Representatives of Komi law enforcement agencies disrupted the week of religious communities in a children's library

On April 12, 2005, the coordinator of the Public Religious Council of the Komi Republic received a subpoena. The fact is that the head of the department for registration of public organizations of the Office of the Federal Registration Service for the Republic of Komi (UFRS for the Republic of Kazakhstan) filed a statement of claim in which he claims that his honor, dignity and business reputation were significantly damaged by the fact that members of the Public Religious council complained to the head of the Department of Federal Registration Service for the Republic of Kazakhstan about his actions to intimidate the leaders of religious communities.

Let me remind you that the Public Religious Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan from March 14 to March 21, 2001 intended to hold a week of religious communities of the Republic of Komi, during which it wanted to acquaint the inhabitants of Syktyvkar with the activities of various religious organizations of the republic, in particular, during the week they were supposed to tell about their activities Jewish religious community, Muslims, Evangelical Christians "Exodus", United Methodist Church "Embassy of Love", Syktyvkar Church of Christ, society "Krishna Consciousness". All these communities operate on the territory of Syktyvkar in accordance with the existing legislation, and during the event of the Public Religious Council, no violations of the law occurred.

On March 14, in Syktyvkar, at the opening of the Week of Religious Communities of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which was held by the Public Religious Council of the Republic of Komi in the National Children's Library of S.Ya. the event, at the same time, the prosecutor of Syktyvkar and the head of the department of public associations of the Federal Federal Reserve Service of the republic arrived at the opening, who also became interested in the legality of this event.

On March 15, leaders of religious communities who intended to take an active part in the week were invited to the department for public associations and legal assistance of the Department of the Federal Registration Service for the Republic of Kazakhstan, they were told that if they took part in the week of religious communities, they could violate the law "On freedom of conscience", which may entail certain consequences for them. According to the head of the department S.V. Toropova, the participation of these communities in the week of the religious council in the children's library will lead to the fact that they can "involve minors in religious associations." On the same day, the library director, referring to the requirements of the city prosecutor's office, stopped the event. Representatives of the city prosecutor's office stated that they did not give any orders in this regard.

On March 23, the coordinator of the public religious council filed a complaint with the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Komi against the actions of the prosecutor's office in Syktyvkar.

On March 25, a complaint was filed addressed to the head of the Federal Registration Service for the Republic of Kazakhstan against the actions of the head of the registration department of public organizations.

In the light of the decision of the plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 24, 2005, according to which the complaint of citizens cannot be considered as a violation of Article 152 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (violation of honor, dignity and business reputation), let's see how events develop further. The trial will take place on April 20, 2005.

"Memorial" (Komi Republic)