In September 2019, the Branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses and a number of kingdom halls in São Paulo Brazil were raided by the Police, in search of documentary evidence of criminal activities relating to child sexual abuse. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the raid was unlawful. Below is a translation of the Court of Justice determination. They lost their appeal. The investigation into Jehovah’s Witnesses handling of child abuse at a branch level is ongoing.
Read all here: https://avoidjw.org/en/news/csa/brazil-watch-tower-raid-unlawful/
Brazil: Watch Tower claim raid on premises unlawful
by Antonio_Madaleno 22 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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Antonio_Madaleno
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Fadeaway1962
Thanks hopefully justice for all the victims.
The authorities seem to be aware of how the JWs handle and try and hide child abuse and failure to report to the police etc.
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Biahi
Next raid, Warwick, NY, I hope.
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Still Totally ADD
After reading this it reminds me of a BOE letter we received back in the 90's about police raids on the kingdom hall. It gave us complete details on keeping the police from the elders file cabinet. To the point of stalling the police by questioning them on the search warrant, calling the wt. lawyers, locking the doors to the file cabinet and if we have to physically hide or secretly get the files out of the hall.
Of course back then I believe it was a righteous warfare. Now I know the real reason. Still Totally ADD
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Jofi_Wofo
Harboring child molesters = religious freedom.
Protecting children = unlawful.
Honestly, fuck this religion. I can't believe I ever gave it the benefit of the doubt.
If Yahweh is real, he deserves better than this, but even if he isn't, the children absolutely do.
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Vidiot
Don’t forget guys...
...going around poking people in the eye with a stick and then whining when you get smacked for it doesn’t make you “persecuted”...
...it just makes you an asshole.
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LongHairGal
STILL TOTALLY ADD:
Regarding the hiding of files: this was mentioned in the recent two-part Oxygen special about the Witnesses on TV.
In part 1, there was the incident where they went to serve a warrant on that hall to get files..and when they got inside the elders’ file cabinet was empty. When they left they got an anonymous phone call to go back immediately and serve the warrant again. They did so and the files were there! Somebody obviously hid them and moved them back when they thought the coast was clear.
In part 2, one of the ex-JWs interviewed admitted that they were instructed to shred files! So, there you have it. They either hide or destroy evidence.
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ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara
And not turning over sexual predators and criminals over to the law is very lawful !
Having ones own ideas of what is lawful and not lawful , making it always play in their favour ! If not it is persecution!
Zing
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Anders Andersen
They have have made a similar legal complaint against the DA in The Netherlands.
The Dutch branch and some KH were raided last year too, in search for evidence related to child sex abuse accusations.
Dutch JW have now started a court case because they claim these raids are a violation of the clergy-penitent privilege.
On the first court day JW asked for a stay of proceedings, because they needed to study the response that the DA's office wrote to the JW complaint.
So far I'm not aware they have scheduled a new court date yet.
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Vidiot
It's funny...
...back in the day, the Org would just quietly pay whatever settlement or fine was required, and stay under the radar.
Seems these days, however, they're far more inclined to hit back in the form of counter-suits, DCMA takedowns, and the like.
This suggests a couple things to me...
...that at this point in time, they've become self-deluded enough (in their own righteousness, or at least in their ability to afford it) that they can't imagine they'll lose...
...and/or...
...they've become so desperate to hide the scope of their problems (particularly from the rank-and-file), that they're willing to risk severely embarrassing public defeat in the slim hope that they'll...
a) ...get lucky and put off the inevitable for another year, or...
b) ...that Jehovah - seeing how much they're being "persecuted" at the hands of "Satan's World", will step in and grant His "Exclusive Organization" victory by miraculously snatching it from the jaws of certain defeat - up to and including kicking off the Great Tribulation (something that, I might add, is strongly implied - if not spelled out explicitly - in WT eschatology*).
Now...
...who here thinks that the situations described above are recipes for the Org's future success?
...
*Conveniently forgetting, of course, that according to that very selfsame eschatology, "Babylon the Great" is supposed to be attacked first...