Ministry of Justice: collective Bible reading in cafes must be coordinated with the authorities

Collective reading of the Bible must be coordinated with local authorities, follows from the answers of the Commissioner of Russia at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and Deputy Minister of Justice Mikhail Galperin to questions from the court. about it . writes Vedomosti

According to Galperin, this is necessary to ensure the safety of sermon participants and cafe visitors.

The court sent questions to the commissioner in connection with the case of pastor Alexei Kolyasnikov, who in 2014 was fined 30,000 rubles for reading the Bible in a closed room in a Sochi cafe specially rented for this event. The district and regional courts found Kolyasnikov guilty of organizing a public event without filing a notice of its holding (part 2 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

In 2015, the pastor applied to the ECtHR. On February 23, 2017, the court communicated the complaint.