A homeless shelter run by a young Christian man in Belarus was stripped of its legal status on February 7 after what appears to be a campaign of official opposition to the charitable project.
Aleksei Shchedrov (29), a primary health-care worker, turned his home in the village of Aleksandrovka, into the shelter, and since it opened in December 2011, it has given refuge to around 100 homeless people. He was charged in 2013 for leading an unregistered religious organisation; the authorities took issue with a prayer room at the site, though Aleksei insisted that he was running a charity, not a religious organisation. The case attracted wide publicity in Belarus, and the local media launched a smear campaign against the Christian.
He nevertheless managed to obtain registration for the shelter as a social care institution, and the charges against him were dropped. But after a series of inspections by police and local officials, the centre was stripped of its legal status. The 13 current residents could now end up back on the streets, and Aleksei may again face criminal charges.
