bruceq

RUSSIA Jehovah's Witnesses Had Foes Before Putin 2 APRIL 21, 2017 11:52 AM EDT By Leonid Bershidsky When the Russian Supreme Court banned Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered the confiscation of the denomination's property on Thursday, it wasn't the first time. The faithful were outlaws in the Soviet Union, too, until that country's final year. The stubborn group will fight on -- but the court has delivered another chilling reminder that President Vladimir Putin's Russia is even less free than the USSR was. Jehovah's Witnesses are a U.S.-based global religious organization, and they often are targeted by authoritarian and belligerent governments because members don't believe in government authority. They don't vote, serve in the military, salute flags or hail leaders. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, the Witnesses wouldn't use the Nazi salute because, according to their beliefs, it amounted to idolatry. Hitler responded by sending more than 10,000 "Bible Students," as they called themselves then, to prisons and concentration camps, where their pacifism particularly inspired torturers. In the Soviet Union directly after World War II, Witnesses were mostly concentrated in western Ukraine and Transcarpathia, and they had the bad luck to trade Nazi persecution for the equally harsh Stalinist kind. In two secret operations in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Witnesses were removed to Siberian labor camps. There were only about 10,000 of them then. But adherents of the denomination didn't stop practicing and preaching in exile and in the camps, and when, after Stalin's death, the state stopped systematically imprisoning them and switched to a harassment tactic, the flock started growing. By January 1991, when President Mikhail Gorbachev's government officially permitted the organization, there were about 45,000 followers in the Soviet Union. They formed one of the most stubborn and resourceful resistance groups that ever existed in the Communist country. Emily Baran wrote in a 2014 book about Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses: The 1990s were a time of unprecedented freedom for the Witnesses in Russia. They converted about 100,000 new members, acquired influence and, in some cities, expensive real estate. But in the early 2000s, after Putin came to power, harassment began anew, with courts regularly banning the Witnesses' regional communities and literature. That became easier with the passage of "anti-extremist laws" that ban the preaching of one religion's advantage over others. Witness literature readily fit the description: They don't just consider themselves the one true faith, but also proudly preach it. The Witnesses fought the verdicts, sometimes reaching the European Court for Human Rights and winning there. But during Putin's latest presidential term, Russian courts have been encouraged to disregard the ECHR's decisions. Even though the European court is likely to overturn Thursday's Supreme Court ruling once the Witnesses' attempts to appeal reach Strasbourg, the Russian government is likely to stay firm on the ban, initiated by the justice ministry. The next step may be the prosecution of individual Witnesses for continuing to worship and proselytize. Jehovah's witnesses are in many ways extreme, even though their non-violent creed is hardly "extremist." That makes them a test case for religious freedom: The less liberal and tolerant a country is, the harsher it treats this particular denomination. Western democracies have struggled to accept Jehovah's Witnesses. At different times, they have faced bans in France, Spain and Canada because of their attitudes to military service and flags. But in recent years, following some protracted legal battles, European countries have come to recognize their right to their beliefs. The European Union has denounced the Russian ban. At the other end of the spectrum, African dictatorial regimes have killed, tortured and driven out Witnesses. A number of Muslim nations have banned them, and so has China. Russia is now positioning itself at the restrictive end of the spectrum, and that augurs ill for other Protestant denominations and smaller religious groups. Like Western non-governmental organizations and members of the news media, which have been driven from Russia in the last four years, these groups represent a fifth column. Perhaps they don't defy the state as openly as Jehovah's Witnesses, but to Putin and his circle they still somehow appear disloyal because of their reluctance to join the big religions that maintain a relationship with the state and are controllable. Russia has no more patience with openness and tolerance. Putin's regime doesn't care whether it passes any tests on that score. In a way, it's as defiant as the Witnesses, and so far, it's just as resilient. But the Jehovah's Witnesses have been resilient for longer. My photo not the article. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hitler-Catholic-Alliance-Babylon-the-Great-Watchtower-Jehovahs-Witnesses-IBSA-/272637842902?hash=item3f7a7b55d6:g:rzoAAOxyHltSTvLv seems a bit too cozy for me

Jehovah's Witnesses were banned yesterday. As to why the U.N. and other sources do not recognize Scientology as an organized religion is unknown to me.

Probably because child abuse is found everywhere in all religions so it is obviously not news [btw "incest" a form of child abuse was a problem with the First Century Christians as the letters to the Corinthians shows as well as the first few chapters in Revelation which shows many problems with sexual sins but obviously that did not make them false Christians] but only "one" religion has been banned in Russia.out of over 2,000 religions there according to the U.N. and other sources.

ACTUALLY IF YOU READ CAREFULLY EZEKIEL AND DANIEL AND COMPARE THE "EXACT WORDING" OF THE WATCHTOWER ARTICLE AND THE BROADACAST TALK ON THE SUBJECT IT APPEARS A MORE PRECISE DEFINITION WOULD BE THIS: GOG aka KING OF THE NORTH = LEADER OF THE COALITION LAND OF MAGOG = COALITION OF NATIONS that follow gog's lead THUS GOG OF MAGOG IS A COALITION OF NATIONS WITH A PARTICULAR NATION ACTING AS ITS LEADER THE KING OF THE NORTH {although we cannot be dogmatic on that quite yet}. AS THE PROPHECY UNDERGOES FULFILLMENT A MORE PRECISE AND ACCURATE DETERMINATION CAN BE REVEALED THROUGH JEHOVAH'S ORGANIZATION. IT IS OF CURRENT INTEREST THAT THE LEADER OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN RUSSIA HAS STATED THAT THE POLITICAL SITUATION IS RIPE IN RUSSIA [BECAUSE OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION AS NOTED WITH THE RECENT PROTESTS AND NOW BANNING OF A RELIGION] FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A "FURER" THAT IS A HORRIBLE DICTATORIAL TYRANT [LIKE HITLER WAS] THAT COULD BE THE FUTURE LEADER OF RUSSIA. MY PERSONAL THOUGHT HOWEVER IS IN ORDER FOR A CRY OF "PEACE AND SECURITY" THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME "OUTSTANDING" DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE PEOPLE WANT IT. SUCH AS A TERRORIST OR A NATION-STATE USING SOME WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION [PERHAPS EVEN NUCLEAR] ON CIVILIANS THAT WOULD OUTRAGE THE ENTIRE WORLD COMMUNITY TO GO TO AND STRENGTHEN THE UNITED NATIONS TO ACT ON THE THREAT. SINCE THAT THREAT IS "BABYLON THE GREAT" THEN IT WOULD HAVE A RELIGIOUS FACTOR. UNLESS THE U.N. IS STRENGTHEN FIRST AND THEN ACTS TO ELIMINATE ANOTHER THREAT = BABYLON THE GREAT BECAUSE OF RELIGIOUS "EXTREMISM". INTERESTINGLY AS A HISTORIAN I HAVE NOTED THAT IN THE FIRST CENTURY JOSEPHUS MADE NOTE THAT THE ATTACK ON JERUSALEM WAS STARTED BECAUSE OF THE RELIGIOUS "ZEALOTS" WHO FLED THERE THINKING IT WAS A PLACE OF SANCTUARY TO THEM. THE ROMANS NEVER ACTUALLY WANTED TO DESTROY THE TEMPLE THEY WERE AFTER THE RELIGIOUS "EXTREMIST" [AKA TERRORIST] WHO HAD USED THE TEMPLE [RELIGION] AS A PROTECTION. TERRORIST TODAY SUCH AS "ISIS" AND OTHERS ARE ALSO USING "RELIGION" AS A BASES FOR THERE ACTIONS USING IT AS A PROTECTIVE ELEMENT. BUT THAT PROTECTION IS MISPLACED AS THE WORLD WILL SOON DISCOVER. REV. 18

ANYONE HAVE A TRANSCRIPT OF WHAT THE JUDGE ACTUALLY SAID?

ANYTHING IS STILL POSSIBLE SINCE WE ARE NOT AT THAT POINT YET. WHEN GOG MAKES HIS ATTACK IT IS ACTUALLY AT THE END OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION. AND ALOT OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN IN THE MEAN TIME SINCE THE BEGINNING HAS NOT EVEN STARTED YET. BUT IT IS OF INTEREST THAT A "CHARACTER" IS CURRENTLY ACTING LIKE THE "KING OF THE NORTH" WOULD ACT ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.. OF COURSE JEHOVAH WILL REVEAL IT IN DUE TIME AND THAT REVELATION WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE BY ME. LOL

DOES ANYONE HAVE A TRANSCRIPT OR SOMEWAY OF KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THE JUDGE SAID. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND RUSSIAN?

IF YOU SEARCH UNDER "GOOGLE NEWS" WORLD SECTION HAS SOME 20 NEWS REPORTS THEN CLICK ON "SEE REALTIME COVERAGE" AND IT HAS 92 NEWS SOURCES ON THE BANNING FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. INCLUDED IN ALL OF THIS IS ALSO VIDEO OF THE JUDGE PRONOUNCING SENTENCE AS WELL AS VIDEO OF THE WITNESSES LEAVING THE COURT AND AN INTERVIEW AFTER.

GOG OF MAGOG = COALITION OF NATIONS KING OF THE NORTH = LEADER OF THE COALITION

füh·rer ˈfyo͞orər/ noun a ruthless, tyrannical leader. KING OF THE NORTH WILL "LEAD" GOG'S ATTACK FORCE IN THE FUTURE ? WT 15 5/15 QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Will this coalition be led by the figurative “king of the north”? We cannot say with any certainty. But this thought does seem to be in harmony with what Jehovah says about Gog: “You will come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly, a vast army.”—Ezek. 38:6, 15. Similarly, the prophet Daniel, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel, says of the king of the north: “Reports out of the east and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. And he will plant his royal tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.” (Dan. 11:44, 45) This clearly parallels what the book of Ezekiel says about Gog’s activities.—Ezek. 38:8-12, 16. As keen students of God’s Word, we wait with eager anticipation to see who in the near future will assume the role of “the king of the north.” But no matter who may take the lead in this coalition of nations, we are certain of two things: (1) Gog of Magog and his armies will be defeated and destroyed; and (2) our reigning King, Jesus Christ, will save God’s people and usher them into a new world of peace and true security.—Rev. 7:14-17 WT 15 5/15

Zyuganov said the emergence in Russia of a new "the Fuhrer"1400 241 27 Read 299,985 timesGennady ZyuganovPhoto: Dmitry Dukhanin / "Kommersant"Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov called on the government "to strengthen cadre" and change course, otherwise a "political crisis is inevitable." The head of the Communists of the existing conditions in Russia saw the emergence of the "new" the Fuhrer "Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said about the inevitability of the political crisis and the emergence in Russia of the "new" the Fuhrer ". He said this during his speech at the State Duma meeting with Prime Minister Dmitriem Medvedevym. "If we do not change course and do not strengthen the staff of the government, the political crisis will be inevitable," - said Zyuganov. He stressed that the need to change the personnel of the government and at the meeting to prepare for the century of the October Revolution. "While your government is working very feeble", - he said, noting that in Russian society "split amplified: one percent captured 90% of the property, barely make 40 million citizens to make ends meet.""If you look at the public mood, some live on the Internet, the second live TV, but the reality is aimed at destabilizing the situation. And a new "Führer" - said Zyuganov. "I have the right to talk about it, I saw the tragedy of the Soviet Union, saw Yeltsin's behavior," - he added. During his speech to the State Duma and Prime Minister Zyuganov also criticized Russian macroeconomics, saying that the government no people able to deal with finances effectively. "There can be no sustainable security, if it continues the economy will sink if our main resources and finances will float away across the border," - said Zyuganov, noting that Russia needs a qualitatively different banking system able to develop the economy and to support the population, and not " unscrew his pockets. " "We are ready for constructive work, but Medvedev has no members of the government that can deal effectively with finance, the economy and social sphere of lead", - said the head of the Communist Party, noting that the Communist Party has its program of economic development in the future ready with this program, go to gubernatorial and presidential elections. In response to criticism of the Prime Minister Zyuganov said that "not so simple", but the "macroeconomics in Russia is in order." With reference to the head of the government he was made deputy chairman of the Communist faction Mykola Kolomeytsev that in your question the prime minister still mentioned investigation Fund to Fight Corruption (FBK) Alekseya Navalnogo, which refers to the undeclared real estate Medvedev. Around this investigation ahead of a meeting in the State Duma on April 18, the Communists broke out inner-party dispute, when the leadership of the party banned deputy Valery Rashkin Medvedev asking a question about the investigation FBK. The reasons for banning the party leadership did not explain, however, RBC sources present at the meeting with Medvedev "United Russia" on April 11 stated that they have received the installation of "hard questions not to ask." Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the tradition annually meets with State Duma deputies with the government report. This year the meeting was held on 19 April. The head of government spoke about the current performance in the political, economic and social spheres in Russia and answered the questions of the parliamentarians. This year, the number of questions to the Prime Minister from each fraction was increased from three to five. Medvedev meeting with deputies lasted 4 hr.Подробнее на РБК:http://www.rbc.ru/politics/19/04/2017/58f7836a9a7947f744bce3b1?utm_source=smi2&utm_medium=smi2&utm_campaign=smi2

WE ARE ALSO NOW TOP 2 IN RUSSIA TOP 4 IN MEXICO TOP 6 IN ITALY GO TO https://trends24.in FOR TOP TWITTER TRENDS FOR EACH COUNTRY ON EARTH. 16 " But for this very reason I have kept you in existence: to show you my power and to have my name declared in all the earth".+ EXODUS 9:16

Jehovah's Witnesses anticipate opposition to Supreme Court's ruling ATTORNEYS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA DESCRIBE THEIR PLANS BECAUSE OF THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION ABOUT THEIR LIQUIDATION Portal-Credo.Ru, 20 April 2017 "Truth is on our side. We will appeal." This was the first comment of the deputy to the chairman of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Sergei Cherepanov, after the announcement in the evening of 20 April of the decision of the Supreme Court of the RF for the liquidation of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) organizations and the ruling of them as "extremist" and confiscating their property, a Portal-Credo.Ru correspondent reports. A more detailed commentary for our portal was given by Ivan Belinko, a representative of the press service of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. He said: "In the course of the judicial proceedings, no stone was left on stone in all of the arguments of the justice ministry, and therefore I was surprised when the court announced the decision." Ivan Belenko thinks that it is now, in the interim between the decisions of courts of the first and second instances, that "many people throughout Russia as well as international agencies will begin to express themselves. The fact alone of the filing of the suit in court evoked such a response that even the Council of Ministers of Europe spoke concerning this. I think that in the course of this month, until the college quashes this decision, the public will hear frequently about Jehovah's Witnesses." (tr. by PDS, posted 20 April 2017) I think that in the course of this month, until the college quashes this decision, the public will hear frequently about Jehovah's Witnesses BETTER START BUYING MORE STAMPS? A.D.V. 44 “But REPORTS out of the east* and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. 45 And he will plant his royal*tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration;*+ and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him."

SCRIPTURE JUST CAME FROM MY FRIENDS AT WARWICK: "12 The wicked man plots against the righteous;+He grinds his teeth at him.13 But Jehovah will laugh at him,For He knows that his day will come.+ PSALM 37:12,13 BTW TODAY IS HITLERS BIRTHDAY AND UNFORTUNATELY ALSO MINE.

RUSSIAN SUPREME COURT FINDS EXTREMIST AND LIQUIDATES RUSSIAN DIVISION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Sect's property converted to state use Interfax-Religiia, 20 April 2017 The Supreme Court of the Russian federation found the Russian Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization and prohibited its activity on Russian territory. As an Interfax correspondent reports, thereby was satisfied the administrative lawsuit of the Russian Ministry of Justice for ruling the religious organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" to be extremist and for banning its activity and for liquidating it. On Thursday in court the lawyer for the Ministry of Justice of the RF, Svetlana Borisova, declared that the lawsuit was filed in order to strengthen legality, prevent violation of the interests of security, and prevent extremist activity in the RF. "The religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has indicators of extremist activity. They pose a threat to the rights of citizens, social order, and public safety," she emphasized. The authors of the plaintiff's declaration also asked for converting immoveable property that belongs to the Jehovah's Witnesses to state use. The court granted this request. The justice ministry demanded prohibiting the activity of the Administrative Center as well as of 395 local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses. The ministry's lawyer told the court about a large quantity of administrative violations of law, which are particularly displayed in the distribution of extremist literature by regional representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses. "Despite the entry into the list of extremist literature, incidents of the distribution of forbidden printed materials were established, particularly of the periodical publication 'Watchtower,'"she said. In addition, representatives of the Ministry of Justice call the prohibition of blood transfusion, which Jehovah's Witnesses promote, a threat to personal safety. On his part, Judge Yury Ivanenko asked the plaintiff in what way specifically the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia poses a threat to public safety and order and to what extent is it proportional to the demand to liquidate the organization. "I suggest that it is absolutely necessary to stop the activity of the Administrative Center, since its activity is insufficient to stop the distribution of extremist literature in the RF. The threat to public safety and order consists the fact that an indeterminate circle of persons receive information about the activity of the organization," the justice ministry's lawyer said. "If this activity is not prohibited, the distribution of extremist materials will continue. Besides, the activity of the organization violates the right to receive unhindered medical help," she added. In their turn, representatives of the Jehovah's Witnesses earlier asked the Russian Supreme Court to receive from them a counter suit "for the ruling of the religious organization to be victims of political repressions." The court refused to receive the lawsuit although it emphasized that judicial control of the activity of the organization will be carried out from written objections to the justice ministry's suit. An attorney for the defendant complained that back before the issuance of the judicial decision, the Jehovah's Witnesses had been subjected to prosecution. The organization's attorney also declared that "the majority of established instances of the distribution of forbidden materials are slander." "It is an established fact that the forbidden materials were planted on us. All of the arguments of the Ministry of Justice are built on unfounded accusations, forgeries, and false testimonies," he said. Representatives of the defendant also complained that the Ministry of Justice demands the banning of 395 local organizations, some of which have not at all committed any violations and there are no accusations against their activity. The leader of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses, Vasily Kalin, declared that the present judicial proceedings attract attention and evoke condemnation on the part of the world community. The lawsuit against the religious organization was filed 15 March, and at the time, by order of the Ministry of Justice, the work of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia was suspended because of extremist activity until the consideration of the lawsuit in the Supreme Court. The press service of the ministry told Interfax that the lawsuit was filed on the basis of the results of an unscheduled documentary inspection, conducted from 8 to 27 February 2017, of the consistency of the activity of the religious organization Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia with the goals and tasks declared in its charter. The Jehovah's Witnesses organization has regularly been the object of attention of monitoring agencies in all regions of Russia and in addition its activity has been banned in a number of regions. Previously, the Supreme Court of the RF has ruled decisions for the liquidation of territorial divisions of Jehovah's Witnesses in Orel, Stary Oskol and Belgorod, Abinsk of Krasnodar territory, Samara, Birobidzhan, and other cities to be legal. Local divisions of the organization have frequently been held administratively accountable for distribution of extremist materials, in Tiumen, Abinsk, Samara, Saransk, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Gelendzhik, and other cities. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 April 2017)

GUESS WHAT MAGAZINE WE ARE OFFERING 11 DAYS FROM NOW? WATCHTOWER ON THE FOUR HORSEMEN !

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. SEEMS LIKE THE "CANARY IN THE COAL MINE" ANALOGY I MADE LAST WEEK IS COMING TRUE. COULD THE GREAT TRIBULATION ACTUALLY BEGIN WITH AN ATTACK ON JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AS AN EXCUSE TO ATTACK ALL OTHERS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS COULD BE THE PRE-SET FOR WHAT IS TO COME.

Anton Chivchalov‏ @Chivchalov 5m5 minutes ago More What if judge understood unjustice of verdict and tried to at least show it by asking all these smart questions to MOJ? SOUNDS SIMILAR TO WHAT PILATE DID IN JESUS TRIAL. HE KNEW JESUS WAS NOT GUILTY BUT GAVE IN TO THE JEWS. Anton Chivchalov‏ @Chivchalov 1m1 minute ago More Many noticed sharp contrast between the verdict and the behavior of the judge. This would explain a lot #jwrussia

YES ALL DONE UNTIL APPEAL SOMETIME WITHIN THIS NEXT MONTH THIS TIME IT WILL BE 3 JUDGES INSTEAD OF ONE. BUT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE RULING IS MADE IN ADVANCE PROBABLY BY PUTIN HIMSELF.

Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars. Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. Notice All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. AND SO IT BEGINS...FIRST TARGET - JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

RUSSIAN BAN IS NOW FRONT PAGE AT TASS RUSSIAN NEWS

Jehovah's Witnesses headquarters reacts to Supreme Court ban SUPREME COURT DECIDES TO LIQUIDATE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES They are preparing an appeal Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 20 April 2017 The date of 20 April 2017 has a chance to enter into history as a black day for fundamental human freedoms in Russia. Today the Supreme Court made the decision to liquidate the centralized religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, as well as all 395 local religious organizations of this religion. In historical perspective, this decision may lead to the saddest consequences for all believers of various religious confessions, as well as for the image of Russia in the world arena. A quashing of this decision in the appellate instance-- a panel consisting of three Supreme Court judges—may save the situation. Believers have already begun to prepare the appellate request, which should be considered within a month. Meanwhile concern about the actions of the Ministry of Justice and also about the decision of the court of the first instance is being expressed by numerous organizations both within Russia as well as beyond its borders. "This judicial lawsuit poses a threat not only for Jehovah's Witnesses but also for individual liberty on the whole in the Russian federation," special reporters of the United Nations declared, acting within the framework of a mandate received from the Council for Human Rights of the UNO. "We call upon the authorities, following their obligations according to international law in the area of human rights, to halt judicial proceedings and to reconsider the legislation about the struggle with extremism and the practice of its application." (tr. by PDS, posted 20 April 2017)

JW have already prepared complaint to appeal court (panel consists of 3 judges of Supreme Court), should be considered in 1month.

Anton Chivchalov @Chivchalov TWEETS1,183 FOLLOWING1 FOLLOWERS2,716 LIKES35 Following User Actions Anton Chivchalov @Chivchalov Journalist Russia I HAVE TRIED TWEETING HIM BUT NO ANSWER, I AM VERY CONCERNED. OK JUST FOUND OUT ANTON IS NOT IN RUSSIA Worldwide news with the story: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/supreme-court-bans-jehovahs-witnesses-russia-46912770 … http://dailym.ai/2pWpyiY http://strib.mn/2pjAISD http://www.wsoctv.com/news/supreme-court-bans-jehovahs-witnesses-in-russia/514511718 … #StopJWBan FOX NEWS : Supreme Court bans Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia WASHINGTON POST: Europe Supreme Court bans Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia By Associated Press April 20 at 1:06 PM MOSCOW — Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating anywhere in the country, accepting a request from the justice ministry that the religious organization be considered an extremist group. The court ordered the closure of the group’s Russia headquarters and its 395 local chapters, as well as the seizure of its property. The Interfax news agency on Thursday quoted Justice Ministry attorney Svetlana Borisova in court as saying that the Jehovah’s Witnesses pose a threat to Russians. “They pose a threat to the rights of the citizens, public order and public security,” she told the court. Borisova also said the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ opposition to blood transfusions violates Russian health care laws. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim more than 170,000 adherents in Russia. The group has come under increasing pressure over the past year, including a ban on distributing literature deemed to violate Russia’s anti-extremism laws.