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313. The relevant ministries and departments have no information concerning the
alleged violations of the rights of the Grace Pentecostal Church and the Orthodox
Parish of the Annunciation. The leaders of the congregations have not filed
complaints in the courts regarding any unlawful actions by the authorities of the city
of Sovetskaya Gavan.
Response from the Government dated 24 March 2005 to a communication sent
on 27 October 2004 (See E/CN.4/2005/61/Add. 1, at paragraph 203 -204)
314. The Government indicated that a religious conference entitled “International
Brotherhood of the Council of Churches” was held in August 2004 in the village of
Lyubuchany in the Chekhov district of Moscow oblast (region) on a plot of land
belonging to V.A. Chekanov and intended for farming. In contravention of articles 4,
5 and 7 of the Federal Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations and Processions Act of 19
June 2004 no written notification of the holding of a public event at this place was
submitted to the Chekhov district local government authorities. The procurator’s
office of the town of Chekhov was given notice by L.I. Chekanova regarding the
impermissibility of holding a public event on a plot of land provided for farming and
of arbitrarily erecting a structure on it. The event nevertheless took place. In the
procurator’s office V.A. Chekanov explained that the event could not be stopped in
view of the fact that about 5,000 people had arrived from various regions of Russia to
take part in the religious gathering.
315. With a view to ensuring law and order and averting any possible violations,
militia officers carried out a range of preventive measures in which the services of
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and first-aid teams were also involved. No
disturbances of public order occurred during the holding of the conference. The
actions of the law-enforcement bodies were recognized as justified by the procurator’s
office of the Chekhov district of Moscow oblast. The prayer house of the International
Union of Churches of the Evangelical Christian Baptists (IUC ECB) located at 38,
Novaya Street, in the village of Lyubuchany belongs to the Kareev family. In
connection with the arson of this house, a criminal case was initiated pursuant to
article 167, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (intentional
destruction or damaging of property), and proceedings are now being conducted by
the investigative section of the Chekhov district internal affairs department of
Moscow oblast.
316. The Government further indicated that the reason for the closure of the annual
Urals regional Jehovah’s Witnesses congress, held in July 2004 in the Uralmash sports
stadium of the city of Yekaterinburg, was the cancellation of the rental agreement by
the management of the stadium.
Additional response from the Government dated 19 April 2005
317. As a result of further inquiries into the incident involving the disruption of a
congress of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization at the Uralmash sports
stadium on 10 March 2004, the acting procurator of the Ordzhonikidze district of the
city of Yekaterinburg opened a criminal case on the basis of indications of an offence
under article 148 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (obstruction of the