A US missionary fined for holding Bible studies in his Russian home is taking the country to court, it was reported in March.
Religious liberty organisation ADF International is supporting Donald Ossewaarde, who has lived in Russia for 14 years, in taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights. Ossewaarde is challenging the law, which criminalises religious meetings outside of state-registered venues. He has exhausted legal challenges in Russia and has been ordered to pay a fine of around $600.
Bible study arrest
In August last year, three police officers came to Ossewaarde’s home while Donald and his wife Ruth were hosting a Bible study.
He was charged with conducting illegal missionary activities, under a ‘counter-terrorism’ law that was introduced in 2016.
The missionary says a European court ruling, while officially binding, may still be ignored. He is now set to return to the USA.
Laurence Wilkinson, a lawyer working on the case, said: ‘An appeal to the European Court of Human Rights represents a last resort in challenging a law that appears to violate the fundamental right of religious freedom in Russia. While the new legislation aims to prevent terrorist activity, it has had a devastating effect on religious activities that cannot be considered dangerous in any sense.’
