Belarus Hunger Strike Church Still Faces State Clampdown

Belarus hunger strike church victim of ''state procrastination.''

By Maria Mackay, Christian Today Reporter Saturday, March 17, 2007

The Belarus church which protested against state oppression during a hunger strike last October is still no closer to receiving the promised state approval to use its own building and land for worship.

A surprise ruling from the highest economic court in Belarus last November renewed hopes for members of the New Life Church in Minsk that their charismatic congregation would finally be set free from years of constant harassment by the authorities.

The international community welcomed the ruling from the Higher Economic Court to cancel all previous court decisions against the church and committed to re-examining the case.

But according to Forum 18 News Service, a news service that monitors religious freedom in Communist and former Soviet state, no action has been taken since the ruling. Forum 18 blamed the delay on "state procrastination."

New Life's lawyer, Sergei Lukanin, told the news agency that "the judge had all the necessary information to make a decision two months ago."

"There are no objective reasons for this delay," he said.

The Higher Economic Court has now postponed its ruling five times since December 2006, with the next hearing due on March 19.

Lukanin said the delay could be due to the gas price dispute with Russia at the end of 2006, which he said gave Belarus less reason to support institutions associated with Russia, including the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

He also suspects that the government is "hoping that international attention will go away."