Baptist gets steep fine for religious activities

USHACHI, Belarus — Belarus has imposed a fine of more than two months’ average wages on a Baptist who “organized choir singing and conducted conversations on religious topics” outside Ushachi public market. After a plainclothes policeman told a group of Baptists from outside the area to stop, Vladimir Burshtyn replied that they were not disturbing public order and cited religious freedom guarantees in the Belarus Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The fine is probably the highest yet imposed on Baptists for unregistered religious activity. Higher fines have been imposed on members of other communities.

In a separate incident, a Baptist congregation’s worship in Osipovichi was interrupted by officials, and the congregation’s deacon was fined about two weeks’ average wages for leading an unregistered religious community.