News from Lepel, Belarus

Urgent Report from Belorussia
June 9, 2002

Our Brothers and Sisters in the Brest Region are experiencing great difficulties during evangelization work in the city of Lepel, Vitebsk Oblast. For witnessing to people about the Lord (without tents and under the sky), they have been repeatedly brought to Police Headquarters. This action has not been taken without the knowledge of the District Executive Committee of Vitebsk Oblast. The Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Vera I. Zakrevskaya, declared that she will not allow any outdoor preaching, even if such activities had been previously authorized.

On June 8, 2002, an administrative court took place for the eleven members of the evangelization group. All members were charged under Article 107.1 of the Administrative Code. All charges stated in the were the same for everyone–singing religious songs. The only witnesses at the court were workers of the Police Department and members of the Criminal Investigation Department. Because Brothers V.S. Burshtina and U.P. Fedoruka were charged with false reports and at the same time (the judge explained four telegrams came interceding for our brothers, the court acquitted them. But Brothers Korolyev, P.S. Burshtina and A.V. Burshtina were each fined 200,000 Belorussian rubles. Sisters E.I. Mikityuk, O.V. Rabchuk, N.G. Demidova, N.M. Baranova, M.N. Sich, and E.V. Krivonoshko were warned by the court not to do this again.

Members of the evangelization group are asking to pray for them and to intercede for the cancellation of the decision of the court.

 

This is from the Department of Intercession of the Council of Evangelical Christian-Baptist Churchs, Moscow. These are the formerly underground Believers.