Branden Kartchner

Although Belarus has held elections since 1994, the elections have been deemed corrupt. Internationally, Belarus is widely considered a presidential dictatorship. Since the president, Alexander Lukashenko, assumed power in 1994, he has taken measures to crack down on opposition and change the constitution to remain in power.

While in theory the Belarusian Constitution protects religious freedom, in practice, the authoritarian regime does not respect religious freedom. The Belarusian Orthodox Church is favored over other faiths. Protestant churches are regularly attacked for favoring Western ideals. Minority religions have been fined and harassed by government officials— particularly when the authorities suspect the minority religious groups are importing foreign cultural influence. When targeted, minority officials face deportation or visa cancellation.

Petitions to the government for religious building permits can take up to 10 years—if the government even responds to them. Often no real reason will accompany a government refusal and refusals are common.

In order to congregate, a religion must be registered with the state. The process is very tedious and the government may arbitrarily decline to allow the registration. If a religion is granted registration, the government reserves the right to revoke the status.

A law erected in 2002 made it illegal for religious communities of fewer than twenty members to participate in organized prayer. In addition, if the religious group has not been represented for at least 20 years in Belarus, they are not allowed to publish literature or set up missions. Hence, informal religious meetings are essentially illegal.

The population of Belarus is around 9.5 million. Lamentably, there are no authoritative figures on religion. Nevertheless, one study estimates that 57.3% of the population belongs to the Belarusian Orthodox Church whereas 34.5 percent belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and 3.1 percent to Protestant groups. However, another study estimates that around 80% of the population is from the Belarusian Orthodox Church and the rest of the population is from other minority groups.

While the country once had a very large Jewish presence, the Holocaust decimated the Jewish population. It has never recovered. There have also been a number of reports of anti-Semitic activities, but there has been virtually no government response. The government typically has characterized neo-Nazi activity as “hooliganism.” Jewish synagogues that were seized by the Nazis in World War II have yet to be returned to the Jewish community after they were converted to theaters, sporting venues, and beer halls.

Sources: Religion and the State: An International Analysis of Roles and Relationships; U.S. Department of State Religious Freedom Report; Deseret News “Belarus Kicks Out 2 for Religious Activity” October 26, 2004