MINSK, Belarus — Four major Protestant churches in Belarus appealed March 16 to the ex-Soviet republic’s constitutional court to repeal a law that stifles religious freedom and forbids them from worshiping in private homes.
“The law has limited citizens’ religious rights, it has set obstacles to activities of legally registered organizations and it imposed restrictions on religious freedoms,” a statement from the churches said. The four churches have also demanded an end to the alleged harassment of Protestants “simply because they study the Bible at home with their friends.”
The law, passed in 2002, forbids religious groups from conducting religious services outside of churches and prohibits religions that have been represented in Belarus for less than 20 years from publishing literature or setting up missions.
The law appeared to be an attempt to end the inroads minority religions, especially evangelical Protestants, have made in Belarus — even though opinion polls indicate that 80 percent of the population consider themselves Orthodox.
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