In 2013, evangelical believers faced an alarming increase in religious freedom restrictions and violations in the countries of the former Soviet Union/Eurasia, particularly Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. Pastors, families, and churches were disrupted, threatened, restricted and thrown into crisis merely for their faith in Christ. Recently, as a reaction to violent protests, the Ukrainian government adopted disturbing new sweeping laws aimed at restricting freedom and religious expression in that country. Acting on these laws, they have already threatened to remove the registration of the Ukrainian Uniate Church for holding prayer services for government protesters. By most estimates, this was the worst year for religious repression in this embattled region since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
A CALL TO ACTION ON CAPITOL HILL
In response to this alarming trend, Russian Ministries, in cooperation with Congressman Joe Pitts and our global partners, is sponsoring a second annual briefing on religious freedom issues on Capitol Hill. The briefing will occur one day before the Presidential Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, February 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. at 2123 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.
Our primary goals for the briefing are to:
- build global awareness about the state of religious freedom in the former Soviet Union/Eurasia;
- examine causes for escalating religious restrictions in the former Soviet Union/Eurasia;
- cultivate productive dialogue between post-Soviet/Eurasian civil, religious and governmental leaders in order to engage the global community;
- find solutions to this serious challenge
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