ECLJ Pleased European Parliament OK's Resolution on Religious Freedom in Belarus

June 21, 2011

3 min read

(Brussels, Belgium) The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) said today it is pleased that the European Parliament has approved a resolution supporting religious freedom in Belarus. The approval of the resolution follows a petition submitted by the ECLJ along with Belarusian political opposition leader Alaksandr Milinkevich and Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Co-chairman Pavel Seviarynets urging action by the Parliament.

ECLJ representative Gregor Puppinck said the resolution is an important step forward in protecting the rights of Christians in Belarus.

Last May, ECLJ representatives met with European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettreing, as well as other top EU officials, expressing support for a measure protecting religious freedom.

The resolution calls on the Belarusian Government to respect human rights and democracy, and to respect freedom of religion. The resolution also "condemns the fact that European citizens, including priests, are being repeatedly expelled from Belarus, which is contrary to the confidence-building process with the EU."

You can read the resolution here.

The ECLJ drafted and coordinated a legal petition joined by several leaders of opposition political parties, human rights organizations and the Sacharov Prize winning Belarusian Association of Independent Journalists, coupled with more than 50,000 Belarusian signatures, and presented it in a meeting between petition representatives and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettreing, as well as other top EU officials.

The petition was welcomed enthusiastically by the European Parliament in formal events including a press conference in May 2008. Further, the ECLJ, along with Dr. Milinkevich and Mr. Seviarynets, briefed the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Belarus about the ongoing religious freedoms violations plaguing Belarus. During the briefing, ECLJ noted the strong similarities between the current political opposition in Belarus, which has strong Christian roots, to the Christian based movements which helped bring an end to Communism in Eastern Europe in 1989.

Currently in Belarus, it is a crime for private prayer to occur between two or more people without a permit, which would include among family. Furthermore, it is becoming commonplace that religious leaders and average church goers face harassment and even prison sentences for taking place in Christian activities such as Bible studies which would be commonplace in most any other part of the world. Belarus also has legally banned foreign missionary and religious charitable organizations from the country.

The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) is an international law firm focusing on the protection of human rights and religious freedom in Europe and worldwide. The ECLJ is affiliated with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) which focuses on protecting religious freedom in the United States. Attorneys for the ECLJ have served as counsel in numerous cases before the European Court of Human Rights. Additionally, the ECLJ has special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations, and is accredited to the European Parliament.