returning to Good Old Ideology
By Jan Maksymiuk. Belarusian Review. 2 September 2003
archived in RFE/RL (April 2003, Volume  5, Number  12 - second article)

2) Belarus: Consolidated Authority
Foreign Policy Association 20 June 2003
http://www.fpa.org/newsletter_info2497/newsletter_info_sub_list.htm?section=Belarus

3) BELARUS: New concordat gives Orthodox enhanced status
Forum 18 News Service. 24 June 2003
By Geraldine Fagan, Moscow Correspondent
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=89
SEE ALSO
Belarus, Orthodox Church sign deal boosting Church's standing
MINSK June 13, 2003 (AP)
http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/22/Belarus,%20Orthodox%20Church.htm

4) Belarus: Authorities Launch Further Crackdown On Independent
Media, NGOs
By Jeremy Bransten. Prague, 2 September 2003 (RFE/RL)
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2003/09/02092003171152.asp

5) Lukashenko Orders Belarus Workers to Ideology Class
Belarus Today. 19 Aug 2003
http://www.belarustoday.info/news/news.php?id=17665&lang=eng

BELARUS: Perestroika reversed, but pressure mounts on Lukashenko.

Date: Monday 18 November 2002
Subj: Perestroika reversed, but pressure mounts on Lukashenko.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator


On 31 October 2002 - Reformation Day - Belarus' President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed the highly repressive new religion law - regarded by Keston Institute as the most restrictive in Europe. The Religion Law has been compared to Stalin's 1929 decree on religious associations, which imposed severe restrictions on religious activity for almost the entire Soviet period. There is strong support for the new law from the Moscow Patriarchate. (Link 1)

Belarusian parliamentarian Syarhey Kastsyan recently defended the new law. He said it is intended to erect a barrier against Western clergy who "creep into Belarus and discredit Slavic values." (Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 4 October 2002).

The oppressive new religion law entered into legal force on Saturday 16 November 02. Keston Institute reported, "From then (16 Nov 2002), all unregistered religious activity will be illegal; all communities with fewer than 20 members will become illegal; any religious activity in private homes - apart from occasional, small scale meetings - will be illegal; religious communities that do not have a registered umbrella body will not be able to invite foreign citizens for religious work; and all religious literature will be subject to compulsory prior censorship. In addition, all religious organisations will have to be compulsorily re-registered within two years." (Link 2)

However - pressure is mounting on President Lukashenko, from Belarusian churches vowing to obey God rather than man, from the European Union that votes tomorrow (Tuesday 19 Nov) to enforce a travel ban on the "dictator", and from NATO that is refusing to entertain Lukashenko's presence at the forthcoming summit. Lukashenko is even finding his long-time ally, Russia, no longer totally amenable, as Putin and Lukashenko appear have come down on opposite sides of the War on Terror.

INTERNAL PRESSURE MOUNTS ON LUKASHENKO

PRESS-RELEASE OF INFORMATIONAL CENTRE "FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE" 13.11.02

OPEN DECLARATION

"On 31 October 2002 the President of the Republic of Belarus signed the Law "About Freedom of Faith and Religious Organizations". Once again the authorities totally ignored the opinion of thousands of Belarusian citizens and millions of Christians all over the world.

"The entry of this law into force will be a blow to freedom of conscience, one of the fundamental freedoms given to individuals by God and on which basic democratic institutions are founded. We believe that in this case the authorities have exceeded the powers given by God.

"The best periods in Belarus' history were the periods of inter-religious tolerance. The violation of such tolerance in the seventeenth century brought about a chronic national crisis. What will such anti-Biblical measures by the authorities bring at the beginning of the twenty first century?

"The newly-adopted law forces us to violate the basic Law on which our faith is based: the Law of God. As believers, we have the full right not to obey laws and decrees that go against our faith and conscience, following the Biblical principle, 'We ought to obey God rather than men'."

On behalf of Association of Full Gospel Churches,
in the Republic of Belarus,
President Alexander Sakovich 01.11.02
Informational Centre "FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE"
Contacts: phone 276 07 54
E-mail: infarmacyja@hotmail.com

EUROPEAN PRESSURE MOUNTS ON LUKASHENKO

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has long been a thorn in Lukashenko's side as it has pressured the Belarusian government to reverse it's declining human rights standards and self-imposed isolation.

On 23 October 2002 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL - http://www.rferl.org/) reported that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry had decided that the Advisory and Monitoring Group for the OSCE, would no longer be allowed to operate in Belarus "in its current form."

It appears however, that Lukashenko is stepping too far over the line and a European backlash is being unleashed.

EUROPEAN UNION

In a statement on Wednesday 13 November, the 15-nation EU chided Lukashenko for continuing to violate the democratic and human rights standards of the OSCE.

A BBC article of 15 November entitled, "EU considers 'dictator' ban", reported that the European Union is planning to ban Lukashenko, and up to 50 members of his government, from travelling to EU and candidate countries because of continuing violations of democracy and human rights. "The banning decision will be taken by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday and will enter into force immediately. So far it is just a proposal on the agenda of the foreign ministers' meeting, but correspondents say it is likely to be passed."

The Times of London reported on 16 November, "Diplomatic sources confirmed yesterday that all EU governments were fully behind the initiative. The text that ministers will approve notes: 'Serious violations of human rights and recurrent restrictions on fundamental freedoms imposed by the Government of Belarus, such as the recent approval of the law on freedom of conscience and religious organisations, are in clear contradiction with European democratic
tandards.'"

NATO

On Friday 15 November 2002, Czech authorities decided to refuse to grant Lukashenko a visa to attend the NATO summit being held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, this week.

The Associated Press quoted Czech Foreign minister Cyril Svoboda as saying, "We are convinced that the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms is not taking place in Belarus. Lukashenko would use this visit to legitimise his position at home". (Link 3 and 4)

The Belarus government is threatening to cut off diplomatic relations with Czech Republic in retaliation for the move. Lukashenko has also threatened to open Belarus's borders to allow a flood of illegal immigrants and drugs into a Europe unprepared to accept his presence. (Link 4)

RUSSIA

On 15 November 2002, RFE/RL reported that, "Russia is finally beginning to turn against its long-time ally Lukashenka, and that this could spell the end of Lukashenka and the start of democracy."

Hans-Georg Wieck was head of the OSCE monitoring and advisory mission in Minsk before it was shut down is not as optimistic as others. In his opinion, Moscow still has clear designs on Minsk, "We should have no illusions that for the prevailing mood in Moscow, Belarus is a Russian province," he said.

RFE/RL went on to report that "Vincuk Vyachorka, the leader of the Belarusian National Front opposition party, said the most Belarus could hope for from Russia is for it to withdraw its support for Lukashenka and not to compromise Minsk's sovereignty.

"To that end, Viachorka and others urged the U.S. to use its leverage with Russia to effect change in Belarus. Viachorka also expressed hope the U.S. Congress would pass the Belarus Act, a bill under consideration in both houses that proposes further isolating Minsk and giving robust economic assistance to the opposition in a bid to bring down Lukashenka.

"The bill has yet to come up for vote and appears to be a low priority, although further revelations about arms sales to Iraq would do a lot to bring Lukashenka to the attention of U.S. lawmakers. Senator McCain, a top Republican presidential candidate in 2000, said he is hopeful the new Congress will pass the bill sometime next year.

"With the U.S. and Russia allied in the war on terror, McCain added that he hopes Putin will realize that Moscow's backing of Minsk is a stain on his reputation in the West. He said it is clear that without Russian support, 'there would be no Lukashenka.'" (Link 5)

- Elizabeth Kendal


Links

1) KESTON NEWS SERVICE, 8 October 2002
BELARUS: Pressure Mounts on President to Vet Repressive Religion Law.

2) KESTON NEWS SERVICE, 14 November 2002.
"BELARUS: Repressive Religion Law Enters Force on Saturday."

3) The Associated Press
"Belarus President Denied Entry Visa"
Friday, November 15, 2002; 10:38 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58773-2002Nov15.html

4) The International Herald Tribune
"Prague bars Belarus President" by Susan B. Glasser
Saturday, November 16, 2002
http://www.iht.com/articles/77181.html (recommended reading)

5) RFE/RL "Belarus: Conference In Washington Urges 'Regime Change'
In Minsk" By Jeffrey Donovan 15 November 2002
http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2002/11/15112002183853.asp

NATO summit - http://www.natosummit.cz/en/

Belarus: new religion law drafted

Date: Monday 23 September 2002
Subj: Belarus: Advocating for religious freedom.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty E-mail Conference
From: Elizabeth Kendal, Conference Moderator


The government of Belarus is presently considering introducing a highly restrictive religion law that would drive Belarus back into Soviet era oppression, crippling the numerous small Protestant evangelical and non-traditional groups that have revived, or come into Belarus, since Perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

BELARUS RELIGION BILL

If adopted as drafted, the new religion law will outlaw unregistered religious activity and only those religious communities that consist of more than 20 Belarusian citizens will be able to gain registration. This will threaten smaller groups and make the founding of new communities impossible. Also, the leader of any religious organisation will have to be a Belarus citizen. This is highly discriminatory and will cause serious difficulties for many religious groups after so many years of Communist oppression.

If the law is passed religious meetings will not be permitted to take place regularly in private homes and all religious literature will be subjected to State censorship.

If the law is passed, a denomination seeking registration as a legal entity will have to have at least 10 separate registered groups, of which one must have existed in 1982 - at the height of the Soviet oppression. Julia Doxat-Purser, Socio-Political Representative and Religious Liberty Coordinator of the European Evangelical Alliance, notes, "This means that many Protestant Churches and other faiths cannot and can never become associations. Only religious associations can train clergy, invite foreigners to come and be staff, establish missions and schools or run mass media (Articles 27 - 29). Denying faith communities the right to train leaders or have foreign staff would make continuing existence impossible."

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

There had been great secrecy around the proposed religion law and most people were completely unaware of its contents until it was brought before parliament for discussion. The lower house of parliament voted to have the reading of religion law postponed, but this was overthrown and the law was hastily passed in the lower house on 27 June. However, on 28 June, the final day of the spring session, the upper house voted to postpone the reading until after the summer recess, citing lack of time get acquainted with the text. The reading in the upper house will now take place on 2 October, the first day of the next parliamentary session.

The postponement has given churches and human rights lawyers in Belarus a window of opportunity to raise awareness of the issues and to advocate for religious freedom. Many analysts believe the law is part of a wider political policy of supporting the Orthodox Church (who are in full favour of the bill) in an effort to strengthen Slavic identity / nationalism and unity. This fails to acknowledge the immense social contribution and positive influence the Protestant Church has made to all spheres of life in Belarus ever since the fifteen century.

Julia Doxat-Purser reports, "The Baptist, Pentecostal, Full Gospel and Adventist Churches are united as they stand together to talk to politicians. They are working closely with human rights lawyers. They are helping to organise a conference on the proposed law for 30 September."

Church Representatives were also able to distribute information about the religious situation in Belarus at the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) conference in Warsaw, held from 9-19 September 2002.