bruceq

4/17/2017 ON DOCUMENT BEFORE THE BAN

HEY WE BOTH POSTED THE SAME SCRIPTURE AT THE SAME TIME LOL

: "17 No weapon formed against you will have any success,+And you will condemn any tongue that rises up against you in the judgment.This is the heritage* of the servants of Jehovah,And their righteousness is from me,” declares Jehovah.+ ISA 54:17 7 He will not fear bad news.+נ [Nun]His heart is steadfast, trusting in Jehovah.+ס [Samekh] 8 His heart is unshakable;* he is not afraid;+ע [Ayin]In the end he will look in triumph on his adversaries.+ PSALM 112:7,8 18 And you will be brought before governors and kings+ for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations.+ MATT. 10:18

JUST FOUND OUT DVORKIN IS AN "ANTI-CULTIST" AND IS PART OF THE "MINISTRY OF JUSTICE" OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION - NO WONDER JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES DID NOT GET ANY JUSTICE FROM THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE : RUSSIA | CHURCH [ back ] Photo via blagovest-info.ru Alexander Dvorkin heads the new commission on religion On 3 April, Alexander Dvorkin, the Russian priest most famous for the defamation of religious groups not belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Orthodox faith, was elected Chairman of the Justice Department’s “Commission for the Implementation of State Expertise on Religious Science”, reports Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. This committee had been officially founded a month earlier on 3 March. Dvorkin, a US citizen and according to some reports a 1983 graduate of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood/New York, is a self-avowed specialist on the cults. He is known for the broken glass and other acts of vandalism committed against religious buildings following in the wake of his public appearances across Russia. The result of his election was a vociferous and immediate outcry from academic experts on religion and others acknowledging the multi-ethnic and multi-religious character of Russian society. Citing Russian literature, the religion expert Michael Sitnikov compared Dvorkin’s election to “authorising the donkey to guard the vegetable patch”. http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue5494.html SEE ALSO PG. 79 OF THE BOOK "BELIEVING IN RUSSIA RELIGIOUS POLICY AFTER RUSSIA BY FAGAN :

AND NOW THE U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM HAS STATED: “The Russian government’s latest actions appear designed to eliminate the legal existence of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. If the Supreme Court rules in April that this group is ‘extremist’ it would mark the first time that Russia legally has banned a centrally-administered religious organization and would effectively criminalize all Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activity nationwide. USCIRF calls on the Russian government to stop its harassment of this peaceful religious group.” http://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases/russia-russia-suspends-jehovah-s-witnesses AND NOW JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ARE BANNED IN RUSSIA. Society April 20, 2017, 20:34 Ivan Ovechkin The State Duma will examine the Court's decision, "Jehovah's Witnesses" Legal precedent will develop new laws to protect the rights of believers The State Duma will examine the Court's decision, "Jehovah's Witnesses". Legal precedent will develop new laws to protect the rights of believers, told "Izvestia" of the Civil Society Development of the State Duma Committee, the issues of public and religious associations Sergey Gavrilov. "It's a legal precedent, even though we no case law, but it is important to examine the details of the case, that we once took the decision to protect the rights of believers. We have adopted a number of amendments to the anti-extremist legislation. If you remember, the Russian parliament passed an amendment relating to the limitation antilegal missionary. Therefore, it is important to study this matter, because we may in the future have to use it in their law-making ", - said Gavrilov. In his opinion, Russia has a lot of religious organizations whose activities are under question. "All organizations that we exist, except for the traditional religions, should be investigated for the protection of the interests of traditional morality, traditional Russian values, institutions respect for the family's neighbor care and love for the Fatherland. In my opinion, a lot of organizations today do not meet these criteria, "- said Gavrilov. Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court of Russia declared the Russian representation of "Jehovah's Witnesses" extremist organization and banned its operation in the country.

ALSO SEE THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ABOUT THIS HERE: http://articles.latimes.com/2001/feb/24/news/mn-29749 FROM 2001 THE RUSSIAN "EXTREMISM" LAWS WERE "DESIGNED" SPECIFICALLY TO TARGET AND ELIMINATE "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: EVIDENCE: Extremism laws[edit] The 2002 Law on Extremism, amended in July 2006, can affect religious groups, particularly Muslim groups, by criminalizing a broad spectrum of activities. For example, Mansur Shangareev was convicted of extremism and sentenced to 2 years in prison for "actively adhering to a radical trend of Islam" that claimed superiority over mainstream Islam, and for making "remarks to Muslim girls about their immodest dress," among other things. The 2006 amendments allow some charges of extremism where people are alleged to have defended or expressed sympathy with other individuals already charged with extremism. Laws against extremism have been tightened over time. The 2016 Yarovaya Law, named after politician Irina Yarovaya, extends the legal restrictions against extremism to include evangelism by minority faiths.[4][5][6][7] On May 5, 2015, customs authorities in Russia seized a shipment of religious literature containing Ossetian-language Bibles published by Jehovah's Witnesses. Russian customs officials in the city of Vyborg held up a shipment of 2,013 Russian-language copies of Bibles on July 13, 2015. Customs authorities confiscated three of the Bibles, sent them to an "expert" to study the Bibles to determine whether they contained "extremist" language, and impounded the rest of the shipment.[8] On July 21, 2015, the Russian Federation Ministry of Justice added Jehovah's Witnesses' official website to the Federal List of Extremist Materials thereby making it a criminal offense to promote the website from within the country and requiring internet providers throughout Russia to block access to the site.[9][10] On March 23, 2017, the Russian News Agency TASS reported, "Russia's Justice Ministry has suspended the activities of the religious organization calling itself Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia due to its extremist activities."[11] The Supreme Court of Russia is scheduled on April 5 to hear a request by the Russian Justice Ministry to declare Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist organization. If adopted, the ruling would ban the organization's activity across Russia and result in seizure of their property.[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_Russia

EVEN BEFORE THE 1997 ANTI-CULT GROUP I HAVE INVESTIGATED THAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC POPE HIMSELF AND ARCH-BISHOP KIRILL OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF RUSSIA JOINED FORCES TO BEGIN THE ELIMINATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES DURING THE BREAK-UP OF THE SOVIET UNION !!! The Archbishop Cannot Cope! LAST year, a consistory (solemn council of cardinals) was organized to discuss certain matters that are of great concern to the Catholic Church. One of these, according to the newspaper Il Sabato, is “the aggressiveness of the sects.” However, the newspaper said: “It should be no problem for the cardinals to reach agreement on this point. All are in accord that there is a need for a more in-depth study of the phenomenon of new religious movements and also a need to prevent, as far as possible, their expansion.” Evidently, though, “the aggressiveness of the sects” is not just a problem in Italy. Il Sabato reports: “While visiting the Vatican recently, Archbishop Kirill of Smolensk [one of Russia’s oldest cities] . . . asked the pope for ecumenical aid in coping with the overwhelming growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses and similar groups in the Soviet Union.” In the first century, leaders of established religion had similar complaints when Christianity was spread aggressively by its adherents. On one occasion indignant Jews complained to the city rulers: “These men that have overturned the inhabited earth are present here also”! (Acts 17:6) Back then, religious leaders tried hard to stop the spread of Christianity, but they failed. Today also, any effort to stop the spread of true Christian doctrine is doomed to failure. God himself promises: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success, and any tongue at all that will rise up against you in the judgment you will condemn. This is the hereditary possession of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from me.”—Isaiah 54:17. SOURCE : 8/15/1992 WATCHTOWER IN 1998 THIS ANTI-CULT GROUP TOOK JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES TO COURT IN RUSSIA BUT LOST THE CASE. HERE IS EVIDENCE FROM 1997 ABOUT THIS GROUP: "Dangerous" sects named VICTIMS OF SECTS Argumenty i fakty, 4 December 1997 Question: I read somewhere that there is some committee for rescuing youth from false religions. From which specific religious organizations and by what means does this committee "save" our youth? Z. Fomicheva, Ekaterinburg Answer: The Committee for Rescuing Youth from False Religions was created by persons who had suffered one way or another from totalitarian sects. In comprises both relatives of young people who have fallen under the influence of destructive cults and sectarians themselves. Former sectarians, of course. The committee actively participated in the development of the State Duma's new law on freedom of conscience. Each member of the committee "specializes" in a particular religious organization and provides advice and counsel regarding it. The victims of destructive cults principally need psychological help, but we still do not have this mechanism in place. Incidentally in the USA such organizations have operated for twenty years already, like the American Family Fund and the Network for Information about Cults. Their work includes counseling and psychological rehabilitation of sectarians. The Committee for Rescuing Youth considers that the most dangerous sects operating on Russian territory include "Unification Church" (the official name is the Association of the Holy Spirit for Unification of World Christiaity), "Church of Scientology," "Jehovah's Witnesses," "Church of Christ," "International Society of Krishna Consciousness," "Aum Shinrikyo," "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Mormons), "Church of the Final Covenant" (Vissarion), "Mother of God Center," and "The Family" (also known as Children of God). It is also possible to mention "Union of Independent Christian Missionary Societiet," "White Brotherhood," "Witness Li," and "The Spiritual Center of Satora." (tr. by PDS) http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/9712a.html MOSCOW COURT VINDICATES JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AFTER YEARS OF PERSECUTION; Effort to outlaw the group is dismissed. Action called a victory for religious freedom. by Robyn Dixon Los Angeles Times, 24 February 2001 Earlier generations of Yaroslav Sivulsky's family were persecuted as Jehovah's Witnesses in the Soviet Union, and then the state still sought to ban the group as a dangerous cult--even in democratic Russia. Finally, in what was called an important victory for religious freedom in Russia, Sivulsky saw justice done Friday when a Moscow court threw out a case that sought to outlaw the group in the capital. In 1998, an anti-cult group called the Committee to Save Our Youth pushed for action against the Jehovah's Witnesses. Prosecutors in Moscow's northern district launched the case in early 1999 based on Russia's controversial 1997 law on religion, designed to limit the activities of foreign religious organizations. For Sivulsky, the case was a flashback to the repressive Stalin regime 50 years ago when his parents, grandparents and thousands of other Jehovah's Witness families were exiled to Siberia. His father got seven years in a labor camp, he said. "The accusations were basically the same," he said Friday. "The accusation was that their religion ran counter to the ideology of the Communist Party." Sivulsky, 33, was jailed for 18 months in 1987 for refusing to serve in the Soviet army. Believers do not accept blood transfusions, refuse to salute any national flag or do military service. "In court in 1987 , I refused the services of a lawyer because the lawyer, the prosecution and the judge all played on the same team against me," he said. Prosecutors in 1999 took action to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses under an article in the religion law aimed at cults, which can be outlawed for splitting families, inciting religious discord, encouraging suicide or denying medical care to the critically ill. "Today's decision sends a very important and optimistic message to other religions and confessions trying to practice in Russia," said Sivulsky, who is spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. "Russian society is not prepared to go back to totalitarian thinking," he said. "It is impossible to prohibit freedom of religion, freedom of association and freedom to speak to people, which is basically what the prosecution was demanding." Human rights groups welcomed Friday's decision but cautioned that harassment of many religious groups by bureaucrats and police remains common in Russia. Advocates of religious freedom feared that a successful prosecution against the Jehovah's Witnesses would have opened the gates to similar actions against many other religious groups struggling to operate in Russia. The court called in five experts to examine the literature of the Jehovah's Witnesses before the judge dismissed the prosecutor's case for the ban. "It's a very important test case. It sets the standards for how much evidence you have to produce to ban a group like this," said Diederik Lohman, director of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch. "The fact that all the literature had to be examined by experts sets a precedent for the way cases like this are to be dealt with." The Jehovah's Witnesses group was founded in the late 19th century in the U.S. and appeared in Russia several years later. It now claims to have 250,000 followers here. Galina Krylova, a lawyer for the group, said the Moscow case was based on absurdities. She cited a "stupid accusation that my clients don't celebrate the Russian Orthodox Christmas--but Muslims or Jews don't celebrate it either." Russian Orthodox Deacon Andrei Kurayev, professor of theology at St. Tikhon's Institute and Moscow State University, insisted that it was clear that the Jehovah's Witnesses are "a totalitarian sect" that must be resisted strongly by the Orthodox Church's anti-missionary program. "This sect tries to control people's consciousness," he charged. "They very strictly limit all the information that their followers get. Thus, they are a threat not only for the state but for individuals as well." But he said he feels that it is up to the Orthodox Church to struggle against such groups. "We should work hard and struggle for people's souls rather than wait for courts to ban them," he said. The Russian Orthodox Church, which bitterly opposes missionary activities, was one of the main proponents of the 1997 religion law, which forced many denominations to go through a difficult registration process. The only ones excused were those defined as "traditional" to Russia: Russian Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/0102f.html EVIDENCE IS HERE THAT THE ANTI-CULT GROUP WERE INVOLVED IN THE VERY LAWS THAT ARE NOW USED TO CURTAIL AND NOW BAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. OF COURSE THIS WILL BE A "PRECEDENT" AGAINST ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS AS THE STATE DUMA JUST SAID YESTERDAY !!!

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/russia-bans-jehovahs-witnesses-after-religious-right-hailed-putin-as-christian-hero/ BTW FRANKLIN GRAHAM IS THE SON OF BILLY GRAHAM AND President and CEO, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association SO ANYONE KNOW ANY BAPTIST OR OTHER EVANGELICAL BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THIS WITH. QUITE REVEALING. {ALSO THIS IS WHERE MUCH ANTI-CULT INFO COMES FROM AND ANTI-CULT APOSTATES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED IN RUSSIA AS WELL AS DOCUMENTED IN THAT ONE OF THE BOOKS CONFISCATED DURING A RAID HAD BEEN PLANTED IN A KINGDOM HALL WAS FROM AN ANTI-CULT GROUP THAT WAS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH.] AS YOU CAN SEE "BABYLON THE GREAT" IS ALL UNITED AGAINST THE TRUE WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH

Russia Bans Jehovah’s Witnesses After Religious Right Hailed Putin As Christian Hero By Brian Tashman | April 21, 2017 11:27 am For years, American Religious Right activists praised Russian president Vladimir Putin as a champion of Christianity and conservative morality, even as his government was taking steps to curb the rights of religious minorities, including evangelical Christians and groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses. Putin even sponsored militias that targeted Protestants in eastern Ukraine and signed a law banning evangelism by non-Orthodox religions. None of this seemed to matter to the U.S. Religious Right as long as Putin kept up his war against the LGBTQ community. It was Barack Obama, they said, who was truly persecuting Christians by supporting equal rights for LGBTQ people in America and around the world. Today, Russia moved even further in its crackdown on religious freedom when the nation’s supreme court sided with the government in outlawing the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a long-persecuted group. As the Washington Post reported, the high court “ruled that the group’s St. Petersburg headquarters and 395 churches could be seized and liquidated. All church activities, including worship and door-to-door evangelizing, were banned. Those who defy the ruling face a fine of several thousand dollars and six to 10 years in prison.” The Russian government argued that the denomination threatened “public order and public security” and was an “extremist” group. The Post added that Jehovah’s Witnesses have already faced “assault, vandalism, seizures and raids on houses of worship and dozens of arrests,” and some fear that the decision “may make it easier for the Kremlin to go after religious minorities in general.” Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, many evangelical Christian groups are also viewed by the Russian government, which has increasingly sponsored the Russian Orthodox Church, as cults and extremist organizations. Newsweek adds that the government has targeted not only Jehovah’s Witnesses and evangelical Christians but also Mormons and Seventh-Day Adventists. Evangelist Franklin Graham is among the American conservatives who have hailed Putin, thanking him for “protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda” and “protecting traditional Christianity.” Graham even picked Moscow as a location for his conference on defending the freedoms of Christians. However, organizers had to cancel once Putin outlawed proselytizing. We will wait to see if Graham and others will stand up for the long-persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses. http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/russia-bans-jehovahs-witnesses-after-religious-right-hailed-putin-as-christian-hero/

Kazan Jehovah's Witnesses sure to carry on WE WILL GO UNDERGROUND—WE WILL NOT ABANDON OUR FAITH Thousands of members of the Kazan congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses are outlawed. Experts are sure that they will not simply surrender. by Damara Khairulina, Tatyana Mamaeva Real Time, 21 April 2017 The Russian Supreme Court ruled the organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" to be extremist and it banned its activity. Thereby the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses will be prohibited and all property will be confiscated for state use. Experts questioned by Real Time suppose that the organization will without fail appeal the court's decision, and the ban on the activity will evoke a "hysterical" reaction. Representatives themselves of the regional committee of Witnesses declare that the adherents of the organization will be forced to go underground. Extremist organization Yesterday the Russian Supreme Court found the Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization, liquidated it, and prohibited its activity on the territory of the country. Thereby the plaintiff's demand of the Russian Ministry of Justice was granted. The court ordered the immediate cessation of the activity of all 395 divisions of the Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of the country and the conversion of the organization's property into state income. Yet earlier, on 3 March, the Russian Ministry of Justice suspended the activity of the religious organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" because of its conducting extremist activity. On 6 April the ministry demanded through the court the confiscation of the organization's property. The Ministry of Justice maintains that the organization distributes extremist literature. The ministry also found extremism in the activity of the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Birobidzhan. According to 2015 data, there were 408 registered local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses. In Tatarstan alone there are five. The earliest of the functioning registered groups was in the city of Zainsk (1996) and a year later a division appeared in Nizhnekamsk. In January 2001 a local religious organization was registered in Kazan and in 2002, in Nabereshny Chelny and Almetevsk. They hang a label on us Representatives of the Kazan division of Witnesses say that their organization is peace-loving and has no indicators of extremism. Moreover, the "Jehovah's Witnesses are people who submit to authority." "Our fellow believers have never been observed in demonstrations of protest against the existing authorities or in the use of arms and violence. It is out of the ordinary and it has never happened," says Artem Emelianov, the chairman of the committee of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses of Kazan. "The most serious accusation is the existence of literature that has been ruled extremist. In Taganrog there was a trial and our fellow believes were given a suspended sentence for that. In Tatarstan we have not faced anything similar, which makes us happy," Vitaly Solianik, a representative of the organization in Kazan, added. Speaking of whether the financing of the organization could go to financing extremist groups, Solianik noted that the Witnesses "continually give account before the Ministry of Justice" and that is theoretically impossible. And actually, in the data base Spark-Interfax scheduled inspections of the Ministry of Justice are recorded. "We provide contracted expenses for every kopek. The Ministry of Justice verifies us and no violations have ever been found where we use means other than as intended. There have been no claims in this regard against us." Representatives of the organization say that now the number of adherents of the Witnesses in Kazan may constitute about 1,000 persons. "We are restricted. We cannot conduct congresses or rent facilities. If we make an agreement, the action is cut off," Emelianov says. "They hang on us the label of extremists. Supposedly our literature enflames religious hostility, which does not correspond to reality." At the same time the Kazan Jehovists maintain that all literature that was previously ruled to be extremist is immediately removed after the bans. Totalitarian, destructive sect However the official position of the Russian Orthodox Church is unambiguous. "Naturally, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a totalitarian, destructive sect, and it is as such a sect that the RPTs deals with them," the monastic priest Viacheslav told Real Time; he is the chairman of the Kazan diocese Department for Combating Drug Addiction and Alcoholism. "How are the Jehovah's Witnesses dangerous? They zombify people. They turn them against traditional confessions. They have a whole string of stupid prohibitions that are harmful for believers. For example, the prohibition on blood transfusion. In essence, they are not Christians, they interpret the Bible very freely, and they do not recognize Christ. I think that they are a far from poor organization; their center is located in America and so you can conclude who finances them." The hieromonk also noted that the organization is not recognized "even by protestants." "In various countries they are treated differently; where there is so-called 'liberty' they prosper. For example, in Ukraine there is a large sect. And what did this lead to? To Jehovah's Witnesses." Representatives of Islam treat the Witnesses no less critically "From the point of view of our Muslims, they do a great deal to, say, incite inter-ethnic strife. In particular, for a long time representatives of this group, sect, congregation went about apartments and offered also in Kazan colorful books substituting terminology. People took these books but then they came to the mosque with questions: 'What is this literature in which everything is turned upside down,'" Farid Salman, the director of the Center for the Study of the Holy Quran and the Pure Sunna. It is rather difficult to become a Jehovah's Witness Representatives of the Kazan division of the organization talk about the attitude toward them in society, that is often explained by prevailing incorrect stereotypes. For example, whether to accept the procedure of blood transfusion, each adherent has the right to decide for himself, Emelianov says. "As regards blood transfusion, in many countries the method of blood transfusion is considered dangerous. There is the danger of contracting HIV, hepatitis, and various causes of allergic reactions. Many civilized countries reject this method. We also wish for ourselves only good. Each of our fellow believers chooses what fits them. There is no prohibition. That is a myth." Emelianov calls a stereotype the opinion established in society that Witnesses sign over their property to the organization, and that people are forced to join the Witnesses by coercion. "Actually, it is rather difficult to become a Witness. One must give up smoking if they smoked, reject the use of drugs, reject a profligate lifestyle, register one's marriage, and make serious changes in life. Not everyone is ready for such changes. And in order to cease to be a member if a person ceases to conduct a proper form of life. Nobody will persecute him—that's a myth." The Kazan subdivision has published accountability and according to its data it is not especially wealthy, although many Orthodox parishes could envy such financial indicators. According to data of Rosstat, according to the results of 2015, the capital and reserve of the Kazan local religious organization was 13.6 million rubles. Of these, 5.2 million were tangible assets. In the year, the organization received income and other valuables of 5.1 million rubles. That is, approximately 5,000 for each member of the organization. There are not data on official finances of the other four Tatarstan organizations. Is forbidden fruit sweet? On the question of what Kazan Jehovists will do in the future, they answer confidently: "We will go underground; you do not abandon the faith." And at the same time Jehovists plan to defend their organization in court. Vadim Kozlov, the executive director of the Kazan inter-regional center of expert analysis also suggests that the organization will really not surrender its position so simply, and that there is more than one judicial proceeding ahead. "I think this is not the last (trial—ed. note), not the end. Because this organization has a powerful legal service. I think that international instances also will be involved including diplomatic channels on the part of the USA, where the headquarters of this organization is based. I think for our jurisprudence this is a precedent. It is quite possible that by analogy such decisions will be rendered for other organizations also that have indicators of the presence of extremism." Confirmation of these words came on the day after the Supreme Court's decision. The European Service of Foreign Policy, that is responsible for the foreign policy of the European Union, declared that members of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization in Russia should enjoy the right to freedom of assembly without hindrance. At the same time, the ban on the activity of the organization will lead to an increase in the number of its adherents, Alexander Mikhailov, a general-major of the FSB reserve, is sure. "This is a real totalitarian sect, representing a danger for the physical and moral health of people. It is very aggressive in attracting devotees to itself. I even predict a formal increase in the numbers of this sect; a ban always has an attractive character" Mikhailov speculates. Mikhailov recalls that liquidation of an organization has often been tried in Russia. "Any prohibition, and especially in regard to totalitarian sects, creates conditions for the sect to go underground. What form will this take? I find it hard to say. Our legislation forbids, speaking conditionally, conducting religious rituals outside of houses of worship. We have already dealt with this in soviet times, when we pursued these sects with fearsome force about the expanse of the universe. But they still assembled in apartments. The interlocutor is sure that the ban will inevitably evoke a counter reaction: "It will be hysterical and notable. The ban of an organization is not effective. People will not change their views." (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017) Russian original posted on Portal-Credo.Ru, 21 April 2017

Here we have a major milestone: the first official prosecutor's warning to a Jehovah's Witness about gathering AT HIS HOME for praying and reading the Bible with a threat of criminal prosecution. Source: http://echo.msk.ru/doc/1967462-echo.html

Japanese destroyers join US strike group amid tensions on Korean Peninsula Published time: 21 Apr, 2017 14:52 Get short URL FILE PHOTO. U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships. © U.S. Navy / Reuters Two Japanese Navy destroyers have joined the carrier strike group ‘USS Carl Vinson’ heading towards the Korean Peninsula for a massive show of force as North Korea prepares to mark the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its military. The Japanese warships, destroyers ‘Ashigara’ and ‘Samidare’, left the navy’s Sasebo base early on Friday for a rendezvous with the ‘USS Carl Vinson’ group off North Korean shores, NHK reports. Defense Ministry officials said the details of the joint US-Japan naval exercise are yet to be determined. The drill comes as an apparent show of force aimed at deterring North Korea, which will mark the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its military next week. Read more Trump’s ‘armada’ turns toward North Korea as White House defends misleading remarks Though little is known about the naval exercise, the event was announced by the Japanese Navy earlier last week. “Japan wants to dispatch several destroyers as the ‘Carl Vinson’ enters the East China Sea,” said one of the Japanese military sources, as cited by Reuters. The source added that the drills would involve helicopter landings on both American and Japanese ships as well as communications training. The American strike group includes Nimitz-class aircraft carrier ‘USS Carl Vinson’ with her air wing, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers ‘USS Wayne E. Meyer’ and ‘USS Michael Murphy’, as well as Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser ‘USS Lake Champlain’. The strike group will operate in the region under the operational control of the 3rd Fleet as part of the 3rd Fleet Forward initiative, according to the US Navy. Its arrival to the Western Pacific was marked by a string of conflicting statements from the White House and the Pentagon. Last week, US President Donald Trump told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo that “we are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful – far more powerful than the aircraft carrier.” The news, however, was downplayed by US military officials after it emerged that the strike group was heading to Australia instead of the Korean Peninsula. Some American media reported that the USS Carl Vinson and her escort ships were operating near Indonesia. Read more N. Korea could have sarin-tipped missiles, Japanese PM says ahead of Pyongyang's ‘big event’ Earlier this week, a senior White House official accused the military of misleading the president and his team about the deployment of the ‘Carl Vinson’, according to the Wall Street Journal. Defense Secretary James Mattis provided a rather vague statement, saying: “The Vinson, as I’ve said on the record, was operating up and down the western Pacific … And that is, we’re shifting her, instead of continuing one direction as she pulled out of Singapore she’s going to continue part of our cruise down in that region, but she was on her way up to Korea.” The latest flare-up in tension between the US and North Korea has been triggered by reports that the state was about to conduct its sixth nuclear test or fire a nuclear-capable ballistic missile. Washington threatened to solve the ‘North Korean problem’ unilaterally, arguing that Pyongyang poses a threat to US interests in the region. North Korea said it was ready to defend itself with all means available, including weapons of mass destruction. In a series of extraordinary statements, China, North Korea’s main trading partner and ally, warned that the region was on the brink of an all-out war. Russia, which shares a land border with the hermit state, urged all parties to refrain from the use of military force.

"Varieties of Religious Repression" and "Dissent on the Margins" for current persecution and "Faith of the Russian Evangelicals" for persecution during Soviet era. http://www.ebay.com/cln/lisa.joeywit/RUSSIA-BANS-JEHOVAHS-WITNESSES/398546418018

To all those who think "It can't happen here"- know that it will happen everywhere #jwrussia #jwban #JW #StopJWBan

"the French state does more than maintain the secular dress code: it actively investigates and prosecutes groups it considers a threat to the state as cults. That includes Jehovah’s Witnesses" https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-07-12/french-want-make-society-safe-religion-banning-so-called-cults INTERESTING IS IT NOT HOW MANY POPULIST ARE GAINING CONTROL OF GOVERNMENTS Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump Another terrorist attack in Paris. The people of France will not take much more of this. Will have a big effect on presidential election! 6:32 AM - 21 Apr 2017 IF THIS PERSON Le Pen BECOMES PRESIDENT OF FRANCE WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN THERE TO RELIGIONS? ALSO SEE : How France's election could have a big impact on the US http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/21/how-frances-election-could-have-big-impact-on-us.html

SOON THEY ALL WILL BE

only "one" religion has been banned in Russia.out of over 2,000 religions there according to the U.N. and other sources JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. "The Supreme Court’s decision was the largest ban on the activities of a religious movement since the disintegration of the Soviet Union" TASS NEWS April 21, 2017 http://tass.com/politics/942578 Now why would it bother critics and opposers and apostates that we are the ONLY ONE???

Expert warns Russia’s ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses can spark backlash in EU Russian Politics & Diplomacy April 21, 14:56UTC+3 The Supreme Court’s decision was the largest ban on the activities of a religious movement since the disintegration of the Soviet Union Share 30 Russia's Supreme Court judge Yuri Ivanenko reads the decision to brand the Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist organization in Russia © AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Classifying Jehovah’s Witnesses as an extremist organization in Russia could trigger a great amout of backlash from EU members and the United States where its activities are allowed, Russian religious studies scholar and leading research fellow of the Center for Religion and Society Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Europe, Roman Lunkin, said in an interview with TASS. Situation forecast "After the Supreme Court ruling, Russia will appear in all reports on religious freedom as a country violating this freedom. Besides, this decision will be condemned by all Western countries. The Jehovah’s Witnesses ruling can become a symbol of violating the right to religious freedom," he noted. READ ALSO Berlin troubled over Jehovah’s Witnesses' ban in Russia EU rushes to defend Jehovah’s Witnesses banned by Russia’s Supreme Court Russia’s Supreme Court bans Jehovah’s Witnesses as extremist organization Jehovah’s Witnesses former members tell court they were subjected to ‘total control’ Jehovah’s Witnesses broke law on extremism — Justice Ministry Russia designates myriad of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ materials as extremist Commenting on the religious organization’s plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the expert indicated that the court’s decision is unlikely to affect its fate. "I am sure that, if Jehovah’s Witnesses files a petition with the European court, it will make a decision in favor of the believers," he contended. Lunkin recalled that Russia pays fines on the court’s ruling, but "there is no mechanism to review the cases in which the ECHR overturned the original verdicts. "That’s why, in my opinion, the ECHR decision and outrage by international institutions are unlikely to affect the organization’s fate in Russia," he emphasized. When asked about the organization’s future activities, Lunkin noted that changing its name is impossible. "Proceeding from hard-line ideology, no rebranding is possible. There will be no change of image or (the organization’s) name. After a ban practically all believers, and there are more than 100,000 of them, will turn themselves into members of illegal religious groups," he noted, adding that the Supreme Court’s decision was the largest ban on the activities of a religious movement since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Court ruling On Thursday, Russia’s Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses to be an extremist organization and outlawed its activity throughout Russia, thereby upholding the Justice Ministry’s requests. The court ordered the immediate shutdown of all 395 local chapters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and transferred the organization’s assets into state custody. READ ALSO Everything you need to know about Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses said it would appeal the decision. The organization’s spokesman said if the appellate panel of Supreme Court judges upheld Thursday’s verdict, the case would be taken to the European Court of Human Rights. Jehovah’s Witnesses is an international religious organization that supports offbeat views on the essence of the Christian faith and provides special interpretations of many commonly accepted notions. In Russia, it had 21 local chapters but three of them were shut down for extremism. More:http://tass.com/politics/942578

That is bizarre. Are the Russian Government really that stupid as to think that would work. They are fighting against the only true God Jehovah. Apparently even tho the students showed up hours before Jehovah filled the courtroom with his people somehow !!! I guess no one saw them go in to fill it. I think I have seen something like this before in the Bible.

Very nice , we just finished watching the Broadcast. The parts about how Jehovah is maneuvering events is interesting and shows that he is in control of His people and allowed them to both have the Memorial and Special Talk in peace before the verdict. Also a great Witness has been and will be taking place from here until the appeal. It was stated that many may become interested in the Truth after hearing about this "unjust" verdict and persecution of peaceful people. Jesus said true worshipers would be haled before courts "as a witness". It is true other religions are being restricted but only ONE has gone to the Supreme Court and was given a great Witness to the world and yet it appears this is only the beginning. .

https://tv.jw.org/#en/video/VODOurOrganization/pub-jwb_201704_12_VIDEO

Russian security police threaten Jehovah's Witnesses in wake of court's ruling U.F.S.B. FOR KHABAROVSK TERRITORY WARNS: AFTER COURT'S DECISION TAKES EFFECT, CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AWAITS ALL WHO SUPPORT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Portal-Credo.Ru, 21 April 2017 The religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has still not been ruled to be extremist in Khabarovsk territory. The corresponding decision of the Russian Supreme Court has still not taken legal effect, although after it takes effect an organization and parishioners who will support it face criminal articles, IAAmurMedia was told on 21 April by an employee of the press service of the U.F.S.B. of Russia for Khabarovsk territory, Olga Alkina. According to information of the press service of the U.F.S.B. of Russia for Khabarovsk territory, an affiliate of Jehovah's Witnesses exists fully legally as a local religious organization in the region. "The decision of the Supreme Court has still not taken legal effect and this will not actually happen in the near future. As far as I know, the Administrative Center has filed an appeal of this decision. How long this litigation will continue is unknown," the employee of the press service of the agency explained. If and when the decision takes legal effect, the directorate explained, the activity of the organization will cease, registration in the regional Ministry of Justice will be annulled, and property will be confiscated. "Those who thereafter continue to conduct activity will fall under the purview of articles of the Criminal Code of the RF. Besides activists, parishioners who give money may be convicted, since financing extremist activity is also a criminal article," Olga Alkina threatened. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017)

European sympathy for Russian Jehovah's Witnesses EU SUPPORTS JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BANNED IN RUSSIA Lenta.ru, 21 April 2017 Brussels came out in support of the religious movement of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose activity was banned on the territory of Russia by decision of the Supreme Court. This is said in a statement published on the website of the European Service of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for the foreign policy of the European Union (EU). "Jehovah's Witnesses, like all other religious organizations, should have the possibility of peacefully enjoying the freedom of assembly, as it is guaranteed by the Russian constitution as well as by international obligations of the Russian federation and world standards of human rights," the European Service of Foreign Affairs notes. On 20 April, the Supreme Court ruled the Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization and prohibited the activity of all 395 divisions operating on the territory of the country. A representative of the Jehovah's Witnesses declared their readiness to turn to the appellate instance, and if necessary to go to the European Court for Human Rights. The decision will take effect after 30 days. On 17 March, the Ministry of Justice turned to the Supreme Court with a demand to prohibit Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia because of violations by them of anti-extremism legislation. Several days later the activity of the Administrative Center of the movement in Russia was suspended. The head organization was entered into the list of extremist organizations of the Ministry of Justice. In response to this, the Jehovah's Witnesses asked the Supreme Court to recognize them as the victim of political repressions, although after hearing the arguments of the parties the court refused to accept the counter suit. Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization with headquarters in New York. In 2015, more than eight million of its followers were counted in the world, and about 175 thousand of its adherents reside in Russia. Adherents of the movement are accused of neglect for life because of refusal of medical operations and blood transfusion. They also are accused of reluctance to serve in the army. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017) GERMAN AUTHORITIES UPSET BY BAN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA RIA Novosti, 21 April 2017 The government of Germany expresses its concern about the decision of the Russian Supreme Court which prohibited the activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, an official representative of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martin Shefer, stated at a briefing in Berlin on 21 April. "The government of Germany expresses concern that yesterday Russian justice issued a sentence banning Jehovah's Witnesses," Shefer said. He added that he urges Russia "to adhere to international obligations" for protecting "religious liberty." On Thursday the Russian Supreme Court ruled the activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be extremist and it banned its work. It also ordered the confiscation of the property of the organization. The Ministry of Justice earlier suspended the work of the center until the concluding resolution of the dispute in court. The Administrative Center is preparing an appeal. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017) BRITAIN UPSET BY DECISION OF RUSSIAN SUPREME COURT ON JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES RIA Novosti, 21 April 2017 Great Britain is concerned by the decision of the Russian Supreme Court to find the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremist. On 20 April the Russian Supreme Court ruled the activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia to be extremist and it prohibited its work. Representatives of the Jehovah's Witnesses declared their intention to appeal this decision in the European Court for Human Rights. The Germany foreign ministry and the foreign policy service of the European Union came out in defense of the organization. "I am disturbed by the decision of the Russian Supreme Court to find Jehovah's Witnesses to be 'extremist.' This ruling, in essence, criminalizes the peaceful religious profession of 175 thousand Russian citizens and it contradicts the right to religious liberty guaranteed by the Russian constitution," a statement by the minister for human rights, Joyce Anelay, says. "Great Britain urges the Russian government to observe its international obligations in honoring this basic right," she emphasized.

Jehovah's Witnesses administration recalls soviet times LEADERS OF RUSSIAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES VIEW SUPREME COURT DECISION AS OPEN PERSECUTION FOR FAITH Inasmuch as incidents of "extremist activity were not presented to the court Portal-Credo.Ru, 21 April 2017 "We are disappointed with the decision of the court and we will appeal it without fail, here, in the appellate college of the Supreme Court. If this does not help, there remains only the European court," Yaroslav Sivulsky, a member of the Governing Body of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, shared the plans of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) in connection with the decision made on 20 April by the Russian Supreme Court for liquidation of their religious organizations in Russia, a Portal-Credo.Ru correspondent reports. Everybody in attendance in the courtroom was able to be convinced that the position of the plaintiff—the Russian Ministry of Justice—was "absolutely unfounded," Yaroslav Sivulsky thinks. The participants in the trial were left with the impression that the justice ministry did not trouble itself to prepare for the trial, since it was earlier certain of its outcome. The fact that in the court not a single incident of extremist activity by JW was presented is viewed in the Governing Body as proof that the trial in the Russian Supreme Court is "simply persecution for faith, persecution for religion." "This is, in fact, a return to the repressions that existed in soviet times. Now our country is being plunged into new religious repressions," Yaroslav Sivulsky concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017)

Russian lawmaker suggests Jehovah's Witnesses' case may affect other religions CHAIRMAN OF STATE DUMA COMMITTEE LINKS SUPREME COURT DECISION TO LIQUIDATE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS'ES WITH "PROTECTION OF BELIEVERS' RIGHTS" Portal-Credo.Ru, 21 April 2017 The Russian State Duma will "examine" the decision of the Russian Supreme Court in the case of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The legal precedent will allow the development of new laws for the protection of believers' rights, the chairman of the State Duma Committee for Development of Civil Society and Affairs of Public and Religious Associations, Sergei Gavrilov, told Izvestia on 20 April. "This is a kind of legal precedent, although we do not have case law, but it is important for us to examine details of the case so that in our time we can adopt a decision about the protection of believers' rights. We adopted a number of amendments in the anti-extremism legislation. If you recall, the Russian parliament adopted an amendment linked to the restriction of illegal evangelism. Therefore it is important for us the examine this case, because it is possible that in the near future we will have to use it in our legislation," Gavrilov said. In the deputy's opinion, there are in Russia now many religious organizations whose activity is called into question. "All organizations that exist in our country, with the exception of traditional confessions, should be investigated in order to protect the interests of traditional morality, traditional Russian values, establishment of the family, care for neighbors, and love for the fatherland. In my view, very many organizations today do not comply with this criterion," Gavrilov declared. On 20 April, the Russian Supreme Court ruled the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in the RF to be an extremist organization and banned the its activity itself and that of its "structural subdivisions" on the territory of the country. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2017)