Three Baptists in Oryol Oblast Fined Under Article from the “Yarovaya Package”

In the Oryol region, a court fined three Baptists, Orlovskiye Novosti reports. They must pay five thousand rubles each. The defendants were accused of "illegally distributing religious literature and inviting people to their religious meetings."

In August 2016, the Oryol court sentenced American Donald Ossewaarde, who was also accused of Baptist sermons, to a fine of 40 thousand rubles.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the so-called "Yarovaya package" on July 7. Among other things, it contained amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses. According to them, it is now possible to punish for missionary work outside the places designated by the Law "On Freedom of Conscience." A fine of up to 50 thousand rubles may be imposed for this.
• In August 2016, a report was drawn up under this article against a Krishnaite who was distributing literature, but the court refused to punish him. In November, a local Scientologist leader was fined in Astrakhan. In St. Petersburg, a yoga teacher was tried for a lecture he gave, but the court refused to find him guilty. The head of the Ukrainian non-canonical church was also found guilty there.