HDIM.NGO/0340/15
30 September 2015
Jehovah’s Witnesses in
Russia
Religious Freedom Concerns
Statement by the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw
21 September 2015 – 2 October 2015
PersecutionofJehovah’sWitnessescontinuesinRussia
Russianlaw-enforcementagenciescontinuetomisapplythe2006revisedLawon
CounteractingExtremistActivity(“LawonExtremism”)tothereligiousactivityofJehovah’s
Witnesses.
·
·
·
OfficialsinRussiaharass,detain,and
initiatenumerouslegalproceedings
againstJehovah’sWitnessesoncharges
ofextremistactivity.Inreality,the
Witnessesmerelyattendreligious
services,talktoothersabouttheirfaith,
andmakeuseofreligiousliterature.
CustomsauthoritiesseizedRussian
Bibles,allegingthattheNewWorld
TranslationoftheHolyScriptures
“showedindiciaofbeingmaterials…
publiclyjustifyingterrorism.”
Theunrelentingabusesofreligious
freedomrightsintheRussian
Federation(RF)haveprompted
Jehovah’sWitnessestoseekrelieffrom
theEuropeanCourtofHumanRights
(ECHR).
CAUSE FOR APPLICATION
Raids and interference with
religious meetings and places of
worship
Liquidation of LRO
Manifesting religious belief
Censorship and seizure of religious
literature
Website declared extremist
Home searches
28
TOTAL
10
2
3
8
1
4
applications have been
submitted to the ECHR since
2010, most recently in April
2015.
In its Resolution 1896 (2012), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE) called on Russia to “refrain from applying the law on extremist
activities against all religious communities, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Authorities Misapply the Law on Extremism to Criminalize the Activity of
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Since2009,Russianlaw-enforcementagencieshavelauncheddozensofcriminalinvestigations
againstJehovah’sWitnesseson“extremism”chargeswithdamagingconsequences.Thereare
currentlyfouropencriminalcasesagainstWitnessesintheMoscow,Sverdlovsk,andRostov
Regions.
ProsecutorsgenerallychargethevictimsunderArticles282,282.1,and282.2ofthe
RFCriminalCodefororganisingorparticipatingin“extremist”activity.Thesechargescanlead
tostifffinesandimprisonment.
Statement by the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw | 21 September 2015 – 2 October 2015
|1
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS — RUSSIA
Harassment / Criminal Convictions on Extremism Charges
Taganrog,RostovRegion.In2011,officialsinitiatedacovertcriminalinvestigationagainst
Jehovah’sWitnessesinTaganrog,RostovRegion.SixteenofJehovah’sWitnesseswere
subsequentlycharged.Thecriminalindictmentclaimedthatthe11September2009decision
oftheRostovRegionalCourt,whichdeclaredtheLocalReligiousOrganisation(LRO)of
Jehovah’sWitnessesan“extremistorganisation,”hadimposedatotalbanonallreligious
activityofJehovah’sWitnessesinTaganrog.
InJuly2014,aftera15-monthtrial,theTaganrogCityCourtconvicted7ofthe16Witnessesof
“extremist”activityunderArticle282.2oftheRFCriminalCodesimplyforholdingpeaceful
religiousservices,asJehovah’sWitnessesdoworldwide.Theywereorderedtopayfinesofup
to100,000rubles(1,315euros).ThecourtalsoconvictedfourofthesevenunderArticle
150(4)oftheCriminalCodeforconductingreligiousmeetingsatwhichminorswerepresent—
actually,childrenattendingwiththeirparents.Thecourtsentencedthesefourtomorethan
fiveyears’imprisonment.However,thetrialcourtsubstitutedthefinesandtheprisonterms
withconditionalsentences,andacquittedtheremainingnineWitnesses.
Inreachinghisdecision,thetrialjudgestatedthatcongregationsofJehovah’sWitnessesin
Taganrogareforbiddento“prepareandholdreligiousservices,religiousmeetings,and
religiousevents”andto“obtainordistributereligiousliterature.”
TheRostovRegionalProsecutorappealedthedecision,demandingaretrialandrequestingthat
thecourtimprisonthefoureldersandimposeguiltyverdictsonthenineWitnesseswhohad
beenacquitted.On12December2014theRostovRegionalCourtheardtheappealandordered
aretrial,concludingthatthefoureldersreceivedan“excessivelylenientsentence”andthatthe
nineWitnessesacquittedof“extremism”were“groundlesslyacquitted.”Theretrialbeganon
22January2015andisstillinprogress.
Legal Recognition Withdrawn
Samara,SamaraRegion.TheauthoritiesinSamaraaremimickingthepatternsetby
TaganrogauthoritiestorestricttheactivityofJehovah’sWitnesses.Theyliquidatedthe
Witnesses’SamaraLRO,labellingitanextremistorganization.
InJanuary2014,fourofficialsposingaselectriciansenteredarentedbuildinginSamarathat
Jehovah’sWitnessesuseforworshipandconductedaclandestinesearchofthepremisesafew
hoursbeforeareligiousmeetingwasscheduledtobegin.WhenthefirstWitnessarrived,the
officialspresentedhimwithasearchwarrant.Duringthesearch,they“found”aplasticpackage
containingsevenpublicationsthatareontheFederalListofExtremistMaterials.The
Witnessesmaintainthattheofficialsplantedthepublicationsduringthesearch.
TheSamaraProsecutor’sOfficefiledadministrativechargesagainsttheLRO.Thecourtsfound
theLROguiltyandfinedit50,000rubles(658euros)forstorageofextremistpublicationswith
theaimofmassdistribution.TheSamaraRegionalProsecutorthenorderedthesuspensionof
theLRO’sactivityandfiledaclaimwiththeSamaraRegionalCourttoliquidatetheLROfor
extremistactivity.On29May2014,theregionalcourtruledtoliquidatetheLROasan
extremistorganization,andon12November2014,theRFSupremeCourtupheldthatdecision.
Abinsk,KrasnodarTerritory.On25December2014,hearingsbeganinacasetoliquidatethe
LROofJehovah’sWitnessesinthecityofAbinsk,KrasnodarTerritory.TwoofJehovah’s
WitnessesfromAbinskwerechargedforallegedlydistributingextremistpublications.
However,thetwoWitnesseswerenotmembersoftheLROatthetimeoftheirallegedoffenses.
On4March2015theKrasnodarTerritorialCourtgrantedtheprosecutor’sclaim,declaredthe
AbinskLROan“extremistorganisation”,ordereditsliquidation,andorderedthatits
Statement by the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw | 21 September 2015 – 2 October 2015
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS — RUSSIA
property—whichincludestheplaceofworshipforJehovah’sWitnessesinAbinsk—be
transferredtotheState.TheLROandthetwoWitnessesappealedtotheRussianFederation
SupremeCourt,buttheCourtdismissedtheirappealson5August2015.
Misapplication of the Law on Extremism to Religious Literature
“Extremism”usedasapretexttoliquidateLROs.SinceSeptember2009,Russiancourts
havedeclared80publicationsofJehovah’sWitnessestobeextremistandhaveaddedthemto
theFederalListofExtremistMaterialsmaintainedbytheMinistryofJustice.
Russianlaw-enforcementagenciescommonlyusethesecourtrulingsasapretexttoinvestigate
andprosecuteindividualWitnesses.Law-enforcementofficers,includingFSBagents,raidthe
privatehomesandplacesofworshipofJehovah’sWitnesses,lookingforextremistactivityor
extremistliterature.Followingtheseraids,localauthoritiestheninitiateadministrativecases
againstLROsandindividualWitnessesfordistributing“extremist”publications.These
prosecutionsfollowthesamepatternsetbytheauthoritiesinliquidatingtheLROsinTaganrog
andSamara.
Importofallreligiousliteraturedenied.SinceMarch2015,RussianFederationcustoms
officialshaverefusedtoallowanyliteraturepublishedbyJehovah’sWitnessestobeimported
intothecountry,regardlessofwhethercourtshavepronounceditextremistornot.This
includesaconsignmentofBiblesthatwasdetainedon14July2015.
Biblesseizedandinvestigatedfor“justifyingterrorism.”On
13August2015,customsauthoritiesimpoundedtheshipmentof
Bibles—2,013copiesoftheNewWorldTranslationoftheHoly
Scriptures.Intheirdecision,thecustomsauthoritiesstatethat
theBibles“showedindiciaofbeingmaterialscontainingcallsto
carryoutextremistandterroristactivityorpubliclyjustifying
terrorism.”
Banofthejw.orgwebsite.Russiaistheonlycountryintheworldtobanjw.org,theofficial
websiteofJehovah’sWitnesses.Thebanbecameeffectiveon21July2015,whentheRussian
FederationMinistryofJusticeaddedjw.orgtotheFederalListofExtremistMaterials.Internet
providersthroughoutRussiahaveblockedaccesstothewebsite,anditisacriminaloffenseto
promoteitfromwithinthecountry.
On7August2013,theTsentralniyDistrictCourtofTverpronouncedtheofficialwebsiteof
Jehovah’sWitnessestobeextremist.SincethecourthadnotnotifiedJehovah’sWitnessesof
thehearing,theyappealed,seekinganopportunitytodefendthemselveslegally.
On22January2014,theTverRegionalCourtgrantedtheappealofJehovah’sWitnesses,
reversedthedecisionofthetrialcourt,andrejectedtheprosecutor’srequesttodeclarethe
websiteextremist.However,theWitnesseswerenotinformedthattheRFDeputyProsecutor
GenerallaterfiledanapplicationtotheRFSupremeCourtdemandingthereversalofthe
appealdecision.
On2December2014,theSupremeCourtheardtheprosecutor’scassationappeal.Becausethe
CourthadnotproperlynotifiedJehovah’sWitnessesofthehearing,theywereabsentwhenthe
SupremeCourtgrantedtheapplicationoftheDeputyProsecutorGeneralandreinstatedthe
trialcourtdecision,therebydeclaringjw.orgtobeextremist.Thedecisioncameintoforce
immediately,andthewebsitewaslateraddedtotheFederalListofExtremistMaterials.
Statement by the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw | 21 September 2015 – 2 October 2015
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS — RUSSIA
Positive Developments
Jehovah’sWitnessesofMoscowv.Russia.In1996,theMoscowprosecutor’sofficebegana
campaignagainsttheMoscowCommunityofJehovah’sWitnesses(MoscowCommunity).After
fivecriminalinvestigationsandtwotrials,theGolovinskiyDistrictCourtliquidatedthe
MoscowCommunityandbanneditsactivityinMarch2004.
On10June2010,theECHRruledthattheliquidationoftheMoscowCommunityandbanning
ofitsactivityviolatedtheEuropeanConventiononHumanRightsandFundamental
Freedoms.—Jehovah’sWitnessesofMoscowv.Russia,no.302/02,10June2010.
Authoritiesrefusedtore-registertheMoscowCommunity,sotheWitnessesmadeseveral
attemptstoregisteranewlegalentity.On27May2015,theMoscowCityDepartmentofthe
MinistryofJusticeissuedacertificateconfirmingtheregistrationofthenewentity.
Jehovah’s Witnesses respectfully request that the Russian Federation to:
(1) Abide by the PACE Resolution 1896 (2012) and the 31 March 2015 concluding
observations of the UN Human Rights Committee: Refrain from misapplying the law
on extremist activities to Jehovah’s Witnesses, and terminate all legal cases and
criminal investigations against Jehovah’s Witnesses based on extremist charges
(2) End the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Taganrog, Samara, Abinsk, and
elsewhere
(3) Remove all publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses from the Federal List of Extremist
Materials
(4) Ensure that Jehovah’s Witnesses can peacefully enjoy freedom of religion and
assembly without further illegal police interference
Representatives of Jehovah’s Witnesses welcome the opportunity to engage in a
constructive dialogue with representatives of the Russian Federation government.
For more information:
PleasecontacttheOfficeofGeneralCounselofJehovah’[email protected]
Scan the QR code below to learn more about legal
developments and human rights affecting Jehovah’s
Witnesses in Russia.
Scan the QR code below to view the video report,
“Retrial of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Taganrog—When
Will the Injustice End?”
Statement by the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw | 21 September 2015 – 2 October 2015
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