Kostroma priest detained for preaching about peace

On the day when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated Forgiveness Sunday, the priest was summoned to the department of internal affairs.

The security forces accused Ioan Burdin of “discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation” and drew up an administrative protocol against him under part 1 of the new article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. As an illegal activity, he was charged with statements in defense of peace during a church sermon.

The publication on the parish website of a link to an anti-war petition directed against the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine was also considered a violation of the law.

The petition, in part, contained the following words:

“We Christians do not dare to stand aside when a brother kills a brother, a Christian kills a Christian. We cannot bashfully close our eyes and call black white, evil good, say that Abel was probably wrong when he provoked his older brother.

As follows from the text of the administrative protocol drawn up against the priest, Father John, in the presence of ten parishioners, allegedly discredited the armed forces, “inspiring the parishioners of the church with information about the presence of the RF Armed Forces in Ukraine, ongoing shelling of Ukrainian cities (Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkov, etc.), murders... residents of Ukraine (brothers and sisters in Christ), as well as by posting information with campaign images on the website.

Consideration of the case was transferred to the Krasnoselsky District Court of the Kostroma Region. The sanction of the new article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation involves the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of thirty thousand to fifty thousand rubles; for officials - from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand rubles; for legal entities - from three hundred thousand to five hundred thousand rubles.

Earlier, a memorial service was held in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Karabanovo in memory of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. Deputy of the Yaroslavl Regional Duma and co-chairman of PARNAS Boris Nemtsov was killed on February 27, 2015 in the center of Moscow. The Investigative Committee accused five natives of the Caucasus of killing Nemtsov. In 2017, the court gave them real terms, the longest of which was 20 years in prison. As noted by the online magazine 7x7, many activists link Nemtsov's death to his opposition activities and criticism of the Russian and Chechen authorities. In the last years of his life, Nemtsov spoke out against the military conflict in Ukraine.