In the media Russia’s position on the claim to the European court of human rights (ECHR) about reading the Bible in a café is distorted. This statement was made by the Ministry of justice on Tuesday, July 4.
“Placing on the applicant the responsibility in form of administrative fine was made (…) not for the “collective reading of the Bible”, and for violation of the requirements of the Federal law “On assemblies, rallies, demonstrations, processions and picketing”,” notes on the Agency’s website.
The Ministry of justice stresses that this position is not a limitation of the constitutional right to freedom of conscience.
Earlier Tuesday, media reported that in Russia collective Bible reading in a cafe should be agreed with the authorities as at the organisation of meetings. So Moscow responded officially to the request in this case, said the Russian authorized under the ECHR Michael Halperin.
In the summer of 2016 was adopted by the anti-terrorism package of laws was developed by Deputy Irina Yarovaya and Senator Viktor Ozerov. According to the document, missionary activity is allowed only in religious buildings, on adjacent territory, places of pilgrimage, cemeteries and crematoriums.
In December 2014, the Sochi court has fined the leader of a group of Evangelical Christians Alexei Kolyasnikova 30 thousand rubles for the congregation in the café. The man claimed that the session was conducted in a closed room institution Bel Canto, rented from the owner. He later filed a lawsuit to the ECHR.