Authorities have slapped a punitive fine on a Roman Catholic parish in
Novocherkassk, southern Russia, its priest complained Wednesday, linking
the move to a nationwide crackdown on foreign backed non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and religious groups.The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was fined 450,000 rubles ($14,000) after a 15 March inspection determined that it had breached fire safety rules, the priest, Father Alexei, told AFP.
In March, Russia witnessed an unprecedented wave of searches of foreign-funded activist groups by law enforcement authorities, which the groups denounced as a crackdown aimed at silencing dissent in Russia.
While acknowledging that his church had violated fire safety rules, Father Alexei said the small parish with just 50 parishioners and an annual budget of 150,000 rubles ($4,750) would be unable to pay the fine.
"If they (authorities) wanted to address fire safety issues, it could have been done in an entirely different way," he said, blaming the fine on a "political order or an attempt to control non-governmental organisations."
"This is a real threat" to Russia's minority Catholic community, the priest warned, before adding that his "morale is broken."
A Pentecostal church in Novocherkassk was fined 700,000 rubles for similar violations, its lawyer Yekaterina Ryabova told AFP, adding that all of the diocese's churches had been searched.
Searches at the offices of more than a hundred of Russia's leading NGOs are believed to be linked to a controversial 2012 law which requires groups which have international donors and are involved in political activities to identify themselves as "foreign agents."
The law has sparked condemnation from major Western powers and human rights groups.