Two lay Catholics face massive fines after being detained for protesting a
new law that restricts freedom of religion, Keston
News reports.
Igor Zakrevsky and Sergei Peskin face trial after protesting in the center of
this capital.
"We wrote to Parliament protesting against the law and collected
petitions, but that didn't help, so we decided to take to the streets to express
our opposition," Zakrevsky said.
The two carried placards displaying slogans such as "The authorities want
to control our souls." They walked around the central streets, then stood
by the statue of Lenin opposite the Parliament building, where they were
detained.
Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek has spoken out against the new law. He pointed out
that, although Catholics are not the main targets of the statute, "many
groups, especially Protestants, will be harder hit, as they are not so well
established."