Newsweek: JW wives in Russia send letter to Putin advisor

by OrphanCrow 15 Replies latest jw friends

OrphanCrow

This article is dated June 7, 2018 and is likely a lead up to the bear ripping the JW bible article
http://www.newsweek.com/wives-jehovahs-witnesses-jailed-russia-send-letter-putin-adviser-begging-end-965516
The wives of Jehovah’s Witnesses rounded up and imprisoned in Russia have written an open letter to a top adviser of President Vladimir Putin, asking him to stop the campaign of terror against the religious group.
“This open letter to you is a cry of desperation. People who are very dear to us, our husbands, those who feed us, the fathers of our children, peaceable, honest people, who are always ready to help others, are being thrown behind bars for being suspected of reading Bible commandments and praying together with us and our children,” reads the letter directed to Mikhail Fedotov, a close adviser of Putin and chairman of Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights. The letter is signed by 10 wives of Jehovah’s Witnesses from across Russia.
“In return for freedom and a quiet life, we are being invited to disown our faith. This is not just a figure of speech—investigators have directly invited us to sign documents in order to avoid punishment for ‘extremism’…If the Russian government does not quickly put an end to this growing campaign of terror, the administration will be faced with a nation-wide human rights catastrophe,” the letter continues.
The Russian government labeled the Jehovah’s Witnesses an extremist sect in April 2017, and has since been imprisoning its members and charging them with extremism. Members of the group have had their homes raided by masked men and their places of worship shuttered.
I think someone on Newsweek staff has some intimate connections to WT/org
I notice that Newsweek hasn't reported on this story:
https://meduza.io/en/news/2018/05/29/alexey-navalny-s-campaign-coordinator-in-chelyabinsk-is-reportedly-caught-with-illegal-religious-literature
Boris Zolotarevsky, the coordinator of Alexey Navalny’s campaign office in Chelyabinsk, is having a rough month. Already on a hunger strike while serving a 25-day jail sentence for organizing a local unpermitted anti-Putin protest on May 5, Zolotarevsky is now reportedly a suspect in an extremism case.
On May 29, police apparently found banned religious literature at his home: several books printed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which Russia’s Supreme Court outlawed in April 2017 as an extremist organization. A source confirmed to the news agency Interfax that Zolotarevsky previously filed a request with Russia's draft board to avoid military service on religious grounds.
Police detained more than 200 demonstrators in Chelyabinsk on May 5 — the most in any city, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. In most places where protesters were detained, local law enforcement have responded with misdemeanor charges, but police in Chelyabinsk launched a “hooliganism” felony investigation, which carries a seven-year maximum prison sentence.
OrphanCrow

(thanks to darkspliver for this document)
This is a copy of the letter that was sent:
https://jw-russia.org/sites/default/files/openletter_to_pchr_and_fedotov_en5064.pdf
To the Russian Federation Presidential Council
For the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights
Honorable Mr. Fedotov! Honorable members of the Human Rights Council!
This open letter to you is a cry of desperation. People who are very dear to us, our
husbands, those who feed us, the fathers of our children, peaceable, honest people, who are
always ready to help others, are being thrown behind bars for being suspected of reading
Bible commandments and praying together with us and our children to the God whose
name, as recorded in the Bible, is Jehovah.
As of this day in Russia already 17 individuals are being held in pre-trial detention. One of
our fellow believers has been in custody for over a year. Dozens more believers, in 11
regions of Russia, are under house arrest or are forbidden to leave their cities of residence.
With each passing day, their number is increasing. Taking into account that in Russia there
are 175,000 professing the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, we wonder how many more
dozens, hundreds or thousands of victims of conscience will it take before the unjust
criminal persecution of people for their faith in God is brought to an end.
Under the guise of fighting extremism, many of us, and even our children, have been
threatened with weapons by agents of the special forces and ordered to lie face down. Our
homes have been raided and searched, our telephones and computers have been seized, so
we can’t work or live a normal life. Our family photographs, our passports and other
personal documents, and Bibles have been confiscated. They are trying to force us to live in
fear and shake every time there’s a knock at the door or the sound of a siren on the street,
as we await arrest merely for our faith. Some believers have already been dismissed from
their places of work after many years of faultless work just because the organization of
Jehovah’s Witnesses is banned in Russia. We cannot find the answers to the questions of
why we are being subjected to such harassment in our country, and which religion will be
the next to fall victim after us?
The law-enforcement agencies that are persecuting our husbands for their faith in God
explain that it is because of the April 20, 2017, decision of the Russian Federation Supreme
Court to liquidate all legal entities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.
However, both the Russian Federation Ministry of Justice, during the hearing at the
Supreme Court, and the Russian Federation Government, after the decision was handed
down, officially stated that the court’s decision would not result in any violations of the
rights of citizens to freedom of worship.
The aforementioned decision of the Supreme Court did not ban the religion of Jehovah’s
Witnesses in Russia. It only involved legal entities. So why are the law-enforcement agents
acting in contravention of the will of the government of our country? Who in our country
benefits from the mass repression of religious believers? Why are our relatives being
accused of a serious crime with the prospect of imprisonment from 6 to 10 years for
fictitious extremist activity (Article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code)? Why are the lawenforcement
agents mistakenly interpreting peaceful expression of faith on God for
participation in an extremist organization?
Honorable members of the Council, please help us to receive answers to these questions.
In the face of such monstrous circumstances, we are afraid for our children’s future. The
ground has been laid for children to be torn away from parents, whose faith in God has
been declared “wrong.” News that information on children whose parents are Jehovah’s
Witnesses is being gathered in educational and medical facilities is very worrying. It is not
surprising that virtually every week whole families of our fellow believers are abandoning
everything and fleeing abroad to seek political asylum for the protection of their children.
In return for freedom and a quiet life, we are being invited to disown our faith. This is not
just a figure of speech—investigators have directly invited us to sign documents in order to
avoid punishment for “extremism.” If not, in their words, no attorney will be able to save
us. But we cannot stop believing in God. It is a right that every individual has from birth.
The Russian Federation is a multi-confessional state, and we, as citizens of Russia, have the
right to expect that our rights will be respected by the state. We are not asking for any
special privileges. We are asking for just one thing—please, defend our rights.
Honorable members of the Council! A campaign of terror has been unleashed against an
entire religion, one of the largest Christian religions in Russia. Fundamental human rights
are being trampled on: the right to freedom of worship and personal inviolability, the right
to personal dignity, the right to privacy, the right to the inviolability of the home, to
freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, freedom of worship, the right to private
property.
If the Russian government does not quickly put an end to this growing campaign of terror,
the administration will be faced with a nation-wide human rights catastrophe. We are
certain that you have the power to take action now! We ask that you please pass this
information on to the President of the Russian Federation, and use all possible legal means
to restore the rights of religious believers.
With respect, the wives of men who are being held in custody:
pale.emperor

“In return for freedom and a quiet life, we are being invited to disown our faith.
So i guess JWs dont like being torn from their family because of religion?
StarTrekAngel

They are trying to force us to live in
fear and shake every time there’s a knock at the door
You don't say!!
OrphanCrow

Pale: So i guess JWs dont like being torn from their family because of religion?
It only counts if it affects the "special ones" aka JWs
Star: They are trying to force us to live in
fear and shake every time there’s a knock at the door
You don't say!!
Yeah. That statement reminds of my childhood and of all the stories I have heard about JW children being raised in an environment of fear - fear given to them by the org itself
The more I think about it, the more irritated I am by this letter
The irony is consuming me
Here we have a letter supposedly penned by JW women. How likely is it that these JW women (who can't even touch the sacred elder book) actually wrote this letter on their own initiative? I am going to go with zero probability.
Women have no power whatsoever in making any kind of decision concerning the org and yet here they are - trotted out to be the voice of Russian JWs. When we all know that women can't even pray around men/boys without their heads covered. They can't speak and they can't teach - they cannot do anything without some man somewhere telling them what to do and what to say
This tactic is so misleading - women are being used to gain public approval for the org's actions at the same time that women are treated horribly within the org
Confusedandangry

This tactic is so misleading - women are being used to gain public approval for the org's actions at the same time that women are treated horribly within the org
Very misleading indeed. You hit the nail on the head here.
doubtfull1799

I have taken the liberty of re-writing the letter from our perspective:
To the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses

This open letter to you is a cry of desperation. People who are very dear to us, our
families, those who feed us, the fathers of our children, our mothers, our children, peaceable, honest people, who are always ready to help others, are being SHUNNED and cut off from their family & friends for being suspected of reading apostate material and having a different opinion about God whose name, as recorded in the Bible, is Jehovah.

As of this day in Russia already hundreds of individuals are being SHUNNED. Some of
our family members have been SHUNNED for many years. Thousands more, all over the world, are being SHUNNED or are forbidden to have normal family relationships with those dear to them.
With each passing day, their number is increasing. Taking into account that there
are 8 million professing the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, we wonder how many more
thousands, or hundreds or thousands of victims of conscience will it take before the unjust
SHUNNING of people for their differences in faith is brought to an end.

Under the guise of fighting apostacy, many of us, and even our children, have been
threatened with expulsion and disconnection from our families. Our
privacy and social media accounts have been raided and searched, our reading material has been questioned, so we can’t live a normal life. Our personal photographs, and other
personal documents have been used against us, and our reading materials have been condemned. They are trying to force us to live in fear of God’s displeasure because we question our faith. Some have already been dismissed from their places of work after many years of faultless work just because the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses no longer considers them good associates. We cannot find the answers to the questions of why we are being subjected to such treatment form an organisation that claims to believe in freedom of religion?

Honorable members of the Governing Body, please help us to receive answers to these questions. In the face of such monstrous circumstances, we are afraid for the future of many others who make an honest examination of the truthfulness of their faith. The ground has been laid for children to be torn away from parents, because their faith in God )or lack thereof) has been declared “wrong.”

In return for freedom and a quiet life, we are being invited to disassociate ourselves or face secret judicial hearings where we are not allowed witnesses or other aspects of natural justice. We are not asking for any special privileges. We are asking for just one thing—please, defend our rights.
Honorable members of the Governing Body! A campaign of terror has been unleashed against an
entire group of people. Fundamental human rights are being trampled on: the right to freedom of worship, the right to change or leave ones religion without penalty and personal inviolability, the right to personal dignity, the right to privacy, the right to the inviolability of the home, to freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, freedom of worship, the right to private property.

If the Governing Body does not quickly put an end to this growing campaign of terror,
we will be faced with a global human rights catastrophe. We are certain that you have the power to take action now, and use all possible means to restore the rights of religious believers and those of no religion!
.
With respect, the ex-jw’s whose family’s have been taken from them by the policy of SHUNNING.
AFRIKANMAN

doubtfull1799 - I kinda like this idea !
smiddy3

An excellent OP thread and great comments so far especially doubtfull1799
Drearyweather

How likely is it that these JW women (who can't even touch the sacred elder book) actually wrote this letter on their own initiative?
I think even if the org took the initiative, if all these women have signed it, then that is their voice.
This goes with any petition that we sign, someone takes the initiative and many of them sign it, it's a collective voice.
Women have no power whatsoever in making any kind of decision concerning the org and yet here they are - trotted out to be the voice of Russian JWs.
Yes, they are trotted out because these specific women are the ones impacted by the Russian ban - their husbands are behind bars now. Isn't that the way protests and petitions are made - the victims become the voice? Why was Candace Conti a voice for a child abuse policy changes?
doubtfull1799: I have taken the liberty of re-writing the letter from our perspective:
I don't agree that Russia's banning and criminalizing of JW's is similar to the Shunning policy of JW's.

Newsweek: JW wives in Russia send letter to Putin advisor

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