Discussing violation of freedom of religion in Belarus forbidden?
- 16.10.2009, 9:52
Organizers of the round table discussion on religion legislation were denied leasing of premises.
BelaPAN learnt this from chairman of the educational association “Center of Legal Transformations” Alena Tankachova.
According to her, the center and representatives of the civil initiative “For Free Confession” planned to organize the possible amendments to the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations. The round tabled discussion of this theme was scheduled for October 27.
As Tankachova noted, the discussion may be wrecked, as the organizers were denied leasing of premises. On October 6, they received refusals from the business center of Minsk hotel Crowne Plaza, on October 12 – from the Minsk International Education Center. The latter explained the reason by a “position of one of the founders”, the Minsk city executive committee.
Tankachova is going to continue looking for premises, though she says there are “not many place to hold such an event in Minsk”.
Historian and publicist Yakov Basin told in an interview to BelaPAN that the initiative “For Free Confession” prepared analysis of enforcement of the Law Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations for the last even years. According to him, the refusal of the International Education Center was a surprise, because the theme of church and society is among the priorities of the center. Besides, he reminded that the Center was founded with the help of the evangelical church of North Rhine-Westphalia and named after German Federal president Johannes Rau, whose name is associated with humanitarian, socially-oriented and cross-border policy with the roots in Christianity.
As Basin supposes, denial of premises leasing demonstrates that “the authorities are still afraid of an open dialogue with society on painful issues and try to avoid a public response, though they know they are wrong.”
Human rights activists Dzina Shautsova told in an interview to BelaPAN that as the Constitution guarantees every person freedom of opinion on any issue of public life, discussion of religion legislation would be continued.
