Hinduism in Belarus
Encyclopedia
Hinduism in Belarus has a very small following. There are three main Hindu groups in country
. They are ISKCON, Brahmakumaris and The Light of Kailasa
. ISKCON is under severe pressure from Alexander Lukashenko
's government, and The Light of Kailasa
is banned altogether.
.
ISKCON has five registered communities in Belarushttp://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71370.htm
Four of the five centres are located in the cities of Gomel, Grodno, Minsk
and Vitebsk
.
Community of Krishna Consciousness (the Hare Krishnas) faced closure for meeting at, and attempting to register, a property it already owned. Local authorities refused to register the Hare Krishnas at a building they purchased in 1990 and had used as a place of worship since that time, claiming the building was zoned only for residential use. Since 2004 the Hare Krishnas had received six warnings from local authorities for meeting at a building where it was not registered. The Minsk community appealed to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), thus hindering the local government's ability to close the community. In August 2005 UNCHR recommended that the authorities "restore rights" to the community within ninety days. At the end of the period covered by this report, the authorities had not complied with UNCHR's recommendation.
The Minsk Community of Krishna Consciousness found several legal addresses to rent, but the landlords rescinded their offers after they were pressured by authorities. The community found another legal address and submitted the registration documents, but the authorities denied registration.
Authorities harassed, fined, and detained Hare Krishnas for illegally distributing religious literature. Since Minsk city authorities repeatedly denied requests by Hare Krishnas for permission to distribute religious materials in the city, the group decided to stop distribution.
.
"Light of Kailasa" is not registered in Belarus.
Atrocities against Belarusian Hindus belonging to Light of Kailasa Community
On July 13, 2002 police detained in one of the Minsk parks 17 members of the Belarusian spiritual community "Light of Kailasa", accusing them of holding an unsanctioned procession and meeting. The seven men and five women were among 17 arrested Saturday evening while singing Hindu songs and hymns in a Belarusian park.
The 12 Hindus, all citizens of Belarus, began their hunger strike while waiting in a police processing facility, where they were being held until their appearance in court. Officials at the processing center confirmed that the group had begun a hunger strike, and said that a court hearing would be held soon http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=7038&sec=51&cont=7
Hindus oppose a bill passed by the lower house of parliament prohibiting religious groups with less than 20 years' presence in Belarus from publishing literature or establishing missions, and banning organized prayer by denominations with less than 20 Belarusian citizens http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=7031&sec=51&cont=7
The group tried to register unsuccessfully before the new more restrictive religion law came into force on November 2002.
On 1 June 2003 four armed police officers broke up an evening ritual and meditation held at a private flat in the capital Minsk by approximately six members of the Light of Kaylasa Hindu community, the group's leader Natalya Solovyova told Forum 18 News Service on 7 June. The raid came exactly a week after a similar Hindu meditation meeting was broken up elsewhere in the city.
Forum 18 tried to find out why these Hindu meetings have been raided by police, but on 9 June the telephone of Alla Ryabitseva, the head of Minsk City Council's Department for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, went unanswered. Contacted by Forum 18 the same day, Aleksandr Kalinov at the Belarusian State Committee for Religious and Ethnic Affairs said that his department had no documents on the Minsk Hindu community http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=77
Centre 1- Main Centre, Centre Brahma Kumaris,
56 Vostochnaya street,
Flat No. 176, Minsk 220113
Centre 2- Centre Brahma Kumaris, 10 Shevchenko boulevard,
Flat No. 1, Brest 224013
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. They are ISKCON, Brahmakumaris and The Light of Kailasa
The Light of Kailasa
The Light of Kailasa is a Hindu movement originally from Belarus. It is a part of the Saivite movement. The movement was banned by govt. authorities in Belarus. In 2002, the main activists of the movement Tatiana Akadanova , Sergei Akadanov and Sergei Olisevich were sentenced to prison terms...
. ISKCON is under severe pressure from Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
's government, and The Light of Kailasa
The Light of Kailasa
The Light of Kailasa is a Hindu movement originally from Belarus. It is a part of the Saivite movement. The movement was banned by govt. authorities in Belarus. In 2002, the main activists of the movement Tatiana Akadanova , Sergei Akadanov and Sergei Olisevich were sentenced to prison terms...
is banned altogether.
Indians in Belarus
There are 700 Indians in Belarus http://meaindia.nic.in/parliament/ls/2006/12/alu3017-II.pdfHare Krishnas in Belarus
"Hare Krishnas" are followers of the Hindu religion, members of VaishnavismVaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
.
ISKCON has five registered communities in Belarushttp://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71370.htm
Four of the five centres are located in the cities of Gomel, Grodno, Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
and Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
.
Atrocities against Belarusian Hindus belonging to Hare Krishna Communnity
The one thousand-member MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
Community of Krishna Consciousness (the Hare Krishnas) faced closure for meeting at, and attempting to register, a property it already owned. Local authorities refused to register the Hare Krishnas at a building they purchased in 1990 and had used as a place of worship since that time, claiming the building was zoned only for residential use. Since 2004 the Hare Krishnas had received six warnings from local authorities for meeting at a building where it was not registered. The Minsk community appealed to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), thus hindering the local government's ability to close the community. In August 2005 UNCHR recommended that the authorities "restore rights" to the community within ninety days. At the end of the period covered by this report, the authorities had not complied with UNCHR's recommendation.
The Minsk Community of Krishna Consciousness found several legal addresses to rent, but the landlords rescinded their offers after they were pressured by authorities. The community found another legal address and submitted the registration documents, but the authorities denied registration.
Authorities harassed, fined, and detained Hare Krishnas for illegally distributing religious literature. Since Minsk city authorities repeatedly denied requests by Hare Krishnas for permission to distribute religious materials in the city, the group decided to stop distribution.
The Light of Kailasa
"Light of Kailasa" are followers of the Hindu religion, members of the ShaivismShaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
.
"Light of Kailasa" is not registered in Belarus.
Atrocities against Belarusian Hindus belonging to Light of Kailasa Community
On July 13, 2002 police detained in one of the Minsk parks 17 members of the Belarusian spiritual community "Light of Kailasa", accusing them of holding an unsanctioned procession and meeting. The seven men and five women were among 17 arrested Saturday evening while singing Hindu songs and hymns in a Belarusian park.
The 12 Hindus, all citizens of Belarus, began their hunger strike while waiting in a police processing facility, where they were being held until their appearance in court. Officials at the processing center confirmed that the group had begun a hunger strike, and said that a court hearing would be held soon http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=7038&sec=51&cont=7
Hindus oppose a bill passed by the lower house of parliament prohibiting religious groups with less than 20 years' presence in Belarus from publishing literature or establishing missions, and banning organized prayer by denominations with less than 20 Belarusian citizens http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=7031&sec=51&cont=7
The group tried to register unsuccessfully before the new more restrictive religion law came into force on November 2002.
On 1 June 2003 four armed police officers broke up an evening ritual and meditation held at a private flat in the capital Minsk by approximately six members of the Light of Kaylasa Hindu community, the group's leader Natalya Solovyova told Forum 18 News Service on 7 June. The raid came exactly a week after a similar Hindu meditation meeting was broken up elsewhere in the city.
Forum 18 tried to find out why these Hindu meetings have been raided by police, but on 9 June the telephone of Alla Ryabitseva, the head of Minsk City Council's Department for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, went unanswered. Contacted by Forum 18 the same day, Aleksandr Kalinov at the Belarusian State Committee for Religious and Ethnic Affairs said that his department had no documents on the Minsk Hindu community http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=77
Brahma Kumaris in Belarus
Brahma Kumaris has two centres in Belarus.Centre 1- Main Centre, Centre Brahma Kumaris,
56 Vostochnaya street,
Flat No. 176, Minsk 220113
Centre 2- Centre Brahma Kumaris, 10 Shevchenko boulevard,
Flat No. 1, Brest 224013