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As was reported to an IA REGNUM correspondent in Vorkutia and Syktyvkarsk diocese, on 30 May Orthodox residents of Inta conducted a demonstration against the construction in the city of an auditorium of Jehovah's Witnesses. A procession of the cross preceded the demonstration.
In the opinion of Orthodox priests, construction of the auditorium could lead to Inta's becoming a site for pilgrimage for Jehovah's Witnesses from all corners of the republic of Komi, as well as neighboring provinces. By approximate calculations, at the present time members of this religious organization number about 500 in Inta. Many of the Jehovah's Witnesses are representatives of the intelligentsia, which especially disturbs representatives of the diocese.
"According to Orthodox canon law, Jehovah's Witnesses are nothing more than a sect," a hegumen of the diocese, Fr Filipp, reported. "Thus, with the support of Inta city authorities, we must prevent construction of the auditorium, come what may."
At the present time Jehovah's Witnesses rent premises in one of Inta's clubs. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
On 30 May, on Tver Square, a picket was set up at the building of the mayor of Moscow by the "Emmanuel" central church of Moscow against the arbitrariness of workers of the city administration with respect to the question of the construction of a church building. The organized demonstration began at eleven o'clock. This is now the third action by "Emmanuel" church on this matter. The picketing on 30 May was conducted in a legal manner. Appropriate information had been sent to the prefecture of the central administration district of Moscow on 20 May 2005, that is, ten days before conducting the action, as the law requires, the press service for the "Emmanuel" church reports. The church did not receive any kind of rejection or suggestion to change the place of the demonstration.
However, OMON special forces had lined up on Tver Square in advance and prepared to break up the demonstration. By 9:30 in the morning OMON agents arrested one of the parishioners of "Emmanuel" church because he was standing as a lone picket on Tver Square, which also is permitted by law. His place was taken by another parishioner of the same church and he also was arrested. In addition, another member of "Emmanuel" church was arrested, who was not holding any kind of sign or slogan but was merely watching what was going on from a distance. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
PENTECOSTAL PICKET OF TVER SQUARE BROKEN UP; TEN ARRESTED
Portal-credo.ru,
30 May 2005
A sanctioned demonstration by the "Emmanuel" central church of Moscow against arbitrariness by bureaucrats of the city administration regarding the issue of construction of a church building, which began at eleven o'clock on 30 May, was broken up before 11:30, the press center of the church reported. In the course of the break up action, seven members of the "Emmanuel" church were arrested, including the senior pastor, Alexander Purshaga.
The persons, mainly elderly, were seized with vicious cursing, their arms were twisted behind their backs, they were thrown to the ground, and they were dragged toward a police vehicle. All of this was done without any explanation. Responsibility for what happened was taken upon himself by police Major A.P. Krylov.
On the trip to the police department, officers threatened the senior pastor and members of the church with brutality, cursed them with crude swearing, and inflicted body blows. At the present time all ten persons of "Emmanuel" church, including those who had been arrested earlier, are being held at the "Tver" department of the internal affairs directorate.
Only after the attack and arrests did police officers begin explaining the circumstances. As a result of the explanation of circumstances it turns out that the demonstration had been conducted on legal bases, and the confrontation occurred because of improper fufillment of his responsibilities by the deputy prefect of the Central Adminisrative District, Vasiukov, who had not communicated the prohibition of holding the demonstration, in accordance with established procedure, to the leadership of "Emmanuel" church.
The wife of the senior pastor, Elena Petrovna Purshaga, gathered women and children and went to the building of the Tver Directorate of Internal Affairs, chanting "Return our husbands and pastors to us." At the present those arrested are still held under guard. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
POLICE OFFICERS SHOW PROTESTANTS THEIR PLACE
by Pavel Korobov
Kommersant, 31 May 2005
Yesterday police broke up a picket by protestant Christians who had come to Moscow city hall on Tver Street demanding an end to the repressions of the protestant minority. As the senior pastor of the "Emmanuel" central church of Christians of Evangelical Faith Pentecostals of Moscow, Alexander Purshaga, explained for Kommersant, the protestants have called Moscow Mayer Yury Luzhkov to return to them "a parcel of land in western Moscow that was confiscated in 2001."
"Back on 20 May we informed the deputy prefect of the Central Administrative District, Sergei Vasiukov, about the picket. If the prefecture had denied our request, then it should have informed us of it according to law within a three-day period, but this was not done," Mr. Purshaga told Kommersant. "When we came today to Tver Square, the police began tearing up our placards, twisting our arms, and cursing us." After this, according to Mr. Purshaga, five pastors and six parishioners were taken to the Tver Directorate of Internal Affairs, where they were held for seven hours without charges.
We think that today's incident was the fault of Mr. Vasiukov, who by
his incompetent actions provoked the confrontation," Mr. Purshaga stressed.
"All of this shows the intolerance of certain bureaucrats who consider
us a sect." At the Tver station Kommersant was assured that "nobody twisted
arms or cursed" the protestants. "They were permitted to demonstrate of
New Pushkin Square, but they went to the city hall," the directorate said,
explaining the detention. Moscow Vice-mayor Mikhail Men told Kommersant,
"I had a meeting with the protestants, and their problem will be resolved,
but there is no need to hurry." (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
Posted on Portal-credo.ru
site, 31 May 2005
PENTECOSTAL PICKET AT MOSCOW CITY HALL CONTINUES
Portal-credo.ru,
31 May 2005
The picket by the "Emmanuel" church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Moscow against the tyranny of bureaucrats of the city administration regarding the question of construction of a church building, that was conducted on 30 May on Tver Square, is continuing. On 31 May it began approximately at 11:40 a.m., the press secretary of the "Emmanuel" church, Yury Popov, told a Portal-credo.ru correspondent. Police and OMON troops located in the vicinity have not taken any action to break up the picket.
It was explained that a notice about the time and place of the demonstration for a week beginning on 30 May had been delivered to the prefecture of the Central Administrative District on 20 May, ten days before the beginning of the conduct of the action, that is, in precise conformity with the law. According to the same law, the prefecture is obliged to inform the organizers of an action no later than three days afterward in the event that it considers a change in place and time for conducting the action to be necessary. Such a change must be accompanied by arguments. Thus far organizers of the demonstration have still not received such a notice from the prefecture of the district.
However the Tver Directorate of Internal Affairs had received notification of the change of the place for conducting the picket, with orders from the higher police command not to permit the holding of the demonstration, which were rigorously carried out; in the course of a half hour the demonstration was broken up and ten of its participants, including the senior pastor of "Emmanuel" church, Alexander Purshaga, were taken to the "monkey-house" of the Tver directorate. And the date of the orders received by the Tver department, 27 May, i.e., seven days after the "Emmanuel" church had notified the prefecture of the Central Administrative District, was itself a violation of the law. The press secretary of "Emmanuel" church, Popov, did not take part in the demonstration since he maintained the informational aspect of the action, but he was arrested. His request for an explanation of the reason for the arrest received the answer: "We'll look into that over there." All of the arrested persons were taken to the Tver department for internal affairs and placed into a small room. From the start they were threatened with detention there until morning, but "everything can happen at night in the holding cell."
No documents were prepared for the arrest at the start. They got around to preparing them only after the appearance at the station house of the director of the Slavic Legal Center, attorney Anatoly Pchelintsev. Under pressure from him the detainees were released at around five o'clock. During the whole time of detention at the directorate, those arrested were not given even some water. The majority of the detainees were elderly persons. One of them began having a cardiac incident. At present the "Emmanuel" church is drawing up a statement for the prosecutor's office and court. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
URGENT STATEMENT OF RUSSIAN ASSOCIATED UNION OF CHRISTIANS OF EVANGELICAL
FAITH (PENTECOSTALS)
Press Service of Russian Associated Union of Christians of Evangelical
Faith, 30 May 2005
On 30 May, at 11:40, the "Emmanuel" church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Moscow conducted a picket intended to call attention to illegal actions by Moscow government workers with regard to that religious organization. In accordance with legislation of the Russian federation, agencies of state authority (the prefecture) had been informed earlier about a demonstration across from Moscow city hall. Nevertheless, at approximately 11:45 police officers brutally broke up the demonstration. A number of believers, the majority of whom are elderly, were roughed up, their arms were twisted behind their backs, they were dragged along the ground, and they were insulted. Ten participants were arrested and are held at the Tver Directorate of Internal Affairs. By 4:00 p.m. none of those arrested had been charged with anything.
The Russian Associated Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) thinks these actions by law enforcement agencies are a blatant violation of law with respect to Christians and citizens of Russia, and it is possible that this is a provocation directed toward intensifying the religious situation in the country and stirring up relations between state and religion. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 May 2005)
Posted on Portal-credo.ru site, 30 May 2005
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