Moscow, Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Salvation Army, a Christian charity, said it will fight attempts to expel it from Moscow after a court in the Russian capital ruled the organization is a ''paramilitary organization,'' the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The Salvation Army, which uses military-style ranks and whose members are called soldiers, set up in Moscow in 1992. It lost an appeal last week against the court ruling in September.

The charity is being targeted because it ''would not go down the road of paying bribes,'' Lieutenant Colonel Barry Pobjie, the Eastern European commander, told the BBC. The authorities denied this, saying the group isn't properly registered and questioned its use of uniforms and rank.
[...]

''When you see someone in uniform, you ask who's that, a military person?'' Vladimir Zhabankov, deputy head of the Justice Ministry, told the BBC. ''The Salvation Army has all the attributes of a military organization.''

The Salvation Army provides food for the homeless as well as humanitarian aid to almost 900 Moscow organizations including churches, prisons, hospitals and orphanages, the BBC said.

Its work is being hampered and members intimidated by police turning up to services and taking names, U.K. spokesman Major Bill Cochrane told Agence France-Presse. He said the Salvation Army was able to register its 12 other centers in Russia.
[...more...]   [Need the full story? Read this]

More News:
» Latest Religion and Cult News