Confiscation of religious property in Russia begins

Mythbuster

http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100309.htm

For Immediate Release

March 9, 2010
(Russian)
Confiscation of religious property in Russia begins

TAGANROG, Russia-On March 1, 2010, law enforcement officers closed down and sealed the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Taganrog, Rostov Region.

Confiscation of the building was one of the prosecutor's demands in the judicial proceedings on the liquidation of the Taganrog Local Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. The building was built in 2006 by local Jehovah's Witnesses, who financed its construction and use with their own voluntary contributions. Since then it has served as a center for Bible study and religious services, which were free and open to the public.

Coincidentally or not, the law enforcement officers showed up to close the building the day after Jehovah's Witnesses concluded their distribution of the tract Could It Happen Again? A Question for the Citizens of Russia, which had an estimated circulation in Russia of 12 million copies. That publication quoted excerpts from the address of Russia's president, who condemned the violation of human rights and restriction on freedom that had been allowed in the past.

This is the first case in democratic Russia in which a religious building owned by Jehovah's Witnesses was confiscated. About 60 years ago, houses and property of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were confiscated, and the Witnesses were exiled to Siberia "for permanent residence." More than a decade later, the Order of the U.S.S.R. Supreme Council dated September 30, 1965, finally set them free, and the Order of the RF President dated March 14, 1996, fully exonerated them and declared them victims of political repression.

"Under the Soviet regime," said Vasily Kalin, chairman of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses, "Jehovah's Witnesses first were ostracized from public life and were forced to go underground. Then they were declared to be gloomy sectarians who had chosen for themselves to hide from people. Again we're seeing a similar picture today regarding the Witnesses. While their property is being confiscated under the pretext of fighting extremism, the property that was previously taken from other religions is being returned."

Contact information:
In Russia: Grigory Martynov, telephone +7 812 432 94 70
In USA: Mario Moreno, telephone +1 845 306 0711

Last updated 10 March 2010 16:14:46 GMT

cameo-d

Even though a lot of people may be glad to see this and think it is a step in the right direction....it's still too little, too late. I can't help but think of the fallout this might bring in the attitude of the JWs.

Of course it will feed their persecution complex. And WT will probably find a way to mercilessly capitalize on that.

Even if the Borg was to completely fall apart, there is going to be a lot of emotional and mental collateral damage left behind.

wobble

Whatever one feels about the WT/JW's, this is a regressive step for Russia, it will begin to isolate them from the free World as they were during the Cold War.

Becoming a pariah in the eyes of the international community makes them ever more dangerous.

I hope President Obama is keeping a beady eye on them. I do hope too that they treat all the cults the same, the Moonies etc. it will be interesting to see the Dubs try to prove they are not a Cult.

Love

Wobble

cantleave

This will reinforce the "Satan's World hates us" and will prove counter productive.

Mythbuster

yep

shamus100

Good!

I'm very pleased to see this. Freedom of religion does not apply to cults.

purplesofa

More than 50 Jehovah’s Witnesses arrested in Russia for taking part in a public protest

Some 150,000 volunteers hand out about 12 million leaflets slamming the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, guilty of rejecting to military service and unfriendliness towards other religious groups. For their part, the Witnesses say that history is repeating itself with a return to Soviet-style persecution. Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Between late February and early March, Russian police arrested at least 50 Jehovah’s Witnesses for handing out leaflets that describe how their religious freedom is curtailed. They are especially critical of the way their communities are being persecuted, labelled extremist and criminal for refusing the military draft. On 26 February, the group’s national body launched a campaign to raise awareness about the violence Jehovah's Witnesses encounter in many republics of the Russian Federation. It brought together almost 150,000 volunteers in the streets of Moscow, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Krasnodar, and Volgograd. Protesters handed out leaflets in railway as well as subway stations and at bus stops. Titled ‘Is history repeating itself? A question for Russians’, the four-page flyer quoted extensively from President Dmitry Medvedev’s speeches in which the Russian leader condemns political repression based on religion. Distributed to the tune of 12 million copies, the leaflet noted that the post-Soviet rehabilitation of Jehovah’s Witnesses had “turned to dust.” Fifteen years ago, many veteran Jehovah's Witnesses received a special "certificate of rehabilitation." Now the same people, certificates in their pocket, are being charged as "extremists," forced to go underground. According to Lev Levinson, director of the Institute for Human Rights, the current persecution is the by-product of a perverse interpretation of anti-extremism laws. As a religious group, Jehovah’s Witnesses are accused of being a “sect”, of being unfriendly towards other Churches, of rejecting military service, this despite the fact that Russia’s constitution allows for an alternative civilian service. In their defence, Jehovah’s Witnesses say that they are being forced to organise their campaign because various courts in Russia have banned their publications and outlawed their activities (see “Court in Rostov bans Jehovah’s Witnesses for being religious extremists,” in AsiaNews, 17 September 2009, and “Altai court condemns Jehovah’s Witnesses for “extremism,” in AsiaNews, 5 October 2009) Before that, they had turned to President Medvedev asking for justice (see “Jehovah’s Witnesses write to Medvedev, tell him they are persecuted like in Soviet times,” in AsiaNews, 13 November 2009), but now must try to move public opinion. Following the latest incident, Jehovah’s Witnesses were interrogated after their arrest, their leaflets seized. Most of them were eventually released after a few hours. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/More-than-50-Jehovah%E2%80%99s-Witnesses-arrested-in-Russia-for-taking-part-in-a-public-protest-17853.html

purplesofa

In their defence, Jehovah’s Witnesses say that they are being forced to organise their campaign because various courts in Russia have banned their publications and outlawed their activities (see “Court in Rostov bans Jehovah’s Witnesses for being religious extremists,” in AsiaNews, 17 September 2009, and “Altai court condemns Jehovah’s Witnesses for “extremism,” in AsiaNews, 5 October 2009)

Coincidentally or not, the law enforcement officers showed up to close the building the day after Jehovah's Witnesses concluded their distribution of the tract Could It Happen Again?

Please tell me, was the ban on literature and outlaw of their activities in effect when the witnesses did this campaign of distributing 12 million tracts?

Robdar

This is bad. Very bad.

bluesapphire

Persecution complex being fed. No win sitch.

Confiscation of religious property in Russia begins

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