# CE2004088EN.01038302.xml

| 8.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 88/383 |
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8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 88/383

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(2004/C 88 E/0390)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2139/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(26 June 2003)

Subject:   Violation of religious freedom and legal restrictions on the exercising of religious activity in Belarus

Subject:

Mikhail Balyk, a Pentecostal evangelist, is refusing to pay a fine for conducting religious ceremonies of an unregistered religion, an activity that constitutes a crime under Belarusian law.

Balyk emphasises the fact that the state authorities have committed a number of procedural violations in drawing up the protocol against him: he was not in fact approached at the time of the illegal activity of which he is accused, and thus the authorities have no proof that he created or led an unregistered religious organisation.

Balyk and his lawyer, Nina Shavtsova, claim that the current legislation creates a vicious circle.

According to the new, more restrictive law on religion, which came into force last November:

| (a) | an organisation can be registered and function legally only when it is made up of at least 20 members; however, according to the administrative code, a religious organisation cannot conduct religious activity without being registered; |
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(a)

an organisation can be registered and function legally only when it is made up of at least 20 members; however, according to the administrative code, a religious organisation cannot conduct religious activity without being registered;

| (b) | only large national religious organisations, or those made up of a minimum of ten communities in at least four of the country's six regions, have the right to found monasteries, convents or other educational institutions for the exercise of religious activity. |
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(b)

only large national religious organisations, or those made up of a minimum of ten communities in at least four of the country's six regions, have the right to found monasteries, convents or other educational institutions for the exercise of religious activity.

New organisations must be registered and those already in existence have until 16 November 2004 to conform to the guidelines required by the new law and thereby be able to continue operating.

According to Article 19 of the new law, monasteries, convents and other monastic institutions must be made up of a minimum of ten participants, while educational institutions must have qualified bilingual (Russian and Belarusian) teachers.

At the current time very few Belarusian organisations are in a position to meet the law's requirements and thus be able to continue to conduct religious activity.

In view of the excellent relations that exist between the EU and Belarus in terms of economic and trade cooperation, can the Commission state:

| — | whether it is aware of these facts; and |
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whether it is aware of these facts; and

| — | what initiatives, within the limits of the cooperation relationship, could constitute a serious and effective instrument to make Belarus respect freedom of religion? |
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what initiatives, within the limits of the cooperation relationship, could constitute a serious and effective instrument to make Belarus respect freedom of religion?

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