EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 70/14

(2004/C 70 E/014)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3553/02

by Marco Cappato (NI) to the Commission

(12 December 2002)

Subject: Serious violations of religious freedom in Belarus

The Belarus Parliament recently approved a new law on religion which bans any form of activity on the part of religious organisations which have not been registered by the State, introduces censorship on religious literature and considers acts of worship held in private houses to be illegal.

These new provisions are added to an adverse legislative and political background of serious restrictions on freedom of worship for non-Orthodox citizens:

(a) the Belarus authorities' refusal to register a number of religious organisations (protestant organisations, the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, oriental religious movements and four reformed Jewish communities) constitutes de facto discrimination in favour of the Russian Orthodox Church;

(b) the implementation of a decree issued by the Council of Ministers in 1995 restricting the activities of religious operators, in a attempt to protect the Russian Orthodox Church and inhibit the growth of evangelical religions;

(c) the introduction of rules governing the entry into the country of foreign clerics on the basis of which representatives of foreign religious organisations may be invited only by agreement with the State Committee for Religious and National Affairs, whose decision is final.

What diplomatic, political and economic pressure does the Commission intend to exert on the Belarus Government in order to induce it to ensure that freedom of religion, freedom of worship and freedom to change religion and express religious feeling in a form of worship are recognised as rights for the citizens of that country?

Does the Commission not consider that it should immediately review the effectiveness of its projects in the context of TACIS and assess the possibility of closing the TACIS office in Belarus for as long these serious violations of democratic rights persist in the country?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 January 2003)

The Commission shares the concern over the recently adopted Belarusian Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations. The effects of this law amount to a serious violation of religious freedom. The Union expressed its concern before the law was signed by President Lukashenko, by means of a joint demarche of Union Heads of Mission to the Belarusian authorities (Deputy Foreign Minister Sychov) in October 2002. The Union also issued a statement in the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 10 October 2002 urging President Lukashenko not to sign the draft law.

It was a matter of deep regret to the Union that the draft was signed into law on 31 October 2002, and a further statement was issued by the Union in the Permanent Council of the OSCE on 14 November 2002 urging the Belarusian authorities to reconsider this legislation, and inviting the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG), currently located in Vienna, to monitor the implementation of the law closely and to report to the Permanent Council. The Union is ready to raise specific cases of violations in Belarus of OSCE commitments to freedom of conscience and religious belief.

The Union remains seriously concerned at the general lack of progress in democratic reform and the growing deterioration of individual freedoms and rights of expression in Belarus; and in the light of the effective closure of the OSCE's AMG in Minsk at the end of 14 October 2002, Member States have decided, at the November General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC), to refuse to issue visas for President Lukashenko, the Head of the Presidential Administration, the Prime Minister and four government ministers as well as the Chairman of the Committee of State Security.

The Union maintains that links with and assistance for actors in civil society in Belarus should continue and EUR 5 million is allocated under the 2002-2003 TACIS Action Programme for this purpose. In addition, in the context of Union-OSCE co-operation, we will soon begin on a two-year programme to support democratic forces and civil society. The Commission will keep the effectiveness of its projects under review, but, in view of this ongoing financial assistance, the Commission does not believe that it would be a prudent response to the new law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations to close the TACIS office in Minsk.