Priest in Hrodna to stand trial for refusal to be fingerprinted

An Orthodox Christian priest in Hrodna will stand trial on June 12 for his refusal to be fingerprinted by police.

Mikalay Hayduk, the priest at the Church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, is accused of disobeying officials’ orders.

His case will be heard in the city’s Leninski District Court.

Several Orthodox Christians were brought to court earlier this year after refusing to comply with the compulsory fingerprinting requirement. Many Christians fear that the objective of the national campaign is to introduce biometric passports, which they view as the devil’s work.

According to Vyasna, Father Mikalay was charged with the offense after refusing to present himself at the police station in his area for the fingerprinting procedure.

The charge sheet reads that the priest refused to be fingerprinted after police visited his home, which he says they never did, according to the report.

On March 30, 2012, the Holy Synod of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement to comment on the fingerprinting requirement, expressing fears that it can potentially violate the people’s rights to privacy, safety, and respect for their honor and dignity, while failing to drive crime rates down.