Christians Fleeing Persecution in Russia Can Stay in Germany

Faced with mounting threats and anti-missionary laws, Baptists win asylum appeal despite supposed constitutional protections in their home country.

As evangelicals increasingly become the target of Russia’s severe anti-evangelism laws, a German court ruled this month in favor of a Baptist family who fled attacks, insults, and threats in their homeland.

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) initially rejected the Russian Christians’ asylum application because it did not consider their persecution to be the result of the Russian government, which guarantees freedom of belief in its constitution, the evangelical news outlet Idea.de reported.

But a Düsseldorf court overturned the decision in early July. The decision cited Russia’s 2017 ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses and concluded that it’s probable for Baptists, as a fellow evangelistically oriented faith group, to suffer government persecution as well. They have been granted the right to stay.

“In general, Germany is very sympathetic to persecuted religious groups, especially to Christians,” Thomas K. Johnson, special advisor for the World Evangelical Alliance’s International Institute for Religious Freedom, told CT. “This is not a precedent; the precedents are already very old. This is a continuation.”

While in Russia, the Baptist family suffered repeated insults, physical violence, and threatening phone calls over their missionary activities, and police refused to offer protection, according to the family’s lawyer, Zaza Koschuaschwili. They said they were followed by young men in black uniforms.

Last year, Pentecostals and Baptists faced the most punishments under Russia’s anti-missionary laws, which bar adherents from sharing their faith anywhere but designated church sites.

The religious freedom news service Forum 18 shared …

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