Isabella

Rustamjon Norov, a 22-year-old Jehovah's Witness from the capital Dushanbe, is being held in the northern city of Khujand awaiting trial to punish him for refusing military service on grounds of conscience. No trial date has yet been set. Prosecutors accuse him of falsifying his medical history to evade military service, charges he denies. He had offered to perform an alternative civilian service, but Tajikistan does not offer this. He faces two to five years' imprisonment if convicted. The Assistant to Saidali Rakhmanzoda Chair of the Supreme Court's Military Collegium, refused to comment on its rejection of Nurov's appeal against pre-trial detention. He also refused to put Forum 18 through on 5 November to the Chair or the Judges who made the decision. He referred it to the international section of the Supreme Court (see below). Asked why Tajikistan still has no alternative to compulsory military service and why the authorities continue punishing conscientious objectors, Khaydar Kadyrov, Chief of the Supreme Court's international section, replied: "I cannot comment on these questions because they are political. Our section is not competent to answer such questions" (see below). The prosecution of Norov comes as another jailed conscientious objector, fellow Jehovah's Witness Jovidon Bobojonov, was freed on 1 November under a presidential prisoner amnesty. He had served nine months of a two-year prison term. His sentence was deemed to run from January 2020, even though he had been in army detention from October 2019, during which time he was tortured. That torture remains unpunished (see below). Shodigul Moyonshoyeva, the responsible official for complaints from citizens at the General Prosecutor's Office in Dushanbe, declined to say why complaints about Bobojonov's torture were not investigated and why the responsible military officials have not been put on trial. "Sorry we are in the midst of disinfection works because of the pandemic," she told Forum 18 (see below). Military service of two years is compulsory for almost all able-bodied young men between the ages of 16 and 27 (see below). Jehovah's Witnesses are conscientious objectors to military service and their beliefs do not allow them to undertake any kind of activity supporting any country's military. But they are willing to undertake an alternative, totally civilian form of service, as is the right of all conscientious objectors to military service under international human rights law. In defiance of its international human rights obligations, and despite repeated requests from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee and UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Tajikistan has not introduced a possibility for a genuinely civilian alternative service to the military conscription imposed on young men (see below). http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2615

In addition, he said, Jehovah’s Witnesses are banned in 34 countries and it is reportedly difficult or illegal to run a humanist organization in over 30 countries. Shaheed said the right to legal identity and citizenship has also been stripped because of religion and beliefs. “Shia Muslims in Bahrain, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and Jehovah’s Witnesses in Eritrea and Russia have had their citizenship revoked or denied on the basis of their religious identity,” he said. “In Vietnam, Hmong and Montagnard Christians have been unable to secure the necessary `house register’ documentation for citizenship. Non-Muslims may not obtain citizenship in Maldives.” In Iran, unrecognized religious or belief groups, including the Baha'is, are unable to access employment, housing, university-level education, health care and social services, including pensions,” Shaheed said. And in Egypt and Malaysia, human rights organizations report that identity cards issued to minorities often fail to display their religious identity leading to discrimination in government services. Full article: https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/world/un-investigator/46MXMZSYGEUYPTXDBD4O5IXR4Q/

I still remember Locking our fingers First cold December with you Our hearts were on fire Young love, desire Don't ask me why, but I knew And after all these years I still catch the old butterflies Tonight, holdin' you close under moonlight Don't want this moment to pass by There's nothing that I wouldn't do One life ain't long enough here by your side I see a future in your eyes The second I saw it, I knew Forever ain't enough with you Head on my pillow Tracing your dimples Life feels so simple with you Don't need to rewind Press, pause, or stop time 'Cause it feels like the first time That you said that you're mine It feels like the first time And tonight, holdin' you close under moonlight Don't want this moment to pass by There's nothing that I wouldn't do One life ain't long enough here by your side I see a future in your eyes The second I saw it, I knew Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough, forever ain't enough Even through times of tears You'll never hear a goodbye 'Cause after all these years I still catch the old butterflies Tonight, holdin' you close under moonlight Don't want this moment to pass by There's nothing that I wouldn't do One life ain't long enough here by your side I see a future in your eyes The second I saw it, I knew Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough with you Forever ain't enough, forever ain't enough Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Ben Harrison / Hanni Ibrahim / Patrick Patrikios / Tomas Mann / Fraser Churchill Forever Aint Enough lyrics © Universal Music Corp., International Roc Nation Music, Stellar Songs Limited, Notting Hill Music Uk Limited, Futurekind Ltd

Helen Marie Zemken, 95, of Johnstown, passed away on October 15, 2020. Born Feb. 17, 1925, and raised by her adoptive parents, Raymond and Nelle Bass, Helen attended Hales Mills and Broadalbin Perth schools. She married Albert Harley Zemken on October 3, 1943, and they were married 61 years. Predeceased by her husband, Helen is survived by their four children, Kenneth, Janet (Ray) Fagan, Nancy Gifford and Rebecca Wandel. Helen had 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her cousin, Arlene Scribner Horton at age 100. Helen was a devoted mother and grandmother who loved any time spent with her family. She also enjoyed sewing, travel, playing cards and games with close friends and family. For 62 years she was an active member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Johnstown Congregation. There will be a virtual memorial service via Zoom on Saturday, November 7, at 1 p.m. https://www.leaderherald.com/obituaries/2020/11/helen-marie-zemken/

In Spanish it is shown in the publications more like a proclamation, an announcement (s) 🤔

A court in Russia has refused to release a Jehovah's Witness, Danish citizen Dennis Christensen, who was sentenced to six years in prison on extremism charges that have been condemned by rights groups in Russia and abroad. The Jehovah’s Witnesses' website said that a court in Russia's western region of Kursk on October 26 refused to replace Christensen's unserved term with a fine despite the fact that the same court had approved such a move in June. Christensen was arrested in May 2017 and sentenced in February 2019. On June 23, the Lgov district court paroled Christensen after he served half of his sentence and ordered him to pay a fine of 400,000 rubles ($5,250) in place of serving the rest of his sentence. However, that ruling was overturned by the Kursk Regional Court and sent for retrial after local prosecutors had appealed the parole, insisting that Christensen had violated prison rules. The religious group's website said that the administration of the penal colony in the town of Lgov in September had labeled him a "malicious violator" of the penitentiary's regulations. According to the website, Christensen was placed in solitary confinement three times as punishment for his refusal to carry out work, due to his medical condition. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-court-refuses-to-release-jailed-jehovah-s-witness-calls-him-malicious-violator-/30915097.html

Allisson Lozz: "Mi religión no obliga a nadie a hacer nada, cada quien toma sus decisiones personales" La retirada actriz pidió a través de las redes sociales que ya no le recuerden su pasado como protagonista de telenovelas y, en un arranque de sinceridad, confesó la secuela que le dejó su paso por Televisa: "No trabajé durante más de 10 años por pánico al trabajo". Volver a estar expuesta al ojo público en las redes sociales tras más de diez años de haberse retirado del mundo de las telenovelas está suponiendo una experiencia agridulce para Allisson Lozz. La que fuera heroína de exitosos melodramas como Al diablo con los guapos abrió hace varios meses una cuenta en Instagram con el único propósito de impulsar su nuevo negocio como consultora de belleza de una importante marca de productos cosméticos, pero la exactriz se ha encontrado con numerosas críticas sobre su decisión de alejarse para siempre del mundo de la actuación, además de preguntas incómodas sobre su pasado en Televisa. "Me encantaría que me dejaran de preguntar todo eso y más en mi cuenta de negocio que es esta. Sé que no pasará, pero me gustaría que entendieran la fea sensación que me da recordar mis tiempos de actriz. Ahora soy muy feliz y que de pronto me quiten mi paz así, no me gusta", dejó claro recientemente Allisson, quien está casada y es madre de dos preciosas niñas. https://peopleenespanol.com/telenovelas/allisson-lozz-asegura-que-no-se-retiro-de-las-telenovelas-por-su-religion/

Jehovah’s Witnesses Launch Campaign, “What is God’s Kingdom?” The magazine, with the cover title “What Is God’s Kingdom?” will be offered free of charge in over 300 languages https://witbanknews.co.za/165886/jehovahs-witnesses-launch-campaign-what-is-gods-kingdom/

NEW YORK — Throughout November 2020, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide will distribute the issue of the Watchtower magazine entitled “What Is God’s Kingdom?” The answer to that question has captivated the attention of people from many different faiths for centuries. Jehovah’s Witnesses will distribute the magazine to the general public, business owners, local and national government officials, as well as court officials. The campaign will proceed using methods in accordance with local health protocols. This may include distributing the magazine and making visits via electronic means. Many people pray for God’s Kingdom to come. But they often wonder what that Kingdom is, when it will come, and what it will do. This magazine explains how the answers to these questions can readily be found in the Bible. We are confident that the Bible’s promises about God’s Kingdom will bring readers comfort and hope for a world free of pain and suffering. An electronic copy in over 300 languages is available on the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, jw.org. ### Contact: Jarrod Lopes jlopes@jw.org (845) 524-0000 https://religionnews.com/2020/11/02/jehovahs-witnesses-initiate-global-campaign/

South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses begin prison work terms Dozens of South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses in suits and ties lined up to enter a prison on Monday -- to begin training as administrators, rather than the jail terms they used to face as conscientious objectors. The South remains technically at war with the North and maintains a compulsory conscription system to defend itself against Pyongyang's 1.2 million-strong army. For decades the only alternative was conviction and jail, and with it lifelong stigma, but in total tens of thousands of conscientious objectors, many of them Jehovah's Witnesses, have been willing to pay that price to adhere to their beliefs. A new scheme for those who object to bearing arms on religious or moral grounds went into effect on Monday, requiring them to work as prison administrators for three years -- twice the length of normal conscription. The first to benefit were 63 Jehovah's Witnesses who arrived at the Daejeon Correctional Facility south of Seoul in cheerful mood, exchanging joyful hugs with family members. The sacrifices of countless people had made his alternative service possible, said Shin Dong-gil, 26. This moment has come to us because of those brothers who faithfully defended their beliefs, he told AFP. It was a marked contrast to the start of normal military conscription, when young men with freshly-shaved heads and tearful eyes bid farewell to their loved ones at the entrance to boot camp. All able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve for 18 months before they turn 30, in a rite of passage that -- while sometimes resented -- can form lifelong bonds with fellow soldiers. Avoiding the duty in a conformist society faced with the world's last remaining Cold War conflict can bring with it employment consequences and lifelong social stigma. But a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018 accepted religious and moral principles as legitimate reasons to oppose military service, paving the way for conscientious objectors to avoid becoming convicts. https://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng_afp?k=20201027040741a

The St. Petersburg prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit demanding that the JW Library application of Jehovah's Witnesses be declared extremist on Google Play and the App Store. This was reported by the press service of city courts. The claim was accepted for production by the Oktyabrsky District Court. As indicated in the lawsuit, the JW Library publishes literature recognized as extremist in Russia. This application is copyrighted by the Pennsylvania Watchtower and Tract Society. The Russian court considered this organization to be the leading one in relation to Jehovah's Witnesses. Application developer - Jehovah's Witnesses ("Jehovah's Witnesses"). The lawsuit noted that the developer's website www.jw.org was banned in Russia and recognized as extremist. Read more: https://zona.media/news/2020/10/27/app

Jehovah’s Witnesses in worldwide campaign JEHOVAH’S Witnesses Worldwide will next month distribute the issue of the Watch Tower magazine titled What Is God’s Kingdom? a topic that has captivated the attention of many different faiths for centuries. BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA The magazine will be distributed to the general public, business owners, local and national government officials, as well as court officials. The distribution will mostly be electronic in accordance with local COVID-19 protocols. “Many people pray for God’s Kingdom to come. But they often wonder what that Kingdom is, when it will come, and what it will do. This magazine explains how the answers to these questions can readily be found in the Bible. We are confident that the Bible’s promises about God’s Kingdom will bring readers comfort and hope for a world free of pain and suffering,” a spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Zimbabwe said yesterday. “Many people pray for God’s Kingdom to come. But they often wonder what that Kingdom is, when it will come, and what it will do. https://thezimbabwedaily.com/news/516202-jehovahs-witnesses-in-worldwide-campaign.html

LUXEMBOURG (CN) — A Latvian child who needed open-heart surgery prevailed Thursday in a religious discrimination case against the country’s Ministry of Health, which refused to sign on off on letting him undergo the procedure in another country where he wouldn’t require a blood transfusion. Names are withheld from the ruling released this morning by the European Court of Justice. It says only that the child was a Jehovah’s Witness who needed surgery because of a congenital heart defect, and that in Latvia the procedure is not possible without a blood transfusion. The boy’s parent requested a form called an S2 that would authorize treatment in Poland — presumably where the surgery can be performed without a transfusion — but Latvia’s National Health Service refused to comply. The family began fighting in court, losing every step of the way before the case reached Europe’s high court in Luxembourg, but ultimately the boy underwent heart surgery in Poland on April 22, 2017 — over a year after he was first denied an S2 form. https://www.courthousenews.com/europes-top-court-rules-for-jehovahs-witness-child-in-medical-bias-case/

Durante noviembre de 2020, los Testigos de Jehová de todo el mundo distribuirán la edición de la revista La Atalaya titulada “¿Qué es el reino de Dios?” La respuesta a esa pregunta ha cautivado durante siglos la atención de personas de distintas creencias religiosas. En un esfuerzo global coordinado, los Testigos de Jehová distribuirán de manera especial esta revista al público en general, empresarios y comerciantes, oficiales de los tribunales de justicia y funcionarios del gobierno local y nacional. La campaña se llevará a cabo de tal forma que se cumplan los protocolos sanitarios locales. Esto pudiera incluir la distribución de la revista y la realización de visitas utilizando medios electrónicos. https://www.elpais.com.co/cali/testigos-de-jehova-inician-campana-global-con-edicion-de-la-atalaya.html

South Korea's Jehovah's Witnesses have refused military conscription, on moral and religious grounds for decades. Instead, church members would accept 18-month jail sentences. Now, following a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 recognising religious beliefs as a legitimate reason to object to military service, members of the faith are finding different ways to serve their country. Obaida Hitto has more. #JehovasWitnesses #ConscientiousObjector #SouthKorea https://www.trtworld.com/video/news-videos/clean-conscience-south-korea-offers-alternative-to-conscription/5f9e80fe46e7130017c18fc2

Jehovah’s Witnesses begin global campaign in November, distribute special magazine online and by mail LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — During the month of November, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide will be participating in a global campaign. You won’t see them preaching door-to-door due to local health guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but instead, sharing a special edition magazine online, through letter writing, and by making phone calls to their neighbors. During this global campaign that began Sunday, Nov. 1, the Witnesses are distributing an electronic and print edition of their Watchtower magazine entitled “What Is God’s Kingdom?” Jehovah’s witnesses feel the answer to that question has been of interest to people of many different faiths for centuries, so they will deliver this magazine free of charge to the general public, business owners, and government and court officials. https://www.8newsnow.com/community/jehovahs-witnesses-begin-global-campaign-distribute-electronic-magazine-in-november/

B.C. Jehovah’s Witnesses launch 'unprecedented campaign' to distribute magazines amid pandemic From masks to social distancing to toilet paper stockpiles, we’ve all suffered hardships and had to adapt to COVID-19 — but has anyone stopped to consider the Jehovah’s Witnesses? The pandemic has temporarily put a stop to their personal doorstep ministries for the first time since the 1800s — but they too are adapting. They’re about to embark on an "unprecedented campaign" to ensure you get a copy of a special issue of its The Watchtower magazine next month. "We're no longer going from door to door, nor are we setting up our information stands on the street," Jehovah’s Witnesses Canada B.C. spokesperson Paul Andersen said. "With this particular campaign, we're making an effort to deliver a personal copy via mail or email, depending on the situation, to elected officials around the world.” They haven’t forgotten about you — they want to get one to every person and business in B.C. in November. "We are known for our public ministry for visiting people's homes and offering to teach the bible in person," Andersen said. "So we're adapting to making telephone calls and writing letters to our neighbours." https://infotel.ca/newsitem/bc-jehovahs-witnesses-launch-unprecedented-campaign-to-distribute-magazines-amid-pandemic/it78140

A NSW court has resolved a dispute over fig trees between the Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Seven Hills and a married couple next door, in a case involving "pipecam" footage and a flurry of letters over the fence. In a decision on September 29, the reasons for which were published this month, Land and Environment Court Acting Commissioner John Douglas found roots in the couple's sewer and and stormwater pipes originated "from one or both of the fig trees" growing in the neighbouring Jehovah's Witnesses property. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses shares a common boundary with the couple's house and the congregation had planted trees in a garden bed near the side of the house in the 1980s, before the pipes were installed. Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/love-thy-neighbour-jehovah-s-witnesses-in-court-fight-over-fig-trees-20201031-p56abv.html

T. THOMAS — Residents will soon be able to access the Watchtower magazine with a few keystrokes on the Jehovah’s Witnesses website. That’s because the a special edition of the magazine entitled “What is God’s Kingdom” will be distributed in both print and electronic format as part of a global campaign that kicks off Sunday and throughout the month of November. “The answer to that question has captivated the attention of people from many different faiths for centuries,” and Jehovah’s Witnesses will distribute the magazine to the general public, business owners, local and national government officials as well as court officials, according to Javier De La Rosa, a local spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses. The printed editions will be mailed out, he said. “Due to COVID-19 we’re respecting both members and the households by mailing the printed edition and not going door to door,” De La Rosa said. “We will make efforts to reach out to business and government officials so that it can be mailed to them.” An electronic copy in over 300 languages will be available on the website at jw.org under the link Library/Magazines. http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/jehovah-s-witnesses-to-distribute-special-issue-of-watchtower-magazine-online-via-mail/article_e19e9ee2-a68e-5fd1-addf-94134de47770.html

She taugth us Patience. When she wanted to use her belt and we ran away she didn't go after us. She patiently waited next to the door saying that at any moment we were going to pass by that door 😄

3 & 6

"I like boys, I like girls, I like both," the actress explained. "I've always kind of gone my own little way, I'm the rogue girl in Hollywood who's just kind of made my own path and not really cared what people think too much." When she was asked what her parents thought about her sexuality, Rodriguez revealed she grew up in a house of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the past, she's said her mother's side of the family all practiced the faith, though she doesn't anymore. "Birthdays and celebrating Halloween are evil. I didn't get to watch Disney movies until I was in my teens because of all the witchcraft," she explained. "My family, I think, at the end of the day they set aside the differences." "As far as spending lots of time with that side of the family, no. I grew up knowing that you're in this alone," she continued. "Your mom gives birth to you, your family takes care of you, but in a sense you have to make your own in the world. For me, to have other people decide what that looks like, I could never live that life." Read more: https://toofab.com/2020/10/14/michelle-rodriguez-bisexual-jehovas-witnesses/

Followers of The Church of Almighty God, Falun Gong, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are kept in camps until they renounce their faith and betray fellow believers. by Chang Xin A transformation through education camp in Xinjiang’s Yining county. According to a document issued in 2018 by the government of a locality in Xinjiang, members of three banned religious groups—The Church of Almighty God (CAG), Falun Gong, and Jehovah’s Witnesses—must be sent to transformation through education camps and kept indefinitely until they have been “transformed,” i.e., become atheist. Their release depends on whether they have implemented five musts. These are a written pledge to stop attending religious activities; relinquishment of all religious materials in their possession; public criticism of one’s faith, promising to break up with it; disclosure of information about fellow believers and group’s/church’s affairs; and aiding the government in transforming other believers. Bitter Winter has reported extensively about members of banned religious groups in China, who are brutally suppressed for their rapid growth and refusal to be controlled by the state, being detained in transformation through education camps. They are indoctrinated and tortured, along with Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. As per the document, these religious believers can be sent to transformation through education camps merely for attending religious activities, possessing religious materials, or refusing to renounce their faith after being arrested. https://bitterwinter.org/banned-religious-groups-members-transformed-in-xinjiang-camps/

Firefighters were called to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Burwood just after 3am. The building was well-ablaze. Meanwhile, other fire crews were called to a small fire in a back room at that Cardboard Cathedral. Firefighters attended just after 3.30am and the blaze was extinguished quickly. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said it was unusual to have two church fires within half an hour of one another. A fire investigator will attend both scenes and police has been notified. In a statement, police told 1 NEWS they there was another fire at Beach Road Cafe in New Brighton early this morning. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/police-investigating-three-suspicious-early-morning-fires-in-christchurch

An enormous and long-in-the-works block-long development in Dumbo keeps chugging along. Located at 85 Jay Street, and called Front & York, the 21-story, 728-unit building will be part rental, part condo and have two swimming pools, one set aside for owners and one for renters, filings show. It topped out in July, according to New York Yimby. The windows are going in and have reached floors two through eight all around the building, a recent visit to the site revealed. The ground floor, usually the last to finish, is not as far along, but the arches facing Jay Street are visible. https://www.brownstoner.com/development/brooklyn-development-85-jay-street-dumbo-morris-adjmi-livwrk-kushner-front-york-condos-rentals/