MINSK, Belarus — Catholics, Protestants and some Orthodox Christians in Belarus have joined together to launch a nationwide campaign to gather signatures calling for a change in the country’s restrictive religion law, Forum 18 News Service said May 16. The organizers stated "the law violates the rights of all people, even atheists."
Petitions to change the law require at least 50,000 signatures to be considered by the Constitutional Court. As of May 16, more than 10,000 Belarusian citizens had signed the petition, challenging state violations of freedom of thought, conscience and belief.
The campaign organizers affirm that the rights to life, free speech and freedom of belief are inalienable, stating "because we have them from birth, they are given to us by God and not the government. Since the government does not give us these rights, they have no right to take them away."
After one Minsk-based Orthodox priest joined the campaign, the Belarusian Orthodox Church issued a statement rejecting all connection with the petition and calling on Orthodox Christians not to take part.
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