U.S. pastor pleads guilty in Russia

Pastor Thomas Kang takes a plea deal in Russia, now free.

Russia (MNN) ― American Pastor Thomas Kang felt compelled to plead guilty to charges in court just outside of Moscow.

On Tuesday, April 2, a hearing was held on the case of Pastor Kang. He and his lawyer decided to plead guilty in order to soften the punishment for the crime.

Wade Kusack, Russian Ministries Project Manager for Religious Freedom Issues in Eurasia, says, "He agreed to plead guilty and received six months in prison and 90,000 rubles, or $3,000, in penalties." Following that, Pastor Kang was released because he had already served seven months in jail.

Kusack says Pastor Kang didn't have a choice. "He accepted the offer from the prosecutor [to] plead guilty and be free. He was separated from his family for almost seven months. It was almost impossible for him to prove the truth." (Click here for more details.)
Kusack says, "We believe that the case was fabricated by the local authorities, that the pastor gave a 'bribe' under pressure from the police officer and had been abetted by his assistant. He believes this was a test by authorities to put pressure on religious minorities. I am afraid they will practice such a situation in the future on other minorities in the future.

The following is the statement by the Russian Guild of Experts on Religion and Law:

Increasingly in Russia, prosecutorial agencies take action against the faithful, against Christian missionaries, and these actions are not, formally, prosecution initiated on the basis of their religious beliefs. Essentially, representatives of various faiths are provoked, and said provocations result in criminal, or other action.

Kusack says, "In this regard, the Guild of Experts on Religion and Law calls on the Investigative Committee of Russia, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, and the general public to take note of the case of the Protestant Pastor Thomas Kang, a U.S. citizen, who, as a result of obvious provocation, is under investigation for bribery."

The case isn't completely over. Kusack says authorities took personal belongings from him. "There are many things that just disappeared from his apartment: jewelry, 28,000 rubles, and more things. The lawyer has initiated a case against the police officers who searched his apartment."

Kusack also says Pastor Kang will have another issue facing him. "There's a good chance that Pastor will be deported from Russia because of his so-called 'criminal' past. I don't know what will happen."

Actions such as this, which are clearly targeted at believers who are persona non grata (an unwelcome persons), as well as at active preachers who are unable to defend themselves, will inflict damage on Russia's international reputation as a Christian country. Kusack says, "What transpired with Pastor Kang is a case of blatant persecution on the basis of religion, aided by criminal provocation. There is no doubt that the actions against Pastor Kang were taken with the aim of stamping out the Christian community which he created, and developing a means of expelling him from Russia."

Kusack continues, "We hope that, both within Russia and abroad, the public will respond vigorously to such blatant violations of the rights of believers to religious freedom and freedom to practice their beliefs, which are more and more frequently being threatened under various pretexts on the territory of Russia."

U.S. pastor in jail in Russia

Pastor Kang (a U.S. Citizen) has been
 jailed in Russia since September.

Russia (MNN) ― Russian Ministries is advocating for the release of U.S. citizen Pastor Thomas Kang. Russian Ministries Project Manager for Religious Freedom Issues in Eurasia Wade Kusack says Pastor Kang "has been held for more than five months already in custody on an attempted bribery charge. The bribe was a $30 donation he provided in conjunction with a fine he willfully paid."

On September 28, 2012, Pastor Kang and his assistant, Ekaterina, answered a summons from the Office of the Federal Migration Service regarding a builder working on Kang's house, an Uzbek whose work visa had recently expired. While there, Pastor Kang was accused of unspecified illegal actions himself and threatened with punishments not in accordance with the law.

After hours of meaningless questioning, it became clear to Pastor Kang from San Diego, CA that they were simply trying to extort a bribe--an all-too-common practice. He declared his intention to leave, paid the fine for employing the Uzbek worker, and added a 1,000 ruble bill ($30 USD) "open giving of thanks" to help the police in their work.

Immediately, the officer he was speaking to called in other officers who were waiting outside and arrested Pastor Kang on a charge of attempted bribery.

Ekaterina, who is in fragile health, was detained overnight without food or water while they continued to question her about vague accusations of wrongdoing. She was released the next day, but Pastor Kang was sent to a detention center.

Kusack says it's suspicious that this questioning and arrest came the day before Pastor Kang--a well-respected member of the community and former military chaplain--was due to open "House of Joy." He says the house was for "low income families, for military families to spend vacations, and for religious groups to hold church retreats. [On] the same day that this house was to officially open, he was arrested and has now been in prison five months waiting for his trial."

The ironic thing? Kuzack says, "A court paper stated that they cannot release him even before trial because of the severity of his crime."

Kusack, along with two of Pastor Kang's children, are in Washington, D.C. to advocate on Pastor Kang's behalf. Says Kusack, "We visited the Russian Embassy, the U.S. Department of State; we're going to participate in a congressional briefing on this issue, and we're going to meet specialists from the Helsinki Committee."

In the meantime, U.S. Embassy officials are committing to attend his court hearings and any other proceedings, while trying to secure his release.

Beverly Chan is Pastor Kang's daughter. "It's a hard thing to deal with, and sometimes I feel a little hopeless or helpless. But I'm reminded that God will provide us with strength, and....we need to have compassion with the people who are keeping him there."

Kusak says this is another example of more loss of religious freedom in Russia. "We can observe increased persecution of all minorities, especially of protestant churches in Russia. And unfortunately this case is just one more example of local police and local authorities that can do anything they want against protestant minorities. They just go unpunished."

More than four months have passed, and investigators still have not produced the legally mandated report of the search to Pastor Kang. He is still being held at the detention center. Russian Ministries is committed to raising awareness about Pastor Kang's plight and advocating for his release.

Pray that God would keep opening doors for missionary pastors in Chechnya

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Chechnya (MNN) ― Jihad rages on in the North Caucasus, but it suffered some major losses in recent days.

Some reports say bombings and attacks from Islamic radicals are a weekly occurrence in the political region consisting of Chechnya, Dagestan, North Ossetia, and six other former Soviet Union nations. As a result, Christian work must be done discreetly.

"They're very much Islamic terrorists, and that can certainly make things very dangerous for Christians that are there," says Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association.

Earlier this week, Russia announced Gusen Magomedov--the last surviving militant involved in Moscow's 2010 twin suicide bombings--had been killed by forces patrolling a forest hideout in the North Caucasus.

In March 2010, Magomedov had been seen escorting one of the suicide bombers to her destination: a busy Moscow underground where twin bombings claimed more than 40 lives. The attacks were orchestrated by Chechen Islamist rebel Doku Umarov.

At the end of January, Russian forces killed at least 11 Islamic militants in Chechnya. Among the dead were two senior jihadists commanders, Khusein and Muslim Gakayev. The brothers were among Russia's "most wanted" men for their active involvement in terrorist activities.

Despite the deaths of these key militant leaders, Griffith says Chechen believers aren't in the clear yet. Pray that the Chechen government would take its foot off of the Church as it gains victories over Islamic terrorists.

Pray "that they would lessen the controls that are on evangelical Christians there to allow them more freedom to minister and operate," requests Griffith.

Pray also for open doors to share the Good News of Jesus with jihadists.

"Yes they're terrorists, yes they're out to committing a lot of violence and atrocities, but they're still human beings in need of the Gospel," says Griffith.

SGA supports missionary pastors who live in neighboring countries and visit Chechnya to encourage believers there. You can help their work by clicking here.

"When they go into Chechnya and some of these other heavily-Islamic regions of the Caucasus Mountains, they do so in a very low-key way, and we don't publicize when and where and what they're doing," Griffith explains.

"We know that God is at work changing hearts and lives, so we just need to remember them in prayer, that they would find more opportunities and that the people would come to saving faith there."

Religious freedom policies forthcoming following briefing

President of Russian Ministries
Sergey Rakhuba addresses briefing in Washington, D.C..

USA (MNN) ― Christians from all over the former Soviet Union were in Washington, D.C. Wednesday for a briefing on Religious Freedom issues in that part of the world. It was hosted by Russian Ministries and their partnering organizations.

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says 90 people attended: more than anticipated. "It shows that a lot more people--many different leaders, even people from the State Departmen--are very much interested in discussing the issue of religious freedom in the former Soviet Union."

Some of the leading evangelical Christians in the region made presentations. "We brought some experts from Russia and Belarus, and we read some reports from Uzbekistan about all the freedoms that have been stripped from people there," says Rakhuba.

It's like going back to the days of the cold war, he says. "Evangelical churches are not allowed to do anything outside of their homes, even inside their homes. If they gather together for prayer meetings they are punished and are penalized. Many pastors have already been thrown into prison there."

While it's reminiscent of the days of communism, Rakhuba says, "This is a new wave of persecution that's based on radical Islamism, on nationalism, and even mainline churches like the Orthodox church...is the reason for persecution of local believers in Russia and Ukraine or other Slavic countries."

The information presented will help create a policy guide for Christians in the region to help fight laws that are meant to fight terrorism. "Based on those laws, evangelical Christians--for their most humble actions--are punished just for having prayer in their own home. So, we'd like to create some policies and to encourage governments to change it."

Rakhuba is hoping politicians will use the policies to help press for those changes so the Gospel can be shared freely.

New religion law could force evangelicals underground in Russia

Russian Ministries trains next generation church leaders.
 Pray the new legislation dies for lack of support.

Russia (MNN) ― Traditional religious leaders and lawmakers in Russia are touting a proposed new law that could require a 3-year prison sentence for insulting the religious feelings of believers and vandalizing holy sites. However, bloggers and opinion columnists across the country believe the law will only make religious freedom more difficult, especially for evangelical Christians.

Mission Network News caught up with Wally KulakoffRussian Ministries in Moscow. He says he's concerned for one important reason. He says the Duma has openly proclaimed that there are only four traditional religions in Russia. 

"That's orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. And if you say anything contrary to, or against. then you are insulting the four traditional religions of the former Soviet Union. What place do Protestants have in the former Soviet Union?"

Kulakoff says evangelical Christians insult many when they say God had a Son. "He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Islam says that they have a god who does not have a son, and anyone who claims God had a son has no right to live on this earth. Now, who is insulting who?"

Many who oppose the law believe this only opens Pandora's box. Kulakoff says, "Non-traditional religion in Russia with be chastised, prohibited, [and] will have to go underground. There will be no room for the Protestant church."

Russian Ministries School Without Walls program is discipling next-generation church leaders -- young people who are already leaders in their community. If this law is passed and it's interpreted harshly, Kulakoff says, "Then School Without Walls goes underground and will continue to have an impact, but in another form. Rather than openly, it'll be more excluded and secluded."

This law could have far-reaching impact. Kulakoff says the greatest insult to the Orthodox Church is to have a Bible translation that they didn't authorize. "That means Russia will say you can only use one Bible; then, the more modern, the more contemporary translations will be illegal."

In the meantime, Kulakoff and other Christians in the former Soviet Union are asking you to pray that the law would fail. 

They're also asking you to support their work, not only with your prayers but your financial support.

Persecution follows demolition of Moscow Protestant church

A group of unidentified people vandalized and demolished the
Holy Trinity Evangelical church in Moscow. (Image courtesy of RMI)

Russia (MNN) ― Earlier this week, Russian Christians were uncertain what thedestruction of the Holy Trinity Church would mean for religious freedom in the former Soviet Union nation.

"It was the first time since the Lenin-Stalin revolution where a church was vandalized and destroyed," said Wade Kusack with Russian Ministries. In light of recent events, it appears dawn is breaking over a dark horizon in Russia and the future looks oppressive.

"It's a signal," Kusack said. "This is a clear sign for all other groups who hate Protestants all over Russia."

The Holy Trinity Church congregation still met with their pastor on Sunday, worshipping God near the ruins of their former church. Two days later, government officials held the pastor in police custody for three hours, interrogating him about the "illegal meeting" he held with church members.

"Illegal meetings are prohibited by law and may be punished by up to four years in prison or huge fines, up to $15,000," reported Kusack. "He was [also] threatened."

Police used intimidation tactics, telling the pastor that if believers met again, more people would be arrested and he could face prison-time. The officials used a recent law as the basis of their threats, which states that no "open-air meetings" may be held without the government's permission.

"They think the property doesn't belong to the church anymore," explained Kusack. "The building's destroyed, and [in their view] the church cannot gather over there any longer. They just kicked [Christians] out.

"They kicked them into the street and said, 'We don't know you, we don't like you.'"

How do Russian Christians react?

"They stated that they will go and worship regardless," Kusack said. "We will see what is going to happen next Sunday.

"Authorities have no regrets about what happened, and I think they'll be more harsh with Christians."

Ask God to protect believers facing threats and persecution.

According to Kusack, the Holy Trinity Church situation sums up the government's new stance toward churches throughout Russia. Authorities demand that churches leave certain areas, but when they try to relocate, officials deny their applications.

"They're trying to push churches far away from big cities like Moscow," Kusack stated.

The church is trying to find justice through the Russian courts by appealing their case, Kusack said, but he isn't optimistic about the results. Pray for the persecutors of Russian Christians, and pray for Russian authorities. Above all else, pray for peace in Russia.

"Right now, the situation is getting worse and worse, and tensions are rising in the society," said Kusack. "Russia needs peace right now."

In the two-year School Without Walls program, young people learn to deepen their own faith and share it with their neighbors. For less than $50 each month, you can support a young person in this program and help them point their fallen nation to Christ. Click here to help.

Officials to return Uzbek pastor, a religious refugee since 2007

Kazakhstan (MNN) ― According to the Forum 18 News Service, officials are sending Pastor Makset Djabbarbergenov and his family back to neighboring Uzbekistan, the nation they fled to escape religious persecution. Forum 18 says Uzbek authorities put the Protestant pastor on a wanted list for illegal teaching of religion and literature distribution, religious "crimes" he had committed in 2007.

The charges against Djabbarbergenov each carries a maximum of three years' imprisonment. Pray for the pastor and his family as they endure this persecution. The Djabbarbergenovs are expecting their fifth child in April. Pray that their faith remains steadfast.

An assistant working in the District Prosecutor's Office told Forum 18 that "Uzbek authorities are seeking to imprison Djabbarbergenov because he led an unregistered Protestant church in his home town.

"As a person, I can say this is not right," he added. "But we have to follow the rules. We just collect the documentation."

Kazakhstan has a reputation for returning religious refugees in order to maintain political favor with China and Uzbekistan. Forum 18 points out that in June, the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) criticized Kazakhstan for extraditing 29 Uzbek Muslim refugees in 2011. Though the men sought asylum and religious refuge, Kazak officials accused them of being terrorists and sent them back to Uzbekistan, where intense persecution is routine.

Uzbekistan has steadily moved higher on Open Doors USA's World Watch List, a compilation of the world's most heavily-persecuted nations. The Central Asia nation ranked #10 on the list two years ago but has since moved to #7 following increased governmental suspicion, police attacks, and raids. Common cruelty used by Uzbek authorities includes electric shock, beatings, rape, asphyxiation, and psychological abuse.

A report issued earlier this month from the human rights group International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) says religious persecution is to be expected from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations. Created in 2001, the SCO includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan and Uzbekistan. The FIDH says the Shanghai convention is used as a "vehicle for human rights violations," because members are expected to accept any accusations made by another SCO member, no questions asked.

Richard Wild, a law professor who worked on the FIDH report, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that member states essentially use the SCO as front to hide human rights violations.

"The threat in terms of human rights comes from the SCO because, on the one hand, it is playing the international game of speaking a human rights language -- using 'human rights' within their charter," said Wild. "At the same time, it actually results in a coordinated regional form of extradition on the basis of suspicion rather than evidence.

"And it lacks any kind of transparency or international oversight."

Church destroyed, Russian evangelicals are concerned

Russia (MNN) ― Is Russian turning the clock backward as it relates to religious freedom? Russian Christians are uncertain what the demolition of the Holy Trinity Church will mean for the future of religious freedom in that nation.

According to Forum 18 News, the incident took place on September 6 just after midnight.

Paul Tokarchouk with Russian Ministries is in Moscow. He says police and civil volunteers "opened the gates and doors, got inside, and took all of the belongings -- some sound equipment and other things that are typically in the church. They just started to destroy walls, and step by step [the church was destroyed].

Tokarchouk says this demolition is making headlines around the country. "This is shaking Moscow, and it looks like it's spreading out across of Russia."

Mikhail Odintsov, an aide to Russia's Ombudsperson for Human Rights, told Forum 18 from Moscow on 6 September, "This is the Soviet approach: to come in the middle of the night with mechanical diggers. This is unacceptable."

According to Tokarchouk, church leaders are voicing their concerns to high ranking government officials.

This situation is a little complicated. Property rights aren't the same as they are in most western nations. Tokarchouk explains what it was like during the days of the Soviet Union. "We had no institution of property belonging to people because Moscow authorities had provided land for this church. [However,]  seven years ago the government said, 'We have reason to take the lot from you,' and that's what they did."

Typically in a situation like this, the government provides an alternative lot in the same district. However, it doesn't look like this was done.

Odintsov added that members of Holy Trinity Church in Kosino-Ukhtomsky District in Moscow's Eastern Administrative District (Okrug) had already spoken to the Ombudsperson's Office by telephone earlier in the day and are expected to lodge a written appeal to Ombudsperson Vladimir Lukin about the church destruction.

Tokarchouk says Christians have faced persecution in some areas, "There is some marginalization toward evangelicals. If it's a big trend, this is really a concern."

Holy Trinity Church was established in 1979 by Serafim Marin, a Pentecostal who had spent 18 years in Soviet labor camps for his faith. It gained registration with the Soviet authorities as an autonomous Pentecostal community in the late 1970s. However, the city authorities forced it out of its first building in 1995. The replacement "temporary" church -- bulldozed today -- was built on the current site in 1995-96.

Officials consistently refused to legalise the building and prevented it from being linked to the water and electricity supply and sewerage. Holy Trinity's Pastor, Vasili Romanyuk, and the congregation have long battled to save their church from confiscation and destruction. "We put a lot of our resources into this building," he told Forum 18.

Tokarchouk says the church has faced persecution before. "In the midst of persecution, the church is growing. We'll be motivated to cooperate, to get stronger, to be solid for Christ's sake so the Gospel can be proclaimed in our country."

Will this prevent Russian Ministries from helping local churches? "Sometimes it will be hard, [but] we will still keep going to continue to help the church raise young generation leaders to proclaim the Gospel even in the midst of some restrictions."

Kremlin in Moscow (photo by Oleg Koryagin)

Russia (MNN) ― A new law in Russia will punish non-governmental organizations for receiving funding from abroad. 

The bill cleared the upper house of parliament and was signed into law last week by President Vladimir Putin. Foreign government leaders and Russian activists are concerned. Under the bill, if an NGO receives funding from abroad, they have to register as "foreign agents."

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says while the law is specifically targeting those involved in political activities, "We see that there is an effort to control protests. But I know from experience that many local authorities will interpret that in order to control religious activity."

While government leaders say the law applies to NGOs engaging in political activities, opponents say it is a Kremlin attempt to silence critics.

Rakhuba's response to this new law isn't from a religious persecution angle. "We're not saying that this law was aiming at evangelical or mission organizations, but since they are under the category of non-governmental organizations, definitely local authorities can interpret it as a signal to control specifically religious activities."

The term "foreign agents" will push many Russians away, especially organizations that would use outside funding to provide aid, resources, and the Gospel.

Rakhuba says Christian NGOs will be affected. "Most of those who receive support from foreign donors will be very much restricted. And, unfortunately, they will need to be more creative. Many of them will ignore (the law) and go back to receiving support underground."

"But, I don't think it will stop mission work," says Rakhuba.

One of the oldest NGOs in Russia says not only will they ignore the law, they'll challenge it in court. Rakhuba says, "Of course this law needs to be challenged. It needs to be challenged, not a by a few in Russia, but I think the foreign community, the human rights networks, need to address this issue and create some pressure. This law needs to be revised."

Will Russian Ministries curtail their work? Rakhuba says there's no need for them to do that. They need to continue reaching the lost through young church leaders. "True change will come when the Gospel will reach thousands and millions of Russian citizens." That's when these types of laws will end.

In the meantime, ironically, Russian Ministries needs your support. "The need in Russia, training next generation leaders, is bigger than ever before. And we still need support to provide resources for these young people." The funding covers Bibles, other Christian literature, and training and more.

Sharia law concerns ministry in Chechnya

Mission Network News: "Russia (MNN) ― The government in the autonomous region of Chechnya is openly approving Muslim honor killings. Over the last few years, dozens of bodies of young Chechen woman have been found.

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says Chechnya's president "approved publicly, saying the killings were okay because the lady that got shot by relatives publicly had loose morals. He went on to describe women as the property of their husbands and say their main role is to bear children.""

Read more...

The battle against the Roma continues as 1,000 forced to resettle in Serbia

Mission Network News: "Russia (MNN) ― Around 250 Roma families were evicted from their homes in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, last week.

The Associated Press reports that some 1,000 Roma, known more commonly as "Gypsies," were placed on a bus and relocated to a new settlement. Despite the protests of many Roma--not to mention outcries from rights groups such as Amnesty International, the Serbian government has not relented on their eviction process. They have declared the Roma's Belgrade settlement to be illegal and preventative of construction projects."

Read more...

Russian Prosecutor General’s Office condemns hunt for Protestants

By Victoria Uzunova of the Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com)  
Special to ASSIST News Service

REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN, RUSSIA (ANS) -- The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has demanded that comments from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia that characterize certain registered religious groups as “destructive” be withdrawn, in reference to Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith press center.

An Evangelical church service in the Republic of Bashkortostan

A letter from Sergey Ryahovski, Supervisory Bishop of the Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith, had entreated the Prosecutor General to respond to these allegations.

On October 25th, 2011, Artur Surin, the Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan sent letters around to authorities and heads of educational institutions about the dangers of “foreign religious organizations of destructive persuasion.”

These letters stated that there are nearly one hundred religious organizations of “destructive persuasion” in Bashkortostan, including Evangelical Christians, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists and Evangelical Christian-Baptists.

In an official response to this letter, Victor Grin, the Deputy of Prosecutor-General of Russian Federation, noted that the religious organizations mentioned in Mr. Surin’s letter are “officially registered and act according to the Russian law.” Mr. Surin has also brought a charge by the Prosecutor General's Office.

The Advisory Council of Protestant Leaders of Russia, which consists of leaders of the biggest Russian Protestant unions, also sent an appeal concerning this case to the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.

---

Victoria Uzunova is a correspondent for the Christian Telegraph [www.christiantelegraph.com ], a unique Christian news service partnering with the largest Christian News Agency in Russian language InVictory News [www.invictory.org/news/] which is one of few news gateways of what is happening in Christianity in such former USSR countries as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia and others.

---

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

What Russia's election will mean for the church

(Photo by Lyn Gateley. Cover photo
 courtesy of the World Economic Forum.)

Russia (MNN) ― No one really seems to be arguing the idea that Vladimir Putin will become Russia's next president this Sunday, March 4. Despite numerous protests, most news sources and other Russian insiders have all but declared Putin the winner.

When asked if it was possible that another of the four candidates could take office, Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association replies, "Honestly, I would be really surprised if something like that were to happen."

Regardless of whether or not Putin is who the country wants, the question thus becomes: What will happen when he takes office?

The biggest fear for many Christians in any power change worldwide is that the church might have fewer freedoms. This fear is especially heightened in the former Soviet Union, of which Russia is a part.

"In the former Soviet central Asian countries--like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the like--we've seen tremendous crackdowns the past few years against religious groups and evangelical churches," says Joel Griffith.

Even more disconcerting is that those crackdowns tend to be somewhat contagious across Central Asia, in particular. 

When amendments are made to a religion law in one country, similar amendments may follow in a neighboring nation. 

Russia has been able to stay relatively free, but there is awareness of these goings-on nearby.

"Our prayer is that Russia would certainly not go down that route, but that the churches would remain free and able to worship and proclaim their faith freely," notes Griffith.

The church in Russia is just praying for the best, says Griffith. Many are nervous that religious freedom could be jeopardized, but most choose to lay low on the political scene and maintain an optimistic outlook.

"They typically don't get really exercised about political things. They just do what they do. They remember what it was like to live under communist oppression, and the Lord brought them through that and opened a tremendous door for the Gospel when the wall came down. It's no different now."

It's hard to predict what may happen, and so for now, the church continues on its business as usual. In fact, the distress over the elections for many Russians may even be opening doors to share Christ.

"I think any time of transition and change is an open door for the Gospel because people are really doing a lot of soul searching during these times."

Pray that the result of this election would mainly be opportunities. 

Freedom of religion and belief in Russia under growing pressure

A veteran human rights campaigner has warned of growing restrictions on religious freedom in Russia, and urged Western governments and churches to do more to address the issue - writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

"Although the [officially atheist] Soviet Union collapsed 20 years ago ... religious believers still face serious problems," said the Rev Michael Bourdeaux, president of the Oxford, UK-based Keston Institute, which studies religion in Russia and Eastern Europe.

"What really worries me is that no one is holding Russia to account. The right and duty to monitor each country's human rights record, established in the 1970s, seem to have been forgotten," he said.

Russia's 1990 law on religious freedom was "probably the most liberal in world history," but it was replaced by "disgraceful legislation" in 1997, he told ENInews in an interview on 8 November 2011.

The 1997 law, the result of pressure from hardline politicians and the predominant Orthodox church, discriminates against religious associations judged "non-traditional."

Bourdeaux noted that "there were Lutheran churches in Russia in the early eighteenth century and Catholic communities in medieval [times], so to rule them non-traditional can't be justified by any legal logic."

Human rights groups have urged Russia to protect religious rights and comply with rulings by the European Court of Human Rights after a recent spate of arrests and house searches involving the Jehovah's Witnesses and other small religious groups.

Some of Russia's 3,500 registered Protestant associations, including Lutherans and Baptists, have also complained of police raids on allegedly unauthorised services, while Russia's 600,000-member Roman Catholic church protested when a Moscow charity house belonging to Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity was bulldozed in September and a Catholic parish in Pskov barred from finishing its church because of "legal technicalities" in October.

In October 2011, the director of the Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers International, Willy Fautre, said another law, the 2002 law on fighting extremist activity was being "misused to target minority religious faiths."

He added that pamphlets used by Jehovah's Witnesses and followers of Turkish Muslim theologian Said Nursi had been placed on a "federal list of extremist materials" by the justice ministry, making their storing or distribution "liable to criminal prosecution."

Fautre, who will host a European Parliament hearing on religious freedom in Russia on 15 November, urged the country to revise the 1997 law and issue guidelines for the implementation of the criminal code on national, racial and religious incitement.

Bourdeaux said he believed pressure on religious minorities had been fuelled by restrictions on democracy, including the scrapping of direct elections for Russia's regional governors. He added that state officials routinely consulted their local Orthodox bishop when considering requests from Protestants and Roman Catholics to hire or purchase facilities for church worship, making minority faiths "dependent on Orthodox goodwill."

The US State Department, in its Annual Report on Religious Freedom, published on 13 September, said the Russian government's "level of respect for religious freedom" had declined over the past year, with criminal cases brought for the first time against "individuals in possession of banned religious literature or associated with an illegal religious group."

Particular problems were experienced, the report said, in registration of religious organisations, access to places of worship and visas for foreign religious personnel, as well as in "government raids on religious organisations and detentions of individuals."

However, the report was dismissed as "half-baked and tendentious" on 16 September by a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, who told reporters the State Department's experts had not bothered "to explore the peculiarities of inter-confessional relations in the Russian Federation."

Meanwhile, a senior Russian Orthodox priest vowed that his church would continue to develop close relations with the state. "We live in a secular state, which is normal; but our society is largely made of Orthodox Christians. Therefore, the symphony of the church, state and society is a natural thing - it is a relationship within one body, not between things of differing nature," Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the department for church and society relations, said on 7 November, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

[With acknowledgements to ENInews. ENInews, formerly Ecumenical News International, is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European Churches.]

[Ekk/3]