Government officials in Belarus are prohibiting three Protestant communities from having church services in Grodno region, northwestern Belarus.
According to Forum 18 News,”On August 3, in the small town of Svisloch, a planned open-air baptism has been banned, despite the attempts of Pentecostals to negotiate with the authorities. They just don’t want to allow it.”
This is the latest incident of Christian persecution in Belarus. Forum 18 News added that in the town of Mosty, a Pentecostal pastor was fined nine months’ wages for leading a small unregistered church. Forum 18 News said, “The court verdict notes as evidence of wrongdoing that ‘at meetings they read the gospel, discussed questions of religious faith, sang songs and conducted religious rites.’”
In another incident in Grodno region, Forum 18 News reported that Baptist Pastor Yuri Kravchuk was summoned by a senior religious affairs official who told him that his leadership of a worship service in a private home was a violation of the administrative code. He is awaiting prosecution.
Pastors all over the world are being arrested and imprisoned just for preaching the word of God. The Voice of the Martyrs actively supports and assists pastors who are harassed because of their willingness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christians in Belarus told Forum 18 News the government’s interference in their worship contradicted Article 31 of Belarus’ Constitution. Belarus’ Constitution states,”Everyone shall have the right independently to determine one’s attitude towards religion, to profess any religion individually or jointly with others, or to profess none at all, to express and spread beliefs connected with one’s attitude towards religion and to participate in the performance of acts of worship and religious rituals and rites, which are not prohibited by the law.”
The Voice of the Martyrs encourages you to pray for believers in Belarus who are facing increased persecution. Pray the false charges against believers will be dropped and the government will obey rights protected under the Belarus Constitution.