While court-ordered bans on religious communities meeting without informing the authorities are well-established in Russia, in the first known case in Russian-occupied Ukraine a Luhansk court banned a Council of Churches Baptist community on 25 August. Forum 18 was unable to reach Stanislav Tserenok, Prosecutor of Luhansk's Zhovtnevy District, whose Office brought the suit. The Russian-controlled Luhansk Human Rights Ombudsperson Anna Soroka did not respond to questions about the ban, raids on worship meetings and fines. Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims who read Nursi's works, and Ukraine-loyal communities are among other banned communities.
Excerpt via Forum 18 News Service. Read the full article at the source →
