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PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus
on U.S. Department of State Report on Religious Freedom for 2005
Washington,
D.C.
May
12,
2006
The Belarusian side has carefully examined
the Belarus section of U.S. State Department’s Report on International
Religious Freedom for 2005.
Once more, it is necessary to ascertain
that general attitude of the Belarus section persists to be biased and
far-fetched. The document is based on data obtained by the American side
from inauthentic sources, on inappropriate statements, as well as on
outdated information about facts, part of which has already been acted upon.
Certain provisions of the report are to a great extend a replica of the last
year documents and have already been extensively commented by the Belarusian
side.
U.S. estimations of the current
legislation of the Belarus on freedom of conscience, faith and religious
organizations, which is in conformity with generally accepted international
standards in the field, and which secures prevalent centuries old traditions
of the religious life in our country, are as usual drawn out of the context
of the law-enforcement practice. The opinion of the leaders of the main
confessions registered in Belarus about the facts affecting their
interests, cited in the report, has not been taken into consideration
while drafting the report either.
Notwithstanding the open and constructive
approach of the Belarusian authorities to cooperation with the American side
in order to clearly and adequately present the situation in our country on
the right of every person to freedom of faith, the Department of State
continues to rely on the official information of the state bodies of Belarus
to a very limited degree. It appears that official U.S. authorities
advisedly avoid to highlight positive developments that have evolved in
our country in the religious freedom sphere and that had been timely brought
to the attention of the American side, hide them from the knowledge of the
American public.
We would like to bring to the attention of
the Department of State that the state policy of Belarus in the sphere of
state-church, inter confessional and interethnic relations is based on the
principles of guarding the constitutional rights of citizens. Article 16
of the Constitution of Belarus stipulates for the equality of religions and
of faiths before the law. Interaction of the state and of religious
organizations is regulated by law in accordance with their influence on
spiritual, cultural and state traditions of the Belarusian people. At that
the state facilitates tolerance and respect among religious and
non-religious citizens, among religious organizations of various creeds.
Belarus does not only proclaim but
actually creates all the conditions to secure the right of every person,
which is part of the country’s Constitution and international law “to
independently 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 Department of State report
wrongfully depicts the interaction of the authorities of Belarus with
various confessions and religious organizations.
In Belarus, in contrast to some other
Central and East European states, a peaceful and calm ethno-confessional
situation is prevailing. There are no massive evidences of intolerance on
national, racial or religious basis. Positive tendencies in the interaction
of the Belarusian state with officially registered in the country religious
organizations are observed.
The Belarusian state renders all
possible assistance to all the confessions and religions in solving their
problems without any exception.
The leadership of the Committee on Religions and Nationalities (the
Committee) is regularly meeting with leaders of the religious organizations
that are active in Belarus on national and local levels. Currently, the
Agreement on cooperation between the State and the Belarusian Orthodox
church is being put into practice. In order to implement the document,
signed in 2003, 13 ministries and Government bodies have developed their own
programs of interaction with the Belarusian Exarchate. There is a
constructive dialogue going on between the state and other confessions that
are traditional for our region.
In February 2006, a Consultative
Council attached to the Committee was created. It is comprised of the
leaders of 26 national-cultural non-governmental organizations, which have
been created by diasporas living in Belarus and practicing a wide spectrum
of religions and faiths. The representatives of the organizations are
citizens, trustworthy and respected both in Belarus and in the world and who
are making a significant contribution into preserving and developing
historic and cultural heritage and traditions of both their peoples and
Belarusians.
We hope that the American side, which
declares its intention to obtain objective assessment of processes going on
in Belarus will tale into account the opinion of this authoritative public
body.
Adoption of Presidential Decree on
exemption of religious organizations from land tax and real property tax
was particularly
relevant for religious organizations. In spite of assertions made by US on
allegedly privileged status of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, the
provisions of this legal document cover all religious organizations
registered in Belarus.
It has to be noted that the position of
all historically traditional confessions, including the Belarusian Orthodox
Church, on the necessity to apply this benefit to all religious
organizations registered in Belarus was taken into account.
Tax exemption of religious organizations
created the most favorable conditions not only for strengthening of their
material basis and construction of religious buildings, but also for their
activities and further development.
Therefore, traditional reproach in the
U.S. report that the authorities restrict freedom of religion
is false. Arguments of the Belarusian side were outlined in the
commentary on the report for 2004. The commentary referred to positive
assessment by the leadership of the Union of Evangelical Christians, uniting
over half of protestant organizations in Belarus, as well as by the Greek
Catholic Church authorities’ action during national re-registration of
religious organizations.
Concerns of the American side about the
use of dwelling houses by religious organizations are not valid.
This matter was covered by the Belarusian side in the commentary on the
previous Department of State report for 2004. It can be added that during
national re-registration 536 religious organizations were registered in
one-apartment blocked houses and other premises in accordance with the
current legislation. At that, local executive and administrative bodies
allowed to have there public worship, including for 24 communities in the
City of Minsk, 121 – in Brest region, 109 – in Minsk region, 71 – in Grodno
region. 58 registered communities, including Evangelical Christian, were
allowed to have legal address in dwelling houses and other premises not
designated for religious use in 2005.
As in previous years, the Department of
State report for 2005 negatively assesses the Agreement on cooperation
between the State and Belarusian Orthodox Church.
Such assessment is coming from the
American side only. Over the last year, Belarusian authorities did not
receive any appeals with negative comments, either from registered
confessions and religions, or from Belarusian believers. Moreover, leaders
of religious associations positively evaluate the cooperation of the state
with religious organizations on all levels and express appreciation for
participation in settling their problems.
It is worth mentioning that the
cooperation of the State with religious organizations on the basis of
agreements (treaties) exists “de facto” and “de jure” in many countries of
the world, including EU member states.
The Law on freedom of religion and
religious organizations is again criticized by the Department of State.
At that, there are no arguments supported by provisions of international
legal instruments in the field of freedom of conscience and religion. The
opinion of the American side is based exclusively on its biased approach.
The Belarusian side reminds that it
expressed its position on U.S. assessment of specific provisions of the said
Law in its commentaries on reports for 2003 and 2004. The necessary
information was also provided to the American side as part of assistance in
preparing the Department of State report for 2005, but these materials were
again ignored in the final document.
The procedure of inviting to Belarus
foreign priests and other representatives of religious organizations,
including for charitable activity, is presented in distorted way.
In this connection it should be
noted that the Committee on Religions and Nationalities considered 682 such
requests. The procedure of issuing visas was not criticized by religious
organizations.
Information in the report for 2005 about
restriction, on the part of the authorities, of a number of foreign priests
invited by the Grodno diocese of the Roman Catholic Church is not true. As
of January 1, 2006, 69 priests out of 184 in the mentioned religious
organization are foreign nationals. Besides, other 32 foreign priests are
employed in charitable mission “Caritas”, working in the territory of the
diocese. In 2005, the Grodno diocese invited 104 foreign priests.
False is the statement of the USA about
the impossibility for the Greek Catholic Church to set up a printing body,
establish an abbey or invite foreign citizens to take part in the religious
activity. In reality,
the Greek Catholic Church publishes the magazine “Tzarkva”, the duties of
the Apostle visitator for the believers of this confession fulfils
Archimandrite Sergey Ghaek, citizen of Poland.
Not true either is the concern of the
U.S. Department of State about administrative charges against the
representatives of Krishna communities for spreading religious literature.
According to the information of the interior affairs authorities, in 2005
the followers of Krishna were not charged with administrative issues.
Moreover, the American side supports
the violators of the Belarusian law who deliberately commit offences and
transfer property disputes to the political sphere.
There is an impression that the Department
of State consciously ignores the fact that the Belarusian state provides all
possible assistance to all the confessions and religious trends in solving
their problems.
The information given in the 2005
report that in 2005 in Belarus there was no restitution of the religious
property does not correspond the reality.
The majority of former cult buildings
(more than 1100) have already been passed to the religious organizations in
the 1990s, many of the organizations have been provided assistance in the
restoration. In close cooperation with the interested structures the State
continues this process today as well. For example, in 2005 Belarusian
Orthodox Church received 5 former cult objects, and a big complex of
buildings of the former Brigitt cloister in the city of Grodno (total 14
buildings and 4 constructions) was returned to the Roman-Catholic bishopric
of Grodno region. President Alexander Lukashenko took a decision to pass to
the believers the building of the former Roman Catholic Church of Saint Roch
in Minsk.
There is no ground to speak about
spreading anti-semitism and oppressions of Jews in Belarus.
The pretensions regarding the
reconstruction of the sports complex “Neman” in the city of Grodno have a
one-sided and biased character, without taking into consideration numerous
comments of the Belarusian side.
All the reconstruction activities around
the sports complex “Neman” are being conducted in the framework of the
Protocol of the meeting of the Jewish community of Grodno with the
representatives of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee and the Committee
on Religions and Nationalities as of April 7, 2005, as well as other
agreements between the local authorities and the international association
“Atra Kadisha”. Also, at the proposal of the Jewish organizations in
accordance with the Belarusian law, a memorial sign will be erected on the
place of the former Jewish cemetery.
In 2005, as in the previous years, the
authorities considered the requests and wishes of the Jewish social and
religious organizations, and there were no complaints from them on this
issue.
The struggle with sporadic cases of
vandalism, which, unfortunately, as the life shows, much sooner take place
in the countries of Western Europe and the USA is always in the focus of
attention of the Belarusian government. Absolutely all the facts of
vandalism have been investigated and adequately reacted to.
The conclusion of the American side
about oppressions of some religious groups and separate believers by the
Belarus’ government does not find confirmation.
The measures of law enforcement regarding representatives of religious
associations are taken only because of definite violations of the law and do
not pursue the goal of limiting religious freedoms. Nobody is allowed to
break the national law and involve the minors into non-registered religious
organizations without permission of their parents. It constitutes not only
violation of the Belarusian law, but also violation of the norms of the
international law in the sphere of protection of human rights and the rights
of the child, in particular, the International Pact on Civil and Political
Rights, Declaration on Liquidation of All Forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination on the Basis of Religion or Belief, Convention on the Rights
of the Child.
The Belarusian side had already given the
irrefragable comments on the mentioned episodes, but the Department of State
ignored the Belarus’ arguments once again. We can suppose that it is done on
purpose. Meanwhile, the authorities of any self-respecting country act in
the similar way, defending their citizens from the unlawful interference of
the religious organizations into their private life.
Although the report of the Department of
State for 2005 contains some positive estimates, they do not reflect all the
positive tendencies which took place in Belarus in 2004-2005 in the sphere
of religious freedom.
Belarus expresses hope that when preparing
the report for 2006 the U.S. Department of State will not manipulate facts
and ignore information from Belarus’ government agencies and bodies on the
condition of securing citizens’ rights for freedom of conscience and
religion, as well as opinions of the leaders of the greatest religious
confessions of Belarus.
The authorities of Belarus address the American side with a
proposal to describe the situation in the sphere of religious freedom and
anti-semitism in the USA when making the next report and include the
corresponding chapter into the report. It would be a real expression of the
adherence of the USA to the democratic values, which are being so widely
declared by the administration of President Bush.
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