Religious freedom lawyer jailed in Belarus

Religious freedom lawyer jailed in Belarus

MINSK, Belarus — Following Baptist pastor Georgi Vyazovsky’s completion of a 10-day jail term, religious freedom lawyer Sergei Shavtsov has been jailed. Shavtsov organized a Christian business leaders seminar, after being denied official permission, and was detained after police raided the seminar. His wife, Dina Shavtsova, said, “Why shouldn’t they hold a seminar? All it was about was a biblical view of history.” Shavtsova said that her husband’s sentence — although on identical charges — is not directly connected with Vyazovsky’s. “But the authorities are punishing the same kind of activity — unapproved religious events.”

Vitali Misevets, head of the Frunze district ideology department, said, “It’s not absurd to deny permission for such a meeting. How do we know what 35 people were going to be discussing?”