Russia’s Supreme Court has begun hearing a government request to outlaw the Jehovah’s Witnesses and declare it an extremist organisation. The justice ministry has already placed its headquarters near St Petersburg on a list of extremist groups.
An estimated eight million people worldwide are part of the Christian-based movement, best known for going door to door looking for new converts. It has 175,000 members in Russia and 395 branches across the country. As the case began in Moscow on Wednesday, lawyers representing the movement submitted a counter suit, asking the High Court to declare its members victims of political repression and the justice ministry’s action unlawful. The court ruled that this was not part of its jurisdiction, but did not say whose it was, Russia’s legal information agency reported.
The case was eventually adjourned until Thursday. The ministry argues that the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activities “violate Russia’s law on combating extremism” and their pamphlets incited hatred against other groups. Jehovah’s Witnesses representative Yaroslav Sivulsky told the BBC that the movement had nothing to do with extremism and he complained that in every case the courts never really listened to their arguments. One pamphlet quoted the novelist Leo Tolstoy, describing the doctrine of the Russian Orthodox Church as superstition and sorcery, according to BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford.
Russian struggle for Jehovah’s Witnesses The group was founded in the US in the late 19th Century and during Joseph Stalin’s reign of terror in the Soviet Union it was outlawed and thousands of members were deported to Siberia. Other Christian groups were also persecuted. As the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a revival of Christianity in Russia and the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses was lifted in 1991.
Gradually attitudes towards the movement hardened and in 2004 a group was banned on charges of recruiting children and preventing believers from accepting medical assistance. Witnesses take most of the Bible literally and refuse blood transfusions. They are not seen by traditional Christian Churches as a mainstream denomination. In 2009 a report commissioned by prosecutors in southern Russia found that they “undermined respect” in other religions. Human rights group Sova has said that an “official repressive campaign” has been conducted against the movement for years and many of their members have been physically attacked.
Russia’s Supreme Court Begins High-Profile Case Against Jehovah’s Witnesses - jw.org
NEW YORK—Today, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation began consideration of a claim from the Ministry of Justice to liquidate the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The Court announced a recess, and the hearing will resume Thursday, April 6, 2017, at 2:00 p.m.
The Witnesses had filed a counterclaim with the Court on March 30, 2017, against the Ministry of Justice. Today, however, the counterclaim was dismissed by the Court prior to the recess of the hearing. The Court also refused to allow experts to testify about the basis for the claim of the Ministry of Justice and refused to allow those who witnessed the falsification of evidence against local religious organizations of Jehovah’s Witnesses to testify.
The high-profile nature of the case is sparking coverage by international news outlets, including an article in Time magazine posted online on April 4 (“Russian Supreme Court Considers Outlawing Jehovah’s Witness Worship”) and a front-page article in the print edition of The New York Times (“Pacifist, Christian and Threatened by Russian Ban as ‘Extremist’”) on April 5.
“We certainly hope that Russia’s Supreme Court will uphold the rights of our fellow believers in Russia to freely carry out their peaceful worship,” adds David A. Semonian, a spokesman at the Witnesses’ world headquarters in New York. “Millions of people around the world will be watching carefully to see how the case progresses and if Russia acts to protect its own law-abiding citizens who are Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Media Contacts:
International: David A. Semonian, Office of Public Information, +1-845-524-3000
Russia: Yaroslav Sivulskiy, +7-812-702-2691
Source: BBC
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there is nothing wrong with serving our God Jehovah nd doing what he xpcts of us,i also believe tha Witnesses should be left alone,they are peaceful and are doing nothing wrong
WHY ALWAYS WE DO HEAR OF THESE ABOUT THE JEHOVAH WITNESSES? SOME TIMES YOU MEET THEM AND THEIR TEACHINGS CAN TEAR BROTHERS APART THAT IS JW FOR U. THAT IS EVEN MORE THAN THE EXTREMIST. THEIR TEACHINGS DOES NOT FOCUS ON CHRIST, THEY DO NOT TAKE COMMUNION, CHRIST TOOK IT WITH THE DISCIPLES AND TOLD US WE SHOULD DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIM, PAUL DID SAME AND, I HAVE ATTENDED THEIR MEMORIAL SERVICE TWICE, NONE OF THEM TOOK SOME SO WHAT ARE THEY TELLING US. THEY HAVE ALSO PRINTED THEIR OWN BIBLE AND WANTED THEIRS TO BE READ WHEN STUDYING WITH THEM. TOUCHING THE BIBLE MEANS YOUR OWN WAY OF TEACHINGS IS THE ONE WE SHOULD ALL BE TAKING, BUT REMEMBER THAT, THE BIBLE IS DIVINE TOW OR THREE PEOPLE CAN USE THE SAME VERSE WITH A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS,SO WHY CHANGING IT INTO YOURS????? IF YOUR FOCUS DO NOT STATE ON CHRIST THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO U ALL OVER THE WORLD BEGINNING FROM RUSSIA
Indeed,the ruler of the world causing people to flea from the truth,for the Bible says 2 Cor4: 3 If, in fact, the good news we declare is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.Many refuse to even read our publications or talk to us yet they say all sort of bad things about us. Honest hearted one who read our book knows that ,jw teaches that prayer is part of our worship to God,our salvation is made possible by God through jesus's death so this year,(as done every year) we meet to commemorate this death as He instructed-Luke 22:19,20. Because we are followers of Christ we are not part of the world(John 17:14-16;18:36)so the world hate us( mat 24:9)
All these ocurances fulfill the prophecies in the Holy book MATHEW 5: 9-16 Russia Be careful
I think Russian government should live Jehovah people in the country alone. They must know this, they fighting with our greater, the heaven father Jehovah himself.YOU must think better than this. Egyptian King Pharaoh did the same what happen to him? They must be very carefully about dealing with God's people
Has Syrian president been considered an extremist by Russia? This man is using chemical weapon to kill innocent people yet he has never been considered extremist by Russia. The world should be clear on this Putin and Asad are the two main extremist the world have at the moment not the JWS who don't even learn how to shoot a gun and are forbidden to kill even an enemy who threatens their own lives. A little research I have made recently when the issue of banning the JWS came to the fore is that this people seems unique in the world. Because had it been some of these churches we would have seen a lot of demonstrations and probably violence. I would urge The Russian president to assess himself before he hypocritically considered these peace loving people as extremist.
No person, group or human can stop God from expanding his ministry, witnesses are peace loving citizens and should be allowed to serve there Loving God Jehovah.
our brothers are innocent and peaceful, every one knows that, Jehovah will always with them and protect them no matter what happens to be loyal to their faith and give them holly spirit & strength to cope up hardship.
JWs are not extremist. p/s keep on our brother in Russia. Jehovah will be with u and he will showing his hand
Jehovah's Witnesses are the most peaceful people in the world, you guys should live them alone and concentrate on other matters.