Pastor of Belarusian church fined for homemade food

The minister was fined as listeners of Sunday Biblical school were given homemade food.

As informed by BelaPAN, in the court of Krupki district of Minsk region an appeal was taken from the decision of the chief sanitary inspector of Krupki district Alyaksandr Khadarovich, who fined Mikalai Barycheuski, pastor of the local church “Jesus’ grace” of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Belarus, 700 thousand rubles.

As said by the pastor, he was fined for participants of the Biblical Sunday school, teenagers, were given homemade food. Food was cooked by persons unauthorized for work with food products, and was cooked from products without cover documents and stored at home.

Barycheuski believes that the decree is groundless and illegal. As said by him, the real reason for actions of the authorities is a desire to close the school. “Officials said we must receive permission for its work, however the statute of the registered church allows us to give classes without securing additional approval of authorities,” the pastor said.

As said by the lawyer of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Belarus Pavel Lyashchynski, when the case was considered, the chief sanitary inspector did not satisfied a motion of the pastor to call as witnesses the parents who had been cooking food for their children at home and brought it during a break in the classes. Under Article 6.14 of the Code of Execution Procedure of Belarus on administrative violations the facts basing upon which Khadarovich had issued a decree, could not be recognized as satisfactory evidence, the lawyer said.

As said by him, under Article 10.6 of the Code of Execution Procedure of Belarus on administrative violations, as a participant of the administrative process, Barycheuski was not explained his rights and obligations under the Article 4.1 of the Code, and also consequences of non-fulfillment.