From: John and Kristin Brown < [email protected]> To: < [email protected]> Date: Monday, December 03, 2001 6:37 AM
Hello Randy,
The human rights organization I am affiliated is sending out this press release on human rights violation by the Jehovah's Witnesses. It cites several United Nation human rights documents.---John Brown
December 3, 2001 For immediate release:
Although at certain time Jehovah’s Witnesses have been victims of hate crimes, discrimination, hate-mongering, and other hateful attacks, this group has also violated the basic inherent human rights of others at some point during its 122 year life thus far. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance (Article 18). Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers (Article 19). Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace (Article 26). Jehovah’s Witnesses deny these basic above-mentioned rights. No one who joins Jehovah’s Witnesses can just resign his or her membership. The member has two options. The first is to be thrown out. All who voluntarily leave the Jehovah’s Witness religion are labeled as apostates, and are shunned. The process of voluntarily leaving is called disassociation (Article 18). No one is allowed to express an opinion different from what the spiritual leaders have mandated is from God. If such a one continues to express his or her different opinions to others, he or she may be punished by "reproof," "public reproof," or "disfellowshipping. (Article 19)." Jehovah’s Witnesses used to encourage their members not to pursue a higher education. Those who did were considered less spiritual, or even bothered for pursuing a higher education (Article 26). Jehovah’s Witness no longer have this policy. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not as a whole believe in freedom of religion. For example, they teach that they solely have the absolute truth. No other religion does, and all other religions have been judged by God to die. No member is ever allowed to question any belief of his religion. No member is allowed to go to any other church or religion. No one is aloud to just leave. The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief states: Article 1
1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or belief of his choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. Article 2
1. No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons, or person on the grounds of religion or other belief.
2. For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression "intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief" means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis. Article 3 Discrimination between human being on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations between nations. The Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders deny these basic rights to their members. All Jehovah’s Witnesses have to believe what is labeled as instruction from God, or such ones can be disfellowshipped for apostasy for continuing to express different opinions. We in no way imply that the Jehovah’s Witness religion should itself be shunned or discriminated against because the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities States in article two:
1. Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities (hereinafter referred to as persons belonging to minorities) have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.
2. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life.
3. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively in decisions on the national and, where appropriate, regional level concerning the minority to which they belong or the regions in which they live, in a manner not incompatible with national legislation.
4. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain their own associations.
5. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain, without any discrimination, free and peaceful contacts with other members of their group and with persons belonging to other minorities, as well as contacts across frontiers with citizens of other States to whom they are related by national or ethnic, religious or linguistic ties. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious minority and have the right to teach their religion. What concerns us is certain practices and policies that seem to violate the human right of its members. Jehovah’s Witness discriminate against woman. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women states: States Parties condemn discrimination against women in all its forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women and, to this end, undertake:
(a) To embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle;
(b) To adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women;
(c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination;
(d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation;
(e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise;
(f) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women;
(g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women. Women in Jehovah’s Witnesses are not aloud to hold any office because of God allegedly stated such in the Bible. Woman are taught to be submissive to their husbands even when they disagree with their husbands. The man has the final say on all family decisions. The alleged rape of woman and molestation of minors by certain Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders and other members is a violation of Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. These incidents have been concealed by The Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders. Abuses have also taken place during certain non-public tribunals presided by what Jehovah’s Witness leaders call judicial committees. Asking woman about personal sexual matters, threats, intimidation, and the committee’s violating their own rules are some of the violations. We feel this violates the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This particular convention defines such behaviors stating: "For the purposes of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions. (Article 1)" Because of the Jehovah’s Witness religion’s disposition we feel it also violates the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which states: "For the purposes of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions. (Article 10) Also we affirm that the blood transfusion mandate before it was labeled a matter conscience, and the organ transplant prohibition are violations of basic human rights. Recently the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal entity of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was found to be an NGO of the United Nations, while at the same time teaching that the UN was one of the beast of the Apocalypse. Within a month the discovery and release of this information, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society resigned its status as an NGO. This double standard type behavior is an affront to human rights Again we emphasize that Jehovah’s Witnesses have the right to preach and teach their religion, but we cannot agree with certain policies that apparently violate the basic human rights of its members. If you have any questions please call Approaches To education, Inc at (520) 661-8417.