Translated material
The Church of the Holy Spirit was liquidated in St. Petersburg
The Supreme Court upheld the 2013 decision to liquidation of the local religious organization of the Pentecostal church "Harvest". Church liquidated for conducting educational activities without a license.
On March 5, 2014, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed the decision of the St. city court dated November 14, 2013 on the liquidation of the local religious organization of the Church of Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals) "Harvest".
The reason for the liquidation of the church was the lack of a license to educational activity. In addition, the charter of the church did not specify provision of educational services, and in the opinion of the court, the church such services provided.
According to the defense, the decision to liquidate is unlawful, since the church did not conduct educational activities, but only provided room for activities with children.
“There is a whole arsenal of prosecutorial response measures that could be used in this situation. For example, the prosecutor could issue warning, caution, initiate administrative proceedings, or oblige the religious organization to restore the violated rights of the affected persons, If there are any. But for unknown reasons, the prosecutor did not take these measures, and immediately demanded the liquidation of the community, which did not commit any serious offenses ,” said the lawyer of the Slavic Legal Center Anatoly Pchelintsev.
Protection of a religious organization intends to appeal to European Court of Human Rights.
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