MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, have arrested members of a Hindu group who protested alleged religious persecution, Russian news agencies reported.
Reports said 10 to 13 members of the Shiva Society were arrested. Belarus authorities could not be reached for comment. In mid-July, another 17 Hindus were arrested.
Hindus oppose a bill passed by the lower house of parliament prohibiting religious groups with less than 20 years' presence in Belarus from publishing literature or establishing missions, and banning organized prayer by denominations with less than 20 Belarusian citizens.
Orthodox churches complain that other religions are poaching converts among people who historically would have been Orthodox adherents.