11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

During 2007 Jehovah's Witnesses reported 3 incidents in Moscow where members engaged in public ministry were attacked by persons to whom they were preaching ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22619]

"There are no legal prohibitions on missionary activities. There was societal pressure against proselytizing by non-Orthodox faiths, and some groups reported that missionaries had been harassed or attacked when proselytizing. For example, during the year the Jehovah's Witnesses reported three incidents in Moscow where members engaged in public ministry were attacked by persons to whom they were preaching. In all three cases, the Jehovah's Witnesses reported the incidents to the police, but the police declined to open criminal investigations. In 2006 the Jehovah's Witnesses reported approximately 50 incidents in which authorities briefly detained their members or other citizens while conducting lawful preaching activities."

Document(s): Open document

14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

5 incidents of physical attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, and 11 incidents of police detention in first half of 2007 ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21216]

"According to Jehovah's Witness officials, there were 5 incidents of physical attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses, and 11 incidents of police detention in the first half of 2007. In 2006 there were 24 physical attacks and 40 cases of police detention."

Document(s): Open document

08.11.2005 - Source: US Department of State

After the 2004 decisions to ban Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow, many local congregations throughout the country reported that rental contracts on their buildings had been cancelled, or appeared to be at increased risk of cancellation ("International Religious Freedom Report 2005") [#38879],  [ID 11494]

"In February 2004, the Procuracy of Moscow's Northern Circuit banned the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that it was a "threat to society," a basis for banning under the 1997 law. Unlike dissolution, which involves only the loss of juridical status, a ban prohibits all of the activities of a religious community. In June 2004, a ban on all organized activity by Moscow's 10,000 members of Jehovah's Witnesses took effect, marking one of the first times that such a ban has been implemented under the 1997 law. Jehovah's Witnesses appealed the ruling, and although the judge admitted that members did not incite violent religious hatred, he did accuse the organization of "forcing families to disintegrate, violating the equal rights of parents in the upbringing of their children, violating the Constitution and freedom of conscience, encouraging suicide, and inciting citizens to refuse both military and alternative service." On May 31, the Witnesses were advised by telephone that a subsequent appeal, to the Presidium of the Moscow City Court, had been dismissed, although as of the end of the reporting period, they had not received official documentation of the dismissal or an explanation of its grounds. The ban, although applying only to Moscow, hasset a precedent for the 133,000 Jehovah's Witnesses practicing in the country, creating nationwide ramifications for the Witnesses.

After the 2004 decisions to ban the group in Moscow, many local congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country reported that rental contracts on their buildings had been cancelled, or appeared to be at increased risk of cancellation. In June 2004, in Sochi, Jehovah's Witnesses were denied access to a meeting venue after the FSB pressured the landlord; the decision to deny access was later reversed and the meeting took place. In Moscow Oblast, which is a separate jurisdiction from the city of Moscow, the Witnesses reported the cancellation of rentals by a hotel conference center, a cinema and a cultural center, each of which previously had been used by congregations of Witnesses.

Some landlords outside of the city of Moscow appeared to believe that they were obligated by law under the Moscow ban to cancel rental contracts with the Witnesses, as seen by incidents in Roshchino (Leningrad Oblast), Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Khabarovsk and Ufa. For example, on March 24, under pressure from his superiors, the Director of the Palace of Culture in the village of Roshchino forced a group of Witnesses to change the venue of a religious celebration that had been scheduled to take place in the palace. In November 2004, the Witnesses reported that the East Administrative Circuit Police Department in Moscow hadordered the cancellation of a series of conventions scheduled for the Universal Sports and Performance Complex. Religious assemblies held by Jehovah's Witnesses were also disrupted or prevented in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Khabarovsk, and Ufa in the period covered by this report. In 2004, in Krasnoyarsk, the Jehovah's Witnesses managed to rent facilities only with assistance from a local expert on religious issues.

In some cases the Witnesses reported that authorities consulted with the Russian Orthodox Church to determine whether to approve their requests. The Witnesses report that Father Valeriy of the Archangelsk Orthodox Eparchy exerted pressure on Archangelsk authorities to prevent the Witnesses from holding a district convention scheduled for August, similar to the Church's influence in Vladimir in 2004, in which venue use depended on approval from a local Russian Orthodox priest. The authorities in Stavropol Kray have not permitted Jehovah's Witnesses to rent appropriate facilities for their district conventions since 2003, when officials cancelled a convention on alleged security grounds, and obstructed another convention to be conducted in sign language for 700 hearing-impaired persons. The Jehovah's Witnesses filed a claim against the police for the disruption of this event, but the trial and appeals courts held against the Witnesses.

On April 7, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court dismissed the claim filed by the city prosecutor to declare invalid the registration of the local Witnesses' organization's title to the unfinished Kingdom Hall in that city. The Witnesses subsequently finished construction of the building and are now able to use it for religious services, although they must still complete their registration of the finished structure and of their right to the land on which it is built. A local Russian Orthodox priest, Fr. Oleg Stenyayev, previously had suggested that the building be confiscated and given to local Muslims, a suggestion to which Vice Governor Georgiy Karlov responded favorably.

In other instances, the Witnesses have succeeded in appeals to overturn dissolution orders issued by lower courts. In November 2004, the Primorskiy Kray Court overturned an October dissolution order issued by a lower court against the Witnesses' organization in the city of Luchegorsk. In October 2004, the Supreme Court of Tatarstan overturned a September ruling by a court in Naberezhniye Chelnye dissolving the Witnesses' organization in that city."

Document(s): Open document

16.08.2005 - Source: Forum 18

Annual regional congress of Jehovah's Witnesses in Arkhangelsk obstructed by police and fire inspector ("Police and fire inspector try to close JW Congress") [#35924],  [ID 11495]

Document(s): Open document

08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Freedom of religion unevenly respected; registration restrictions for the new congregations; Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons frequently discriminated ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41473],  [ID 11496]

"Freedom of religion is respected unevenly in this predominantly Orthodox Christian country. A 1997 law on religion requires churches to prove that they have existed for at least 15 years before being permitted to register. As registration is necessary for a religious group to conduct many of its activities, new, independent congregations are consequently restricted in their functions. Regional authorities continue to harass nontraditional groups, with the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons among the frequent targets. In June 2004, Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned from organized activity in Moscow. Foreign religious workers are often denied visas to return to Russia. In recent years, several Roman Catholic priests have been deported, barred from entry, or refused visa renewals."

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare Krishna's accused as examples of xenophobic cults ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710],  [ID 11497]

"353. A July 2002 Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation", which transferred much of the responsibility for visa affairs from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Interior, appears to have disrupted the visa regime for religious and other foreign workers, contributing to the sharp decrease in the issuance of long-term visas and causing hardship for many groups. The FSB has asserted itself into matters dealing with visas and religion, particularly where groups it views as "dangerous cults and sects" are concerned. For example, an FSB official who acted as the official representative of the country at the meeting on 16 June 2004 of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the Relationship between Racist, Xenophobic, and anti-Semitic Propaganda on the Internet and Hate Crimes presented an official statement that labelled members of Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare Krishna's as examples of xenophobic cults that propagated "fanatical devotion and rejection of other religions" on their Web sites199."

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

Jehovah's Witnesses continue to face legal and/or practical obstacles in conducting their activities in some regions ("Honouring of obligations and commitments by the Russian Federation [Doc. 10568]") [#32710],  [ID 11498]

"358. In its Resolution 1277 (2002), the Assembly regretted the problems of the Salvation Army201 and Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow, but welcomed the decision of the Russian authorities to ensure that the problem of local discrimination and harassment of these religious communities be brought to an end. However, we have to report that to date both organisations continue to face legal and/or practical obstacles in conducting their activities in some regions of the Federation.
[...]
361. Jehovah's Witnesses. On 26 March 2004, the Golovinskiy District Court of Moscow passed a ruling banning activity of Jehovah's Witnesses organisation in the Russian capital under a provision of the 1997 Law that allows courts to ban religious groups believed to incite hatred or intolerant behaviour204. This was confirmed on appeal by the Moscow City Court on 16 June 2004. Notwithstanding the fact that the national office of the organisation was registered before, Moscow courts have found the community guilty of forcing families to disintegrate, infringing rights and freedoms of the citizen, encouraging suicide or the refusal on religious grounds of medical aid to the critically ill, and inciting citizens to refuse to fulfil their civil obligations established by law. The Jehovah's Witnesses became the first national religious organisation to have a local branch banned under the 1997 law. The organisation lodged an application with the European Court of Human Rights the examination of which is pending.

362. Many local congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country reported that the rental contracts on their buildings were either being cancelled or that they faced that risk by landlords. Members of Jehovah's Witnesses reported an increase in these denials after court decisions to ban all religious activity by the group in Moscow, first on 26 March and then on 16 June, were publicised. Some landlords misunderstood the ruling and believed they were compelled by law to cancel rental contracts with the group. In Sochi, in June, members of Jehovah's Witnesses were denied access to a meeting venue after the FSB pressured the landlord; the decision to deny access was later reversed and the meeting took place.

363. We've been also disappointed to learn that this organisation is being prosecuted not only in Moscow city but also in some other regions we visited, in particular in Yekaterinburg where the congress of Jehovah's Witnesses was disrupted last summer by representatives of the local authorities. The Jehovah's Witnesses' local conventions have been also disrupted in Moscow, Vladimir, Khabarovsk, Stavropol Kray, Nizhniy Novgorod, Pyatigorsk, Sochi, and Chelyabinsk205.

364. We call on the Russian authorities of all levels to ensure equal treatment for all faiths under the law. We refer to the Assembly's recommendation to the Russian authorities expressed in Resolution 1278 (2002)206 that the law on religion be more uniformly applied throughout the Russian Federation, ending unjustified regional and local discrimination against certain religious communities and local officials' preferential treatment of the Russian Orthodox Church, and in particular their insisting in certain districts that religious organisations obtain prior agreement for their activities from the Russian Orthodox Church."

Document(s): Open document

19.05.2005 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Controversial court decision deprive Moscow’s Jehovah’s Witness community of its legal status ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2005 (Events 2004)") [#32117],  [ID 11499]

"During the year, a lengthy legal struggle against the Jehovah’s Witnesses ended in an unprecedented decision:
• In a case that was first initiated in 1998, a Moscow local court decided in March 2004 to deprive the capital’s Jehovah’s Witness community of its legal status and to ban its activities under the 1997 religion law. The court found that the community causes families to disintegrate, violates rights of citizens, encourages suicide and incites citizens to refuse both military and alternative civil service. In its decision, the court systematically accepted testimonies by witnesses that expressed attitudes supporting the charges against the community, while rejecting testimonies in favor of it. According to one of the defense lawyers, the decision demonstrated “how little you need in the way of so-called evidence to outlaw a well-known religion.” The decision was upheld on appeal by the Moscow City Court in June, and thereafter took effect. In an open letter to President Putin, the IHF criticized this ruling, saying that it reflected a serious failure to abide by international provisions on freedom of religion to which the Russian Federation has committed itself and could be seen as a sign of profound intolerance towards religious minority groups. The IHF also expressed fear that the ruling would potentially serve as an incentive for further court cases against religious minorities and as a motive for increased harassment of their members.

Despite the ruling, the 10,000 strong Jehovah’s Witness community in Moscow was able to continue its activities. However, its members reportedly experienced growing discrimination. For example, with reference to the decision by the Moscow City Court, property owners denied Jehovah’s Witnesses the right to rent facilities for their meetings, business owners such as publishers refused to sign contracts with Jehovah’s Witnesses and local courts ruled against Jehovah’s Witnesses in custody cases. Also outside Moscow, cases were reported in which the Moscow decision was used to justify discriminatory treatment against Jehovah’s Witnesses."

Document(s): Open document

17.06.2004 - Source: Forum 18

Moscow: all organised activity by Jehovah's Witnesses banned as court appeal fails ("Jehovah's Witness ban comes into effect") [#23359],  [ID 11501]

Document(s): Open document

07.06.2004 - Source: Forum 18

Sakhalin region: Jehovah's Witnesses face campaign by local authorities against their right to gather for worship ("Sakhalin region restrictions on using premises for worship") [#23253],  [ID 11502]

Document(s): Open document

25.05.2004 - Source: Forum 18

Moscow court finds no evidence that Jehovah's Witnesses call for violence, but accepts all other charges (encouraging suicide, forcing families to disintegrate, violating freedom of conscience, etc.) ("Full Moscow court decision slams JWs") [#22500],  [ID 11503]

"In support of the allegation that the Moscow Jehovah's Witnesses infringe the person, rights and freedoms of the citizen, the verdict states that the community determines the type and place of employment for its members (as reflected by "literature," witness testimonies and the conclusion of the court's specialist commission), as well as the regimen of their free time (as corroborated by references given by both members and non-members of the organisation to extensive compulsory missionary activity and a ban on participation in birthday and other celebrations). According to the court decision, this constitutes a violation of the constitutional right to privacy, including that of non-members who are subject to Jehovah's Witness preaching activity.

Quoting the testimonies of several relatives who state that children are monopolised by a Jehovah's Witness parent, the verdict also accuses the Moscow community of violating the equal rights of parents in the upbringing of their children. Similarly, the court states that members of the organisation draw their children into its activity "without taking into account their views, health, interests or personal development," which constitutes a violation of the universal rights of the child.

"By interfering in the private lives of its members, recommending them to choose work not in accordance with their qualifications" and not rewarding voluntary work performed for the organisation, according to the verdict, the Moscow community of Jehovah's Witnesses violates Article 37 of the Russian Constitution, under which "everyone has the right to make free use of his or her abilities for work, to choose an occupation... and receive remuneration for labour."

The court decision also states that the Moscow Jehovah's Witness community violates freedom of conscience, citing a philological and psycholinguistic study which concludes that the organisation "uses methods of psychological control, essentially consisting of the assignment of certain norms of behaviour, thought and emotional attitude."
[...]
The court decision states that the Moscow Jehovah's Witness community also incites citizens to refuse to fulfil their civil obligations established by law - specifically, to refuse both military and alternative service - "by means of its activity, including the distribution of literature." The verdict finds confirmation of this allegation in the testimonies of members of the organisation, their relatives, and experts.

The court found no evidence for another charge contained in Article 14, however: that of conducting extremist activity. According to Russia's 2002 anti-extremism law, this includes the planning, organisation and preparation as well as the execution of extremist acts - in this instance, the incitement of religious hatred in connection with calls for violence. This allegation remained unproven in the court's view because, while forbidding members from participating in the activities of other confessions, Jehovah's Witness literature "does not define negative emotional or behavioural norms in relation to [other] religious organisations, individuals or their representatives." The court similarly failed to identify evidence of conflicts on religious grounds provoked by members of the Moscow Jehovah's Witness community."

Document(s): Open document

13.04.2004 - Source: Forum 18

Several Jehovah's Witnesses congregation's rental contracts cancelled across Russia after Moscow court decision prohibiting all Jehovah's Witness religious activities in the city ("Jehovah's Witness rental contracts cancelled") [#21441],  [ID 11504]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

Developments regarding the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2003 ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19737],  [ID 11505]

"Organizations were required to obtain permits in order to hold public meetings, and the application process had to be initiated between 5 and 10 days before the scheduled event. Although religious gatherings and assemblies did not require permits, in at least one case the Jehovah's Witnesses organization in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was fined for meeting without a permit. (...)

On April 7, a community of Jehovah's Witnesses was able to register after a local court overturned the authorities' earlier refusal. However, the Jehovah's Witnesses have been denied registration in Cheboksary (a city in Chuvashiya) and Tver. A lawyer for the Jehovah's Witnesses noted that registration issues were not the real problem--the real problem was the Moscow community case. In Moscow, efforts to ban Jehovah's Witnesses have led to continuous litigation in several Moscow district courts. Pending the outcome of a court-ordered study to determine the potential negative effects of Jehovah's Witnesses literature on society and a random survey to further evaluate these effects and assess the public's attitudes towards the religion, Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow were not allowed to reregister. Lawyers for the Jehovah's Witnesses organization appealed to the ECHR, which in turn requested a response by September. As a result, they continued to experience problems in leasing space. (...)

Human rights groups and religious minority groups have criticized the Procurator General for encouraging legal action against some minority religions and for giving an imprimatur of authority to materials that were biased against Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and others. (...)

Some local and municipal governments prevented religious groups, including congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and Hare Krishnas from using venues suitable for large gatherings and from acquiring property for religious uses. Representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses reported that in July, despite agreements reached with local authorities for large events in local stadiums in Pyatigorsk and Nizhny Novgorod, police intervened to prevent the meetings, blocking the entrances to several thousand persons in both cases. The authorities cited security concerns. Jehovah's Witnesses reported continuing difficulties obtaining permission to build. Local officials in Sakhalin continued a campaign to deprive Jehovah's Witnesses use of their existing prayer house. The matter remained in the courts as of year's end; meanwhile, the congregation was fined for using the premises. (...)

In May, Jehovah's Witnesses in St. Petersburg organized a meeting of 15,000 followers. After they heard that "anti-cult" activists might try to disrupt the event, Group leaders sought, but did not receive, added police support. Instead, the police tried to cancel the event, claiming the group lacked documentation, but ultimately permitted it to take place. (...)

According to the Jehovah's Witnesses lawyer in St. Petersburg, Jehovah's Witnesses were aware of 70 court cases where conscripts defended their rights not to serve in the military. Of of these 70 cases, 29 were adjudicated in favor of the objector, 17 against, and 23 cases were still ongoing. Also, there were 10 (out of these 70 cases) criminal cases initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses who refused military service. Of these, 2 were convicted, 5 were acquitted, and 3 cases were ongoing at year's end. (....)"

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

Aproximately 10 Jehovah's Witnesses were in the psychiatric hospital in Penza, where doctors were trying to "return to them their mental health" ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19737],  [ID 11506]

"Although there was no indication of a return to the widespread use of psychiatric methods against political prisoners, an NGO cited Sergey Volkov, whom the authorities described as a specialist in "sects," as stating that approximately 10 Jehovah's Witnesses were in the psychiatric hospital in Penza, where doctors were trying to "return to them their mental health." Human rights activists, including Yuriy Savenko, head of the Independent Psychiatric Association of Russia, charged that political considerations had influenced a psychiatric evaluation supervised by the Ministry of Health that led to the determination that Platon Obukhov, a diplomat charged with espionage, was mentally ill. At year's end, Obukhov was undergoing treatment in a psychiatric hospital near Moscow."

Document(s): Open document

06.2003 - Source: Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia

Report on prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses ("Jehovah's Witnesses On Trial In Moscow") [#20128],  [ID 11507]

Document(s): Open document

28.05.2002 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

International Helsinki Federation: Jehovah’s Witnesses were officially registered, but a lawsuit against the community continued throughout 2001 ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: The Balkans, the Caucasus, Europe, Central Asia and North America") [#7145],  [ID 11508]

"The Jehovah’s Witnesses were officially registered with the Ministry of Justice, but a lawsuit against the community continued throughout 2001. The case was initiated by Moscow authorities who aimed at banning the activities of the community because it allegedly incited religious strife, hatred and intolerance, broke up families, infringed upon individuals’ rights and converted minors without their parents’ permission. The “evidence” put forward by the prosecutor consisted mainly of articles from the community magazine The Watchtower that she disapproved of and materials used in Jehovah’s Witnesses meetings throughout the world. After six years of investigation, and two years of trial that had already become farcical due to the lack of concrete evidence, the case continued in early 2002. A revised version of the 1997 law established “the special role of the Russian Orthodox Church.” The Church also continued to be involved in many initiatives to restrict the activities of religious minority organisations. For example, its clerics or bodies served as “experts” on religious matters, which resulted in biased policies and treatment of minority groups."

Document(s): Open document
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