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ACTUALLY IT IS IRONIC THAT THE RUSSIANS AND OPPOSERS TRY TO SAY THE WITNESSES HAVE TOTAL CONTROL WHEN IT IS THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT TRYING TO IMPOSE "TOTAL CONTROL" OVER YOUR RELIGIOUS VIEWS. JUST LIKE HITLER WANTED TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE WITNESSES. IF SOMEONE DOSEN'T LIKE BEING A WITNESS THEY CAN LEAVE WHEREAS HITLER PUT THEM IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND STALIN PUT THEM IN SIBERIA! ACTS 2:42 SAYS: 42 " And they continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles" DEVOTED THEMSELVES TO IMPERFECT MEN? INTERESTING - YET THAT IS JEHOVAH'S WAY. AND HIS WAY IS ALWAYS TO OUR BENEFIT EVEN IF YOU DO NOT REALIZE IT AT FIRST. I WOULD RATHER HAVE JEHOVAH AND HIS PEOPLE HAVING ANY KIND OF CONTROL OVER ME THAN SATAN AND HIS MINIONS. WE ARE "SHEEP" AND SHEEP ARE CONTROLLED OR LED BY SHEPHERDS. THAT IS JEHOVAH'S WAY.

BOOKS ABOUT RUSSIAN REPRESSION AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: "DISSENT ON THE MARGINS" Here is a new book from 2014 by Baran called "Dissent on the Margins How Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses Defied Communism and Lived to Preach About It". This is an excellent 382 page book about "Jehovah's Witnesses and how they survived decades of brutal persecution, and emerged as one of the region's fastest growing religions after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The Soviet state considered Witnesses to be the most reactionary of all underground religious movements, and used extraordinary measures to try and eliminate this threat. Yet the Witnesses survived, while the Soviet system did not. After 1991, they faced continuing challenges to their right to practice their faith in post Soviet states..." [from book jacket]. Currently as of 2015 the Russian Federation just like its predecessor the Soviet state has been repressing the Jehovah's Witnesses in particular. So much so that they even banned the official website that they use as noted below. Thinking they are extremist because of their Christian neutrality and the fact that they are "no part of the world" as the Bible says Christians should be. And as Jesus said the "World would hate them" because of their stand as true Christians. [John 15:17-19 ;17:16; 18:36]. Seven months after the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation declared jw. org to be extremist, Russian authorities banned the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The ban became effective on July 21, 2015, when the Russian Federation Ministry of Justice added jw. org to the Federal List of Extremist Materials. Internet providers throughout Russia have blocked access to the website, and it is now a criminal offense to promote it from within the country. Russia is the only country in the world to ban jw. org. UPDATE : On April, 5 2017 the Supreme Court in Russia may BAN Jehovah's Witnesses. Out of over 2,000 religions in Russia WHY are they picking only on this small religion of peaceful people and proclaim they are the same as terrorists by banning them? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dissent-on-the-Margins-Watchtower-Research-neutrality-Jehovah-Russia-Soviet-/391739411559?hash=item5b357d0c67:g:P8AAAOSw37tWDtWR ........................................................................................................................................................ "VARIETIES OF RELIGIOUS REPRESSION" Here is a new book from 2015 by Sarkissian regarding why Governments restrict religion especially Jehovah's Witnesses. This book is called "The Varieties of Religious Repression Why Governments Restrict Religion". This book has over 20 pages dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses in many lands where they are persecuted such as Russia. It is up to date with current news as of 2015 [245 pages]. It deals with the banning our Witness publications, objection to military service and general repression and persecution. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Varieties-of-Religious-Repression-Watchtower-Research-neutrality-Jehovah-Russia-/272605897680?hash=item3f7893e3d0:g:Dt8AAOSwN81WDb5g

We have well over 1000 books that the Watchtower Society has quoted from secular sources. Here is a list: THEOCRATIC HERITAGE LIBRARY BOOK STORE AND DIVINE NAME MUSEUM DISPLAYS We do not sell any books by apostates or are by opposers to Jehovah's Witnesses. Much of the Books here are in the Bethel Library. If a book here is not seen on my account on ebay it soon will be for it may have been sold and reordered. http://www.ebay.com/usr/lisa.joeywit Jehovah in New Testament and Old Testament New Testament Letters His Name is One Biblical Archaeology Review 1978 Egypt Israel in Ancient Times Divine Name Controversy Synonyms of the Old Testament Dead Sea Scrolls [Burrows] Who Was a Jew The Lord and the Tetragrammaton Modern Matthew [Carr] First Edition of the New Testament Epistles of the Romans [Rutherford] Emphatic Diaglott The Living Words Hebrew English New Testament Interlinear Bible [Green] Archaeology and the New Testament New Testament Greek to Hebrew Dictionary Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Original Aramaic New Testament [Peshitta] Reina Valera Santa Biblia Julia E. Smith Bible Hexapla Polyglot 1611 Edition of King James with Tetragrammaton on New Testament Title Page Hawaiian/English Parallell Bible Bay Psalm Book The Name of God Yehowah Indian Algoonquin New Testament [Eliot Bible] Polychrome Bible Hebrew Gospel of Matthew [Howard] The Stones Cry Out Cairo Geniza Jubilee Bible 2000 Anchor Bible Dictionary The Restored New Testament [Willis Barnstone] The Companion Bible [KJV] Messages of the Apostles New Testament [Kneeland] Interlinear Psalster [Bagster] Hebrew-English Genesis [Greenfield] NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English [Kohlenberger] Holy Bible [Sharpe] New Testament [Heinfetter] Studies in Matthew [Bacon] Epistles of Paul [Stevens] Divine Name King James Version The Exhaustively Cross-Referenced Bible [Goodwin] First Epistle of St. Peter [Hort] Quotations in the New Testament [Toy] Gospel According to John Indian Language [Buckner] Shem Qadesh Scripture Liberal Translation New Testament [Harwood] Literal Translation New Testament [Heinfetter] Inclusive Language Bible Scofield Reference Bible Restoration Sacred Name Bible Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Gospel of Mark [Swete] KJV Names of God Version Pulpit Commentary Annotated Bible [Gaebelein] Adam Clarke Commentary Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ Adair History of the American indians Commentary on Revelation [Swete] Jehovah in the New Testament [In Italian] Hieroglyphick Bible [Thomas} 1788 Edwards Family New Testament 1851 New Testament Text and Transmission {Comfort} Translation Handbook on Luke Messages of the Bible Synoptist {Sanders} Jewish Annotated New Testament Newberry Reference Bible Commentary of the Bible {Dummelow} Critical Commentary of Luke {Plummer} Critical Handbook of Mark and Luke {Meyer} New Testament Commentary {Hendriksen} New American Commentary {Stein} New Darby Version Jesus The Jew {Geza Vermes} Did Only the High Priest Use the Tetragram in Jesus' Time? Bible Translations With God's Name or Similar to New World Translation Wuest Translation Simple English Bible Goodspeed Parallel [An American Translation] The New Old Testament Interlinear [Follett] Holy Bible [Moffatt] Tanakh [Jewish Publication Society] Youngs Literal Translation Jerusalem Bible Proclaim His Holy Name Bible American Standard Version Bible in Living English [Byington] Amplified Bible Unvarnished New Testament New Living Translation Darby Translation The Four Gospels - Revelation [Lattimore] Modern Matthew [Carr] Rotherham Translation [Emphasized Bible] Sacred Name Bible Original New Testament [Schonfield] Emphatic Diaglott Interlinear Bible [Green] 21st Century New Testament The Patristic Gospels Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Westcott and Hort Greek Text Holman Christian Standard Bible Original Aramaic New Testament [Peshitta] Reina Valera Spanish Holy Bible Julia E. Smith Bible Hexapla Polyglot Tisendorf MSS. New Testament Variorum Bible Lesser Old Testament 1611 Edition of King James with Tetragrammaton on New Testament Title Page 1560 Geneva Bible {IEHOUAH} Bay Psalm Book Indian Algoonquin New Testament [Eliot Bible] Polychrome Bible Hebrew Gospel of Matthew [Howard] Jubilee Bible 2000 The Companion Bible [KJV] Modern Readers Bible [Moulton] Holy Bible Bible Union Version Bagster Polyglot Catholic Interlinear Polyglot Liberal Translation [Harwood] New Testament in the Language of the People Kingdom New Testament [Wright] Comprehensive Bible Modern Literal Version 1651 Biblia Sacra Tremellio Numerical Bible Webster Bible 1841 Hexapla Hieroglyphick Bible [Thomas] 1788 Origen Hexapla Early Christianity Belief and History The Rise Of Christianity A History of Christianity Josephus Tacitus Annals of Imperial Rome Who Was A Jew The Early Church and the World Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine On The Road To Civilization Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine Preachers Present Arms [Abrams] World History, the Story of Mans Achievements [Habberton] Christianity and the Roman Government [Hardy] The March of Civilization, Ancient and Medieval World [Wrench] The Church the Gospel and War [Jones] The Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3 [Roberts, Donaldson] The Early Fathers on War and Military Service [Swift] Early Church History to the Death of Constantine [Backhouse, Tylor] History of Christianity [Gibbon] A Short Hostory of Rome [Ferrero] The New Worlds Foundations in the Old [West] Those About To Die [Manniz] A History of Christianity [Wolff] Caesar and Christ [Will Durant] Treasury of the Christian World [Nasby] The Beginnings of Christianity [Craig] Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine Christianity in Talmud and Midrash New World Translation Studies Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Strongs Concordance Wilsons Old Testament Word Studies Westcott and Hort Greek Text Hebrew Snaith Translation King James Only Controversy Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation Thayers Greek English Lexican The Text of the New Testament [Metzger] Mckenzie Dictionary of the Bible Synonyms of the Old Testament The King James Version Debate Synonyms of the New Testament Truth in Translation [BeDuhn] Brown Driver - Briggs Hebrew Lexicon The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture Erhman Hebrew English New Testament New Testament Greek to Hebrew Dictionary The Patristic Gospels [D'Onston] A Brief History of English Bible Translations [Vance] The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible The Eerdman's Bible Dictionary Liddell and Scotts Greek Lexicon Pulpit Commentary Exposition of Revelation of Jesus Christ Adam Clarke Commentary Irwins Bible Commentary New Bible Dictionary New American Standard Concise Dictionary NIV Interlinear Greek Parallel KJV International Standard Bible Encyclopeadia Vincents Word Studies Robertsons Word Pictures Commentary Matthew [Broadus] Ironside Notes on Matthew Family Bible Edwards Barnes Notes New Testament Gospel Matthew [M'Nelle] Expositors Greek Testament Gospel Matthew Cambridge Modern Literal Version 26 Translations The Word Bibe Septuagint and Modern Study Origen Hexapla Christianity in Talmud and Midrash Creation Versus Evolution Studies Darwins Doubt God and the Astronomers Icons of Evolution Science or Myth The Symbiotic Universe Perfect Planet , Clever Species In Search of Deep Time Rare Earth The Origin of Species The Enchanted Loom Cosmic Coincidences Evolution a Theory in Crisis Alone in the Universe Darwins Dilemma Darwins Black Box Signature in the Cell The Design Inference The Antropic Cosmological Principle The Privileged Planet Unlocking the Mystery of Life The Intelligent Universe Hoyle Testimony of the Rocks [Hugh Miller] Myths From Mesopotamia, Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh...[Dalley] Darwin Strikes Back [Woodward] Doubts About Darwin [Woodward] Darwin On Trial [Johnson] Evolution and the Emperor's New Clothes [Mitchell] Creation and Evolution Controversy Hubbles Universe Forbidden Archeology [Cremo] Christian Neutrality and Jehovah's Witnesses God and Man in Washington Beyond Good Intentions Early Christian Attitude to War A History of Christianity It Is Not Lawful For Me To Fight The Court and the Constitution God Versus Ceasar The American Character The Lustre of Our Country On The Road To Civilization Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine Preachers Present Arms [Abrams] World History, the Story of Mans Achievements [Habberton] Christianity and the Roman Government [Hardy] The March of Civilization, Ancient and Medieval World [Wrench] The Church the Gospel and War [Jones] The Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3 [Roberts, Donaldson] The Early Fathers on War and Military Service [Swift] Early Church History to the Death of Constantine [Backhouse, Tylor] History of Christianity [Gibbon] A Short Hostory of Rome [Ferrero] The New Worlds Foundations in the Old [West] Those About To Die [Manniz] A History of Christianity [Wolff] Caesar and Christ [Will Durant] Treasury of the Christian World [Nasby] Armed With the Constitution [Newton] State And Salvation The Jehovah's Witnesses and their Fight For Civil Rights [Kaplan] Varieties of Religious Repression : Why Governments Restrict Religion {Sarkissian} To The Flag The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Alligiance The Courage of Their Convictions Salute! The Case of the Bible VS. The Flag The Supreme Court on Church and State Render Unto Caesar The Flag Salute Controversy Marble Palace The Supreme Court in American Life Religious Freedom : Rights and Liberties Under the Law Watchtower Beliefs and History 1940 Life Magazine 1958 Life Magazine The Faiths Men Live By Where Else But Pittsburg Sharing The Book Charles Taze Russell [Zydek] The Price of Privilege How To Be A Perfect Stranger Lectures on the Apocalypse Volumes 1-3 [Joseph Seiss] A Miracle in Stone [Joseph Seiss] Jehovahs Witnesses in Africa Religious Heritage of America My Letters Defending the Faith Organizational Identity Readers of Zions Watchtower 1879 Jehovah's Witnesses New World Society [Marley Cole] Life and Work of Henry Ward Beecher [Knox] Religion in the Soviet Union [Kolarz] Christian Religion in the Soviet Union [Lane] The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses [Chryssides] Evangelism in the Early Church [Green] Watchtower Publications Valuation Guide [Milosevic] Jehovah's Witnesses and Holocaust Studies The Other Victims Hitlers Prisoners Facing the Lion Remembering Voices of the Holocaust Jehovah's Witnesses and the Nazis Death Always Came on Mondays Persecution of Jehovahs Witnesses During the Nazi Regime Unbroken Will Unfettered Joy Judging Jehovah's Witnesses Hitlers Pope Crucible of Terror Altered I [Joseph Kempler] 1914 and the Last Days Parousia of the KING The Age of Turbulance Flu 1918 Pandemic Forth Horseman Pandemonium The Age of Uncertainty The Fall of Dynasties The Generation of 1914 A World Undone 1914 The War That Ended Peace 1914 Our World Through the Ages July 1914 [Sean McMeekin] Catastrophe...1914 [Hastings] Evidence, History and the Great War : Historians and the Impact of 1914 - 1918 Disposable People "Vincent Word Studies in NT" V1 MT 24:3 PRESENCE "Greek Eng. Lexicon NT" Bauer Arndt Gingrich parousia "PAROUSIA" 1884 Warren Matt. 24:3 Presence KING 1914 "Gospel St Matthew M'Neile" JEHOVAH PAROUSIA "Mitchell New Testament" PAROUSIA New American Standard Concord. Dictionary PAROUSIA Robertson Word pictures V. 1 Matt. Mark PAROUSIA Mt 24:3 Liddell Scott Greek English Lexicon Parousia Robertson Expositors Greek V. 1 PAROUSIA Mt 24:3; "Interlinear Bible" J. Green Presence Parousia "Thayers" Greek English Lexicon Parousia "Dictionary NT Theology" Parousia of KING Emphatic Diaglott Presence J-21 Commentary on New Test. Matthew 1886 "Presence" Cambridge Greek Testament Matthew 1894 "Presence" Pulpit Commentary" V 15 Matthew PRESENCE ROTHERHAM" Emphasized Bible Presence The Kingdom New Testament" [Wright] MT 24:3 "Presence... KING" Young's Literal Translation" Holy Bible Presence Holy Bible Modern Literal Version PRESENCE Matt. 24:3 The Unvarnished New Testament" Gaus Translation MT. 24:3 Notes on Matthew" JEHOVAH New Testament 1914 Matt. 24:3-14 Interlinear KJV - NIV New Testament Matt 24:3 presence Expository Dictionary Biblical Words by Vine The Four Gospels and Revelation" Lattimore Presence MT 24:3 Modern Matthew" Carr Translation "Presence" 21 st Century New Testament" Capel " presence " International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Vol 4 "Parousia" Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible Vol. 3 "Parousia" Irwins Bible Commentary "Parousia" New Bible Dictionary "Parousia Eschatology" Pagan Origins of Holidays Halloween From Pagan Ritual to Party Night Sacred Origins Pagan Traditions The Christian Book of Why Extraordinary Origins Halloween American Holiday Two Babylons [ Hislop] Christmas in America [Restad] Pagan and Christian Creeds [Carpenter] Christmas Customs and Traditions [Miles] Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas [Collins] Toward the Origins of Christmas [Roll] Bible Myths and Parallels in Other Religions [Doane] Myths of the Sun...Concerning teh Sun and its Worship [Olcott] The Golden Bough [Frazer] The Paganism in Our Christianity [Weigall] How It Started [Garrison] The Battle For Christmas [Nissenbaum] Pagan Origins of Trinity and Religious Teachings God The Invisible King [H.G. Wells] Sacred Origins A History of Christianity Role of Theology and Bias in Bible Translation Many Witnesses One Lord Christianity and World Religions Dictionary of the Bible [McKenzie] Trinitys Weak Links Revealed The Non-Christian Cross Encyclopedia of American Folklore Extraordinary Origins The American Character When Jesus Became God Two Babylons [Hislop] The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture Jesus God or the Son of God The Patristic Gospels Bible Myths and Parallels in Other Religions [Doane] The Paganism in Our Christianity [Weigall] Witch Hunts in the Western World Concepts of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Popes Visit Time Life Morals and Missiles Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Religions Babylonian Assyrian [Hooke] Dawn of Civilization [Engberg] Ancient Pagan Christian Symbolism 1594 De Cruce Justus Lipsius Chronicles of the Unholy Fathers Archeaology Bible Authenticity and Deluge Studies Gods Graves and Scholars Halleys Bible Handbook The Bible As History The Book of the Dead The Discovery of Genesis Archeology and the New Testament Testimony of the Rocks [Miller] Noah's Flood and Birth of the Ice Age [Gielow] Myths From Mesopotamia, Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh...[Dalley] The Genesis Flood [Morris] The Deluge Story in Stone [Nelson] Battles of the Bible [Herzog] The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible The Eerdman's Bible Dictionary 2005 Biblical Archaeology Review Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark Babylonian Legend of the Flood Frozen in Time Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch [Patten] Folklore of the Old Testament [Frazer] Deluge and its Cause [Vail] New Theory of the Earth [Whiston] Inspiration of the Bible [Hastings] Ecclieastical History Eusebius The Lost Americans [Hibbon] Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe Forbidden History Forbidden Archeology - Hidden History [Cremo] The Flood [Rehwinckle] Adair History of American indians Blood Transfusions and Medical Alternatives Your Body Your Choice Guide to Bloodless Medicine [Farmer] Blood [Starr] No Man's Blood [Church] Bad Blood [Dalgleish] Transfusion-Transmitted Viral Diseases Healing From the Heart [Dr. OZ , M.D.] Bloodless Spine Surgery [Hansraj] Transfusion Free Medicine and Surgery [Jabbour] Books on or about Jehovah's Witnesses or Quotes by the Watchtower Society And Reprints of Older Watchtower Publications Margaret Keane and Keaneabilia Citizen Keane : The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes Big Eyes and All - Biography of Margaret Keane Beyond Courage [Aros] My Letters Defending the Faith Jehovah's Witnesses New World Society [Marley Cole] Seasons in the Sun [Dahl] Thirty Years as Jehovah's Slave [Neumann] Seeking First the Kingdom [Leather] How to be Invisible [Luna] Jehovahs Witnesses: The African Connection: Unprecedented Preaching [Carr] Religion in the Soviet union [Kolarz] Christian Religion in the Soviet Union [Lane] Pillars of Faith-American Congregations and Their Partners [Ammerman] The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses [Chryssides] Faith on the March [MacMillan] Jehovah's Witnesses Global Kingdom [Marley Cole] Revelation of Jesus Christ According to the Siniatic Text [Watchtower] The Way To Paradise [Van Amburgh] Millions Now living Will Never Die [Watchtower] Tabernacle Shadows [Watchtower] Russell - White Debate [Watchtower] Disposable People Evangelism in the Early Church [Green] Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark Watchtower Publications Valuation Guide [Stan Milosovic] Faith of the Russian Evangelicals Religious Hypocrisy Terrorism Violence Babylon the Great Sacred Fury Holy Hatred Terror in the Mind of God Age of Sacred Terror Inside Terrorism [Hoffman] Chronicles of the Unholy Fathers Dissent on the Margins [Russian persecution] Creation evolution Bible Translations Watchtower Pagan Origins Holocaust 1914 Archeology Early Christianity Holidays Have something to share, create your own guide... Write a guide lisa.joeywit My wife and I have been raised in the truth, myself for over 50 years. My parents were also raised in the truth since 1930's. My grandparents were also Bible Students in the early 20th century. We have over 100 relatives in the truth and at Bethel.

During the hearing in the Russian Supreme Court on the suit of the Ministry of Justice against the Jehovah's Witnesses (SI) revealed that one of the banned books, planted a believer, belonged not to them but to the Orthodox anti-sectarian center, the correspondent of "Portal Credo.Ru-» . April 7 at the hearing SI lawyers explained that almost all the cases in which their local religious organization (MPO) in Russia were liquidated decisions of the courts, based on fabricated evidence.Believers do not spread and do not even store books and magazines, made to the federal list of extremist literature, the Russian Federation, however, the law enforcement agencies themselves throw up these SI materials, and then "find" during searches. Some incidents of this kind are recorded on video, widely available on the Internet and shown on television. Jehovah's Witnesses were able to establish the fact that in Voronezh "extremist literature" law enforcement agencies gave structures associated with the ROC. In one of the books ( "What Does the Bible Really Teach?"), Located in the file in the package number 5, there is a field in which you can enter the name of the owner of the book. This field is the inscription "IKTSMV", which means "Information and Consultation Center of St. Mitrofan Voronezh ". Thrown the book was "discovered" by a layer of carpet, on which stood a pot of flowers. According to the database vob.ru data, the center was created with the blessing of Metropolitan of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk ROC Sergei (Fomin) and is part of the Russian Association of Centers for Study of Religions and Sects (RATSIRS). According iriney.ru site IKTSMV headed by Eugene Lischenyuk priest, the center also helps the well-known "sectologist" Alexander Dvorkin. The stated purpose of the center's activities - "the development of appropriate (do not contradict the orthodox morality and do not violate the secular law) forms of anti-sectarian activities and the development of targeted mission to neutralize proselytizing programs and religious extremism." However, the Criminal Code contains an article 303: the falsification of evidence and the results of operatively-search activity. This article states that the falsification of evidence in a civil case by a person involved in the case, or his representative, shall be punished by a fine of 100 to 300 thousand rubles, or by compulsory works up to 480 hours, or correctional labor for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for up to 4 months. In fact there is a second copy of the same book, the fields that have a ballpoint pen marks, which are critical remarks in relation to the text of the book. It is obvious that the mark makes a person who does not agree with the position of the SI. In spite of the falsification of evidence, the court in Voronezh took the side of Jehovah's Witnesses and took note of the evidence toss. March 2 this year, the court noted the contradictory testimony of prosecution witnesses and reversed a lower district court on the Elimination of Voronezh organization SI.

WorldViews Russia labels ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ as extremists and tries to ban them from the country By Amanda Erickson April 14 at 6:00 AM A little boy passes by while Jehovah's Witnesses discuss the Bible in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (Alexander Aksakov for The Washington Post). In Russia, there's a database of extremists. It includes members of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and … Jehovah's Witnesses. Mind you, that's not because members of the Christian religious denomination have been caught plotting some kind of violence. Pacifism is a core value of members, who believe that the Bible should be taken literally. “I cannot imagine that anyone really thinks they are a threat,” Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, which monitors extremism in Russia, told the New York Times. “But they are seen as a good target. They are pacifists, so they cannot be radicalized, no matter what you do to them. They can be used to send a message.” That message seems to be coming directly from the Kremlin, which has moved decisively against the group in recent weeks, putting their office near St. Petersburg on a list of spots banned “in connection with the carrying out of extremist activities.” Authorities have also claimed that the denomination's followers are spreading “extremist” texts. Its official website is also banned in the country. And in articles from state media, the sect is smeared as a cult. In a statement to the New York Times, Russia's Justice Ministry defended the decision, saying that a year-long review of the Jehovah’s Witness “administrative center” near St. Petersburg had uncovered unspecified “violations of a Russian law banning extremism.” The statement said that the group — which has 400 registered churches and offices across Europe — should be “liquidated.” Right now, the country's Supreme Court is meeting to decide whether to outlaw the religious organization altogether. That wouldn't prevent members from gathering in worship, though they could no longer go door to door and proselytize. There's a long history in Russia of harassing Jehovah's Witnesses. During Soviet times, the KGB accused them of spying. It's true, too, that leaders of the formerly socialist country — where atheism was the official doctrine not too long ago — are naturally skeptical of faith. Today's WorldView What's most important from where the world meets Washington Sign up But experts say there's something different going on today. The church's 170,000 Russian members don't vote, won't serve in the military and refuse to attend national celebrations that glorify violence. That means they often avoid state-sponsored rallies celebrating, say, the annexation of Crimea. That's a problem for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is naturally suspicious of groups with pro-Western sympathies (the sect is based in the United States). It's also a way for him to show support to the Russian Orthodox Church. “The treatment of the Jehovah’s Witnesses reflects the Russian government’s tendency to view all independent religious activity as a threat to its control and the country’s political stability,” the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a statement earlier this month. Experts see it, too, as part of a broader campaign against Russian civil society using the 2002 anti-extremism law. Officially, the rule was touted as a measure against radicalized violence from homegrown and foreign terrorists. But it's been broadly interpreted, used to jail anyone from antigovernment activists to Muslims with no ties to terrorism or violence. One believer, Andre Sivak detailed to the New York Times what that crackdown feels like. Sivak, 43, told the paper that he lost his job as a teacher because of his faith. Security officials secretly filmed his local service, and accused him of “inciting hatred and disparaging the human dignity of citizens.” He says that while he does not vote, he is not an antigovernment activist. (Those who oppose Putin are often brought up on charges of “extremism.") “They say I am a terrorist,” he said. “But all I ever wanted to do was to get people to pay attention to the Bible.” Alexey Koptev, a member of the faith since 1992, was arrested after Russian security officials secretly taped worship services. Koptev and the others were banned from traveling. Many lost their jobs. Authorities told them they would be set free if they denounced their faith. “Why me?” he asked The Washington Post's Andrew Roth. “Who did nothing illegal, who read nothing illegal, why was I secretly filmed and listened to?”

FAMOUS POET JOHN MILTON SAID ALSO IN HIS WORK "PARADISE LOST" AND THE SEQUEL "PARADISE REGAINED" THAT THE EARTH WOULD BE RESTORED TO A PARADISE ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. FROM THE 17TH CENTURY. In 1651, one scholar wrote that since through Adam men “have forfeited Paradise, and Eternal Life on Earth,” so in the Christ “all men shall be made to live on Earth; for else the comparison were not proper.” (Read 1 Corinthians 15:21] Revelation 21:1 mentions a "new heavens AND a new earth". The new heavens is described in vs.2 and the new earth is described in vs. 3 and 4. pretty simple.

These other religions appear very confident that they basically sit like a queen and will not be targeted. Remind me of Rev. 18:7 : For she keeps saying in her heart: ‘I sit as queen, and I am not a widow, and I will never see mourning.’+ 8 That is why in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire,+ because Jehovah*God, who judged her, is strong.+ Now that people are seeing that True Religion is being singled out and persecuted out of over 2,000 religions in Russia as Jesus said would identify them in John 17 - I am sure that these words of Rev. 18 will also be fulfilled :"“Get out of her, my people,+ if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues.+ 5 For her sins have massed together clear up to heaven,+ and God has called her acts of injustice* to mind.+ 6 Repay her in the way she treated others,+ yes, pay her back double for the things she has done;+ in the cup+ she has mixed, mix a double portion for her.+ To all those who love peaceable people who dwell in security under the supreme rule of Jehovah and His Messiah the time is NOW to flee to God's Kingdom for the clouds are becoming darker and these words will soon come to pass: "She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen,+ and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a place where every unclean spirit* and every unclean and hated bird lurks!+ 3 For because of the wine of the passion* of her sexual immorality,* all the nations have fallen victim,+ and the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her,+ and the merchants* of the earth became rich owing to the power of her shameless luxury.”

First they came for the Jehovah's Witnesses, then . . . JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES TRIAL: WHO ELSE IS AFRAID? Who of believers is next in line for liquidation, ban of activity, and prosecution for extremism in Russia? BBC Russian Service, 13 April 2017 In April in the Russian Supreme Court began proceedings in the case for recognizing the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremist and for liquidation of all of its structures in Russia. The initiator of the proceedings was the Ministry of Justice of Russia, which accuses the organization of conducting extremist activity and demands its prohibition. In the event of the satisfaction of this lawsuit, adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses will be liable for criminal prosecution. At the present time the activity of the organization is suspended until the end of the proceedings in the Supreme Court. In the course of the hearings, lawyers for the organization have noted that the ban affects about 170 thousand adherents of the movement and about 400 organizations functioning in various regions. The BBC Russian Service spoke with representatives of other religious associations about the trial of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the consequences of such bans. Adventists Oleg Goncharov, the first deputy of the chairman of the European Division of the General Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church: "Our church is not afraid of such a prosecution and it does not see a connection with the case of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The accusations are connected with the fact that several Russian courts have ruled literature of this organization to be extremist. We, Adventists, do not have a single such case. "We have had two precedents because of the law on evangelistic activity: in Chita our minister was fined because of identification markings of a brochure, and also in Nizhny Novgorod province personnel of law enforcement agencies tried to haul in one of our pastors on the basis that he supposedly was engaged in missionary activity, but the case did not go to court. "We express regret that in our country the trial of the Jehovah's Witnesses is proceeding. Although we do not agree with this organization on many matters, as believing people we sympathize with this group of believing people." Scientologists Natalia Alekseeva, director of relations with society of the Center of Administration of Activity for Promotion of Dianetics and Scientology: "We do not discuss politics. We are outside of it and we obey the law and do not violate anything. We always say that Scientology conducts useful social activity: anti-drug programs, work with youth, restoration of morals in society, and educational activity on human rights. We consider that the government should support such activity and not conduct inspections. "Certainly we are worried and fearful because of the situation with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Peaceful citizens should not be considered to be extremists. These are people who do not bear arms and who read and study the Bible." Molokans Aleksei Liubchenko, editor of newspaper "Molokane": "We are not afraid; why be afraid? We are an indigenous Russian confession; we date our beginning from the 17th-18th centuries. There is pressure on us from other confessions, but the more pressure, the stronger our faith. "In particular, there is pressure on me as a newspaper editor. It comes through activists of the Russian Orthodox Church and apparently through them from the government. I connect this pressure with our activity, but closure is far off. But these are special cases. It is now hard on everybody because of the criminal regime." Baptists Aleksei Smirnov, president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists: "At the present moment there is not any pressure on our organization. I am not a strong prophet so as to predict. Experience and history say that in a democratic state, democratic norms should operate in relations of the state with religious organizations, and in order to stop illegal activity law enforcement agencies exist. "Prohibition of an organization because somebody committed some crime is not an entirely proper act. But the possibility of future prosecution is a question for God and not for us." Krishnaites Vadim Borison, vice –president of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness in Russia: "I would not say that we are experiencing against us such tendencies [as Jehovah's Witnesses have] and I hope that we will not experience them. I would not call this pressure, but in the country as a whole some sort of sorting out in all spheres is occurring. But this is not clear to us. "We are not experiencing pressure, but we are experiencing a natural interest in us on the part of the Ministry of Justice, and therefore we feel that we should be understood and clear as an organization" (tr. by PDS, posted 13 April 2017) Russian original posted on Portal-Credo.Ru, 13 April 2017

Jehovah's Witnesses have another trial in Moscow COURT IN MOSCOW TO EXAMINE LEGALITY OF SUSPENSION OF WORK OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES RIA Novosti, 13 April 2017 The Zamoskvoreche court of Moscow on Thursday will examine the legality of the order of the Russian Ministry of Justice suspending the activity of the head organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, the press secretary of the court, Emiliia Khil, told RIA Novosti. The plaintiff's declaration from the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses against the Russian Ministry of Justice was accepted for consideration, and preparation for the civil case was scheduled for Thursday, the press secretary said. By its order the justice ministry suspended the work of the Jehovah's Witnesses until the completion of the proceedings in the Russian Supreme Court, where the ministry is seeking recognition of the activity of the organization to be extremist and, in connection with this, its liquidation and prohibition. In the event that the lawsuit is granted, adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses will be liable for criminal prosecution. The justice ministry is sure that the work of the Jehovah's Witnesses engenders a threat to the protection of the rights and interests of society and public security, a lawyer for the ministry indicated. She cited decisions of courts, which found 95 Jehovah's Witnesses brochures to be extremist, as well as the activity of eight organizations in regions of Russia. Lawyers for the organization retorted that the claims were directed at quotations from the Bible and in addition bodies of the government have not reconsidered the question about the presence of extremism in these brochures after the introduction of changes in legislation regarding such crimes. In particular, the Ministry of Justice accuses Jehovah's Witnesses of refusing blood transfusion. Meanwhile a lawyer for the organization noted that refusal of blood transfusion is not extremism—such action does not exist in the law on combating extremist activity. He noted that the Ministry of Justice introduced as an example only a single incident, when doctors proposed to parents two alternative means of treatment, one of which provided for blood transfusion. But the parents wanted to treat the child with medicines. The proceedings on the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice for liquidation of the Jehovah's Witnesses will continue in the Supreme Court of the RF on 19 April. The Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is the head organization, managing affiliates of Jehovah's Witnesses in the RF. This religious organization regularly has problems with the law in Russia, from judicial orders banning its activity and liquidating its divisions to fines for possession of extremist materials. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 April 2017)

I wonder, and it would be ironic, if apostates because of their hatred actually will be responsible for the outbreak of the Great Tribulation by inciting nations for turn against Jehovah's Witnesses and all other religions as well?

Vasily Kalin: "I got a certificate of a victim of political repression. And what kind of certificate does the Justice Ministry want to provide me today? " April 11, 2017 Trying to complete ban Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia Text explanations which 7 April 2017 addressed to the Supreme Cude Russia Vasily Kalin of the Steering Committee of "Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center in Russia." 00 00:00 Dear court! I'm not a lawyer, so I will try to speak in simple words, simple expressions make it clear to you, dear court, as well as to the distinguished representative of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice appealed to you March 15, 2017 to recognize the extremist and eliminate immediately all the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. A lot of them - this is one centralized organization and 395 local religious organizations throughout Russia. Is this legal? I think not. Management center does not agree with the statements of Justice as extremist activities not carried out and does not perform at the moment. Over the 26 years of official existence of the organization as a legal entity Administrative Center never prosecuted for violation of any provisions of the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" and the Federal Law "On Countering Extremist Activity". If so, then I, the chairman of the governing body, the question arises: if we were good 26 years and have not committed crimes, then I wonder what day we become extremists? That the Administrative Center has done such that it requires to eliminate? Personally, I'm in a suit of the Ministry of Justice did not find the answer to this question. The Ministry of Justice claims that the statement of claim filed in order to strengthen the rule of law and the prevention of violations of state and public security, protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, as well as to counter extremist activities. Where are these grim facts? I do not argue that the struggle against extremism is really important and noble goal. But the fact that the appreciation of the Ministry of Justice claims the state does not reach the stated goals, and just the opposite - a violation of believers' rights, violation of their freedom and return to the dark past. It is violated the rule of law under Article 4 th of the Constitution, and caused significant damage to legitimate rights, freedoms and interests of more than 175 000 citizens of the Russian Federation - men, women and children. In addition, the satisfaction of the requirements of the Ministry of Justice will further strengthen the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses on religious grounds, which have already begun. In fact, the court's decision on the Elimination of all religious communities of Jehovah's Witnesses will be interpreted as the enforcers nationwide ban on the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in the announcement of their peaceful worship criminal. As a result, tens of thousands of believers will undergo illegal persecution only because they will be gathered together to read the Bible, and we have already passed such. Even now, before the pronouncement of the Supreme Court decision in the case, on the basis of the order of Ministry of Justice of Russia on March 15, 2017 the activities of the Administrative Center suspended the organization bank accounts blocked, and therefore the Administrative Center is not able not only to continue normal business operations but also to pay a state fee. Administrative Center of the Ministry of Justice has submitted the list of terrorists and extremists, and put on a par with such organizations as the "Al-Qaeda", the movement "Taliban", Aum, and many others. We have heard the representative of the Ministry of Justice, acting without blinking said that Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists, that is, criminals, and it is in a lawsuit. The very fact that the Ministry of Justice submitted meet the claim will be the epitome of extremism, gross injustice and a return to the days of the Soviet Union, when thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were subjected to brutal persecution, were placed in the Gulag and forever referred to Siberia only because Jehovah's Witnesses practice a religion. In modern history, no state of law did not allow himself such acts against its people. In contrast, Jehovah's Witnesses legally operate in more than 240 countries and territories, including all European countries, and has a worldwide reputation respected, peaceful and law-abiding people. Dear court! You have the power and the legal basis to make of the administrative case solution, which will show that the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia on charges of extremism should be stopped. Fair, honest and lawful decision in the case can be only one - the failure to satisfy the claim of the Ministry of Justice. Jehovah's Witnesses have never been extremists, they are not of today. Their beliefs are contrary to the manifestation of hatred, hostility and violence. It is a peaceful, honest, respectable members of society and the state, who follow the biblical commandment to fulfill the prayers, supplications and prayers, thanksgiving for all men, for kings, for all those in authority, to conduct our lives a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. This is a quote from the Bible, the message of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, chapter 2, verses 1-2 minutes. Also in the Bible, the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, chapter 13, verse 1 says that every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no authority except from God. Hence, Jehovah's Witnesses, obeying the instructions of the Bible, showing deep respect for the power and show respect and love for people. They are not extremists. The history of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia more than 100 years. During this time there was no occasion when Jehovah's Witnesses called for violence, subversion or otherwise threatening state security. In contrast, Jehovah's Witnesses, as before, and now often receive praise from the government for their good deeds for the benefit of society. Their religious communities the authorities handed over the written letters and gratitude, many of them here, and something given in court. Christian doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses is based solely on the Bible and does not contain listed in the Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On countering extremist activities" of extremism, not calls for extremist action. The data on the basic creeds draws attention to the fact that believers treat other people the way they want to be treated with them. This is a quote from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 12. And Jehovah's Witnesses have always adhered to and adhere to the principles of peace is today. And the spread of faith stems from a desire to do the will of God, which is also recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, the 24th chapter, 14th verse, and the desire to help others draw closer to God, to find hope of everlasting life on a paradise earth. Court provided these documents. During the Soviet Union, when the government led a relentless struggle against dissent, Jehovah's Witnesses, along with believers of other faiths were brutally persecuted just because they read the Bible, based on the prints it, and confessed their biblical views. In 1951, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet civilians were deported to Siberia forever. All property of the faithful, their homes, belongings, livestock have been confiscated. In the future, hundreds of believers have been convicted on charges of anti-Soviet activities and served his sentence in the Gulag system. Question: For what? Only for the fact that professed beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and followed the biblical commandments. My family and I have also gone through the political repression during the same thing as what we are accused today, but then we have been rehabilitated. I was born on February 5, 1947 in Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk region. And 8 April 1951 at the age of 4 with his family - his parents, his grandmother, two older brothers and sister - we were exiled to Siberia forever, in the Irkutsk region. They drove us dirty freight cars more than 20 days in inhumane conditions in which animals are transported normally. There were men, women, children, no toilets, no food, no different conditions. Our exile in Siberia was connected with Stalin's decree and concerned people who profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. My parents were Jehovah's Witnesses. But for me it was an interesting one circumstance of this case: my parents, as well as any of Jehovah's Witnesses, to be expelled at the time, I could have avoided this fate. We had to make just a small thing - to abandon the faith, to sign the document of renunciation. Interestingly, if you are a criminal and so you shall be subject to severe punishment, it is unlikely someone the opportunity presents itself. But the opportunity was given Jehovah's Witnesses, and only because they were not criminals. Clearly, Jehovah's Witnesses at the time also did not commit any crime, but were persecuted. The state simply did not like the position of these people, which is very different from the alien people the ideology of building a godless society. Exiled in Siberia Jehovah's Witnesses have also continued to study the Bible, telling others about what is written in it. Despite the further unleashing of terror and persecution, slander against these innocent people, Jehovah's Witnesses lost their deep convictions, they were angry, did not rebel against their oppressors. They continue to be honest, highly moral, decent people, to show love and respect for all people around, regardless of their beliefs, the nation and the origin. Why? Because they are highly honored the law of God "to love your neighbor as yourself." Today, nothing has changed. Yes, my childhood was spent largely in poverty, hunger, humiliation, ridicule, because I grew up baby enemies. How would you react, dear court, the fact if a five-year child asks for bread from his mother, and his mother turned away, so that the child did not see her tears, and said: "Son, be patient a little bit, we will soon be a lot of bread." And this kid, who requested a piece of bread ... I've been thinking, how much we will have plenty of bread? Likely, a whole loaf! This weeping woman was my mother. This child asking for a piece of bread, I was. The question is: why? For what these people were in such poverty? For what crime these children were deprived of the joy of his childhood, a simple piece of bread and a free life? And, of course, I then, the younger boy, it was very difficult to compare the reality with the humiliating propaganda of the time of a happy childhood given to us a great country. And what about the lies that generously showered these innocent honest workers? In my school years, I sometimes felt like an outcast. Judge asked to speak closer to the point. Kalin: Dear court, I did not want to do advertising his family and himself. I wanted to show an example of the past, that we return to the same today. Because today is what is already happening, even that claim went to the Supreme Court on the Elimination of Jehovah's Witnesses, we are already seeing a lot of what is happening today. Today, as many people, or some people, already prejudiced against Jehovah's Witnesses, already persecution and ridicule students in the school, already collect lists of places of Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. Therefore, if today to follow the path that invites us to the Ministry of Justice - to eliminate the Administrative Center, to eliminate all the local religious organization in Russia, there will be the same. I really liked the words of one official, who said to me: 'Vasily Mikhailovich, a legal entity can be eliminated, but faith - no. " How to think the Department of Justice, fulfilling their desire to eliminate Jehovah's Witnesses, do we give up their actions, their faith? Never. But what happens? That is what has happened in Russia, such as the judicial process in Taganrog. Already people have received formal imprisonment, people have been convicted and their families also suffered a lot of persecution. Therefore, looking at the whole situation, which takes place today, of course, a pity that we are returning to that state. For example, I have a strange question: I have received a certificate as a victim of political repression. I once was a criminal, as well as my parents. Then this charge removed from me. And what a witness today the Ministry of Justice wants to give these people they call extremists? What actions, what actions of Jehovah's Witnesses held their equate to those who commit crimes today? Therefore, I believe that the lawsuit, which was filed by the Ministry of Justice, returns back and demands to deprive them of the right to profess together the Jehovah's Witnesses faith in God. Otherwise, we face harsh prison sentences, and possibly subsequent complaints. If in the years Jehovah's Witnesses USSR judged on the basis of vague articles of the Criminal Code on anti-Soviet activities, today the basis for the prosecution of (a) the same number of uncertain and vague article anti-extremist legislation. However, I said, Jehovah's Witnesses have never posed a threat to the state either in the past or now, and they do not provide such a threat in the future. Turning to the representative of the Ministry of Justice, I would like to remind you: the requirement to eliminate the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia outlaw those people who wish you and all citizens of Russia peace, happiness and love. I hope that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation will not allow the Ministry of Justice to bring back those shameful pages of history, which I and many other Russians of my age had to endure. Therefore, the claim of the Ministry of Justice asking to refuse. Many thanks.

Specified Search View Map Make Timegraph View Tags Image Library JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES TARGETED FOR HARASSMENT AND POSSIBLE PERSECUTION Date: 2009 March 5, 15:39 (Thursday) Canonical ID: 09MOSCOW546_a Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL Current Classification: CONFIDENTIAL In the metadata of the Kissinger Cables this field is called 'Previous Handling Restrictions'. Cablegate does not originally have this field. We have given it the entry 'Not Assigned'. Citations for acronyms used are available here." data-hasqtip="true" oldtitle="Handling Restrictions" title="" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: transparent; color: rgb(33, 107, 124) !important; text-decoration: none; font-size: 10pt !important; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; margin-top: 2px; margin-left: 2px; display: inline-block;">Handling Restrictions -- Not Assigned -- Character Count: 12037 Executive Order: -- Not Assigned -- Locator: TEXT ONLINE TAGS: KIRF - International Religious Freedom | PGOV - Political Affairs--Government; Internal Governmental Affairs | PHUM - Political Affairs--Human Rights | PINR - Political Affairs--Intelligence | PREL - Political Affairs--External Political Relations |RS - Russia | SOCI - Social Affairs--Social Conditions Concepts: -- Not Assigned -- Enclosure: -- Not Assigned -- Type: TE - Telegram (cable) Office Origin: -- N/A or Blank -- Office Action: -- N/A or Blank -- Archive Status: -- Not Assigned -- From: Russia Moscow Markings: -- Not Assigned -- To: Group Destinations Commonwealth of Independent States | Russia Moscow Political Collective | Secretary of State Content Raw content Metadata Print Share Show Headers Classified By: Ambassador John Beyrle for reason 1.4(d) 1. (C) Summary. Over the past several months, two regional courts have charged the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) of Russia with distributing extremist literature, and the Russian General Prosecutor has ordered a full investigation of JW religious activity, in coordination with the FSB. Local police and FSB officials interrupted JW religious ceremonies and individual members subsequently received burdensome and intrusive information requests. No other religious groups in Russia have experienced a similarly intense period of scrutiny in recent months. JW representatives believed that an "anti-cult" organization loosely affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) instigated the investigation, just days after the inauguration of ROC Patriarch Kirill. Human Rights Ombudsman Lukin has refused to meet with JW officials three times in the past several years, calling any such meeting a "dangerous situation." Lukin's deputy covering religious affairs warned us about United Russia party efforts to revise the 1997 Law on Freedom of Conscience to combat extremism. The Ambassador underscored strong concern over the targeting of JW with Presidential Human Rights Council Chairperson Pamfilova and plans to raise the issue in an upcoming meeting with Patriarch Kirill. End Summary. Targeted for Legal Action? -------------------------- 2. (C) On February 26, Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) attorney Marc Hansen, JW Presiding Committee Chairman Vassiliy Kalin, and JW Presiding Committee member Yaroslav Sivulskiy told us that Russian First Deputy Prosecutor General Aleksandr Buksman issued an assignment to regional prosecutor offices to investigate the legality of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses' religious activity in Russia. Buksman requested that regional prosecutor offices cooperate with the FSB, Ministry of Justice, public health departments and organizations, and military commissars to provide a full account of JW violations by February 18. Hansen learned about the coordinated review after receiving a copy of a letter from the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office dated February 13, issued to all Moscow city, district, and special prosecutor's offices. The letter signed by First Deputy Regional Prosecutor Aleksandr Ignatenko tasked all regional offices to take prosecutorial measures, wherever grounds for action existed, and chastised JW's missionary activity, social isolation, teachings to avoid military service, and refusal to receive blood transfusions as fostering a "negative relationship to the population and traditional Russian confessions." A similar order issued by Sakhalin Region First Deputy Prosecutor Vladimir Minigorayev on February 2 called on territorial police departments, FSB, and Ministry of Justice officials to organize an investigation of any JW violations of Federal Law 125 on Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Communions of 1997. Ignatenko's request acknowledged that JW registered with the Ministry of Justice in 1999 and has over 400 communities in Russia subordinate to the Administrative Center. 3. (C) As a result of the Russian Prosecutor General's assignment, several Jehovah's Witnesses chapters received court orders to provide information about the organization's activities. JW chapters in Solnechnodolsk (Stavropol Territory), Angarsk (Irkutsk Region), and Sarapul (Udmurt Republic) received requests for legal documents on chapter registration, member lists, details on religious events and practices, real estate documentation, bank account records, and details on chapter management decisions. All of the orders, issued between February 13 and 17, requested a full accounting from JW chapters by February 18. A fourth chapter in Belokurikha (Altai Territory) received a court order on February 18 for information on all chapter members who applied for marriage annulments from 2004 to the present. Vague Extremism Charges ----------------------- 4. (C) Russian authorities charged Jehovah's Witnesses in Altai Territory and Rostov Oblast with extremism in early 2009, prompting a flurry of legal activity from both sides. On February 26, Andrik told us that there had been positive developments in the Salsk (Rostov Oblast) court proceeding that charged JW with the production and dissemination of 12 pieces of extremist literature (as opposed to 27 in Altai). Andrik noted that the Salsk prosecutor lacked evidence proving the extremist nature of JW religious literature, and added that the prosecutor never claimed in the proceedings that JW literature is actually extremist, only that it "could MOSCOW 00000546 002 OF 003 be" or "might be used as" extremist literature. The Salsk prosecutor, whom Hansen described as inexperienced, promised to discuss the evidence with her superiors before the next court hearing on March 12. 5. (C) While no decisions in the Gorno-Altaisk (Altai Territory) case had been made, JW representatives described their chances of success as "comparably poor." Hansen attributed part of JW's problems in Gorno-Altaisk to the rural characteristics of the region, conceding that more traditional bureaucrats likely will rule against them. While Andrik and Hansen applauded the judge's decision to allow them access to the prosecutor's files, they pointed to a problematic 49-page study conducted by a Gorno-Altaisk university that claimed JW engaged in "mind control" activities. While JW challenged the admissibility of the study, performed over a three day period in January 2009, Hansen believed that cost and time constraints would prevent the judge in Altai from ordering a second evaluation. Hansen offered that a quick review of the lists of the so-called "extremist" magazines and books showed that none of the publications singled out in Salsk and Gorno-Altaisk overlapped, calling into question the uniformity of criteria used by these courts in the review process. (Note: Andrik stated that there are only 150,000 registered members of JW in Russia, but twice that many attend services. End Note). Harassment in Kazan, St. Petersburg ----------------------------------- 6. (C) Sivulskiy told us on February 26 that the St. Petersburg office of the JW had received hundreds of calls from members complaining about government harassment in schools and worship services. He said that local police and FSB agents recently visited elementary school classes and asked teachers to indicate which students were members of Jehovah's Witnesses, subsequently approaching the children for information about their lifestyles. Law enforcement officials singled out no other "minority" students. In Tatarstan, FSB agents interrupted a JW worship service and asked for identification from each parishioner, preventing the observation of their normal practices. Such incidents compelled JW leaders to appeal to Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin in past years, but Sivulskiy said that Lukin's rejection of the last three meeting requests as a "dangerous situation" hardly encouraged JW representatives to try again. Government Expert Wary About Current Trend ------------------------------------------ 7. (C) Mikhail Odintsov, Head of the Department of Religious Affairs in the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office, told us on January 20 that "all things are possible in Russia" regarding changes on religious freedom, and characterized the current environment for non-Orthodox groups as a "return to the Soviet Union." Odintsov cited the legal problems of the Jehovah's Witnesses, property disputes facing the Baptists, a Justice Ministry lawsuit against a Pentecostal seminary, and visa problems restricting missionaries as examples of hardships facing many religious groups in Russia. Concerning the cases currently facing JW, Odintsov cited past European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decisions in 1993, 2000, and 2001 which confirmed the legal rights of the JW, as well as the ECHR ruling on the complaint "Kuznetsov and Others vs. Russia" which dismissed government charges against JW in Rostov region in November 2007 as a breach of article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. That said, he believed that the scale of the campaign suggested higher powers at play. Russian Orthodox Church Tied to Harassment? ------------------------------------------- 8. (C) Andrik told us on January 28 that an organization associated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) provided the main impetus for action against Jehovah's Witnesses. In documents provided to the ECHR regarding the investigations of the JW Administrative Center, he pointed to the Committee for Salvation of Youth from Destructive Cults (the Committee) and the Vologda Regional Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-Traditional Religions as the sources of hostility. Andrik noted that ECHR itself recognized in 2003 that "the Committee," led by Alla Zhavoronkova, is connected to the ROC. According to Andrik, the Moscow General Prosecutor's office liquidated "The Moscow Community of Jehovah's Witnesses" as a legal entity in 2002 in a court case initiated by a complaint brought by "The Committee." Hansen openly suggested on February 26 that Patriarch Kirill could be behind the push, citing Kirill's past statements in opposition to non-Orthodox Christians and sects, as the JW MOSCOW 00000546 003 OF 003 have been labeled. Sivulskiy also unveiled his suspicions, highlighting the surge of activity against JW immediately after Kirill's enthronement. Changes in 1997 Law Forthcoming? -------------------------------- 9. (SBU) The recent surge in acts of extremism and nationalist violence has prompted Russian authorities to promise increased surveillance, and could lend to heavy-handed regulation of non-mainstream organizations. On December 2, a United Russia expert consultative council recommended the adoption of an anti-extremist project, which included changes in the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations. Religious organizations would be forced to present data about the faith's foundations, the history of its formation, and the "methodology" of its activity. Also subject to scrutiny would be the religion's outlook on family and marriage, health care for its followers, education, and requirements for membership. The United Russia bill stated that any changes to an organization's educational program must be reviewed and registered by authorities, ostensibly broadening these authorities' powers for subjective interpretation and restriction on religious activities. Comment ------- 10. (C) The crisis-driven government campaign against extremism will prod Russian bureaucrats to pick easy targets as trophies of their efforts. Ella Pamfilova, the newly re-appointed head of Medvedev,s Council on Promoting the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights told Ambassador March 4 that the JW should appeal to Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, and that although the Council is not set up to take complaints, she welcomed them to speak with her and other members of the council, including representatives from Moscow Helsinki Group and Memorial, who could also be approached. The Ambassador plans to raise the issue in an upcoming meeting with new ROC Patriarch Kirill, to gauge his personal views and advocate greater tolerance and acceptance. We will actively engage with our contacts in the Russian government, human rights community, and religious circles for more clarity on this issue. End Comment. BEYRLE References to this document in other cables References in this document to other cables 09MOSCOW261809MOSCOW1205 08MOSCOW1213 If the reference is ambiguous all possibilities are listed.

INTERNATIONAL Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia do not shut up - Accusation already feels the weight of shame and defeat Opposition accusing Russia's Jehovah's Witnesses of extremists passes shame on jury session Indicatu Web NewsSao Paulo-SP Posted on 04/12/2017 at 04:40 p.m. - updated on 04/04/2017 at 04:55 p.m. FacebookTwitterGoogle+Share In our view, it seems that President Russo, Vladimir Putin, realized the madness he was doing. It is increasingly evident that the 'true Russian justice' does not swallow the false accusations of religious extremism from which the Jehovah's Witnesses are being accused. Add to this the video evidence of the sabotage by the Russian special forces to incriminate a group that, according to official data of their direction, have been in full operation for 26 years in the country, with no record of illicit practice in the long Years. It is no good for the image of any government or religious leader, a display as shameful as it is being done by several serious news portals, both on TV and on the WEB. Having President Putin's image exposed as an accomplice in a plot to inflict evil on a religious group, whatever it is composed of innocent people, is totally unnecessary and vexatious. "If" there was any agreement, political or commercial, between church and state, to harm these people by now, by the way the jury sessions have been taking, have already fallen to the ground. Again, the judge asked at today's session April 12, 2017 that representatives of the justice ministry who accuse the JWs should present the evidence that incriminates the group as extremists, but without success. It is a shame for the magistrate class to see their own colleagues take part in an unjust scheme to decree the calamity of human beings that one day they 'swore' to defend. It is a wish of every free citizen that these facts, involving the witnesses of Jehovah, serve as an example for all the courts of the world, and that the most excellent judge judge follow the voice of reason and truth as defender of justice and protector of the innocent.

Did anyone notice these words by Justice Jackson :'“Compulsory unification of opinions achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.” Religious dissenters, when seen from this perspective, are like the canary in the coal mine: When they begin to suffer and die, everyone should be worried that the atmosphere has been polluted by tyranny. How true those words and many media recently have also stated that Jehovah's Witnesses are the FIRST to be targeted and banned then persecuted and killed just like in Nazi Germany and now in the Russian Federation. We are the canary in the mine.See also the book ""Dissent on the Margins How Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses Defied Communism and Lived to Preach About It". On ebay under lisa.joeywit. Here is the ebay write-up : Here is a new book from 2014 by Baran called "Dissent on the Margins How Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses Defied Communism and Lived to Preach About It". This is an excellent 382 page book about "Jehovah's Witnesses and how they survived decades of brutal persecution, and emerged as one of the region's fastest growing religions after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The Soviet state considered Witnesses to be the most reactionary of all underground religious movements, and used extraordinary measures to try and eliminate this threat. Yet the Witnesses survived, while the Soviet system did not. After 1991, they faced continuing challenges to their right to practice their faith in post Soviet states..." [from book jacket]. Currently as of 2015 the Russian Federation just like its predecessor the Soviet state has been repressing the Jehovah's Witnesses in particular. So much so that they even banned the official website that they use as noted below. Thinking they are extremist because of their Christian neutrality and the fact that they are "no part of the world" as the Bible says Christians should be. And as Jesus said the "World would hate them" because of their stand as true Christians. [John 15:17-19 ;17:16; 18:36]. Seven months after the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation declared jw. org to be extremist, Russian authorities banned the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The ban became effective on July 21, 2015, when the Russian Federation Ministry of Justice added jw. org to the Federal List of Extremist Materials. Internet providers throughout Russia have blocked access to the website, and it is now a criminal offense to promote it from within the country. Russia is the only country in the world to ban jw. org. UPDATE : On April, 5 2017 the Supreme Court in Russia may BAN Jehovah's Witnesses. Out of over 2,000 religions in Russia WHY are they picking only on this small religion of peaceful people and proclaim they are the same as terrorists by banning them? {lisa.joeywit} http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dissent-on-the-Margins-Watchtower-Research-neutrality-Jehovah-Russia-Soviet-/391739411559?hash=item5b357d0c67:g:P8AAAOSw37tWDtWR

RUSSIAN SUPREME COURT COMPLETES EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES FOR THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IN CASE FOR LIQUIDATION OF J.W. Portal-Credo.Ru, 12 April 2017 The Supreme Court of the RF, as already noted earlier, granted on 12 April the petition of the Ministry of Justice for examining four witnesses for the plaintiff in the case for the liquidation and recognition as "extremist" of all 396 religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Acting as witnesses for the plaintiff were persons who in the past professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses but who subsequently left it, a Portal-Credo.Ru correspondent reports. Speaking as the first witness for the side of the Ministry of Justice was Natalia Koretskaia, who left the JW religion many years ago. She was not able to explain to the court how in this case she could know about "incidents of extremist activity of the Jehovah's Witnesses" in recent years. Questioning the witness Koretskaia, the judge called attention to the fact that she was using personal notes in giving testimony. An attorney for the defendant asked her how she could explain the similarity of wording from her notes "to texts from the website of a well known anti-sectarian center." The judge made the decision to acquaint himself with Koretskaia's notes later. Questioning a witness for the Ministry of Justice, Pavel Zverev, the judge posed to him the question: "If you were harmed, did you turn to competent agencies with regard to this matter?" The witness answered that he did not. Zverev told the judge that under the influence of JW literature he "personally experienced hatred toward clergy of the Orthodox religion." To the question whether he is a member of anti-cultic organizations, Zverev answered that he was not, although had met and been photographed with the most famous "sect scholar." After the examination of Zverev, the judge invited justice ministry witness Petrova, who also in the past had been a member of a JW religious organization. Petrova told the court that in 1983, after becoming a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, she quit her job, which was "connected with the propaganda of military heroism," since this is not consistent with the JW teaching. In 2009 she left the JW religion. As an example of the extremist activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses the witness cited the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses supposedly "exclude from their ranks those who commit sins." After the examination of Petrova, the judge asked the lawyer for the Ministry of Justice just what arguments of the justice ministry's lawsuit were confirmed by the testimony of this witness? The response again spoke about a hypothetical "possible threat to an indefinite circle of persons." To the judge's question whether the witness Petrova had seen anybody distribute extremist literature, the witness answered that she had not. At 18:30 the judge summoned the last witness for the justice ministry, V.V. Koretsky. Koretsky left the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2009. To the judge's question whether his knowledge about Jehovah's Witnesses was limited to the year 2009, the witness answered "yes." A lawyer for the Ministry of Justice asked the witness to explain what he knows about the attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses to higher education and to state symbols. The judge posed to the justice ministry's lawyer a counter question: "If you have not indicated these points in the grounds of the lawsuit, why do we need to clarify this?" The justice ministry's lawyer answered that "the question is withdrawn." To the judge's question of whether Koretsky is interested in the outcome of the case, he answered briefly: "yes." After hearing the witnesses from the Ministry of Justice, the judge declared a recess until 10:00, 19 April 2017. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 April 2017)

What We Owe Jehovah’s Witnesses FACEBOOK TWITTER LINKEDIN PINTEREST PRINT BY SARAH BARRINGER GORDON 1/27/2011 • AMERICAN HISTORY Jehovah’s Witnesses were unlikely champions of religious freedom. One of the most momentous cases on the Supreme Court docket as war raged globally in 1943 was about a single sentence said aloud by schoolchildren every day. They stood, held their right hands over their hearts or in a raised-arm salute and began, “I pledge allegiance to the flag…” To most Americans the pledge was a solemn affirmation of national unity, especially at a time when millions of U.S. troops were fighting overseas. But the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a religious sect renowned for descending en masse on small towns or city neighborhoods and calling on members of other faiths to “awake” and escape the snare of the devil and his minions, felt otherwise. They insisted that pledging allegiance to the flag was a form of idolatry akin to the worship of graven images prohibited by the Bible. In West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, Walter Barnett (whose surname was misspelled by a court clerk) argued that the constitutional rights of his daughters Marie, 8, and Gathie, 9, were violated when they were expelled from Slip Hill Grade School near Charleston, W.Va., for refusing to recite the pledge. In a landmark decision written by Justice Robert Jackson and announced on Flag Day, June 14, the Supreme Court sided with the Witnesses. “To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds,” Jackson said. “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” Jehovah’s Witnesses were unlikely champions of religious freedom. The sect’s leaders denounced all other religions and all secular governments as tools of the devil, and preached the imminence of the Apocalypse, during which no one except Jehovah’s Witnesses would be spared. But their persistence in fighting in the courts for their beliefs had a dramatic impact on constitutional law. Barnette is just one of several major Supreme Court decisions involving freedom of religion, speech, assembly and conscience that arose from clashes between Jehovah’s Witnesses and government authorities. The Witnesses insisted that God’s law demanded they refrain from all pledges of allegiance to earthly governments. They tested the nation’s tolerance of controversial beliefs and led to an increasing recognition that a willingness to embrace religious diversity is what distinguishes America from tyrannical regimes. The Witness sect was founded in the 1870s, and caused a stir when the founder, Charles Taze Russell, a haberdasher in Pittsburgh, predicted the world would come to an end in 1914. Russell died in 1916; he was succeeded by his lawyer Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who shrewdly emphasized that the Apocalypse was near, but not so near that Witnesses didn’t have time to convert new followers, which they were required to do lest they miss out on salvation. This “blood guilt” propelled in-your-face proselytizing by Witnesses in various communities on street corners and in door-to-door visits. Soon the sect developed a reputation for exhibiting “astonishing powers of annoyance,” as one legal commentator put it. Rutherford ruled the Witnesses with an iron fist. He routinely encouraged public displays of contempt for “Satan’s world,” which included all other religions and all secular governments. At the time, the number of Witnesses in the U.S.—roughly 40,000—was so small that many Americans could ignore them. But in Nazi Germany, no group was too small to escape the eye of new chancellor Adolf Hitler, who banned the Witnesses after they refused to show their fealty to him with the mandatory “Heil Hitler” raised-arm salute. (Many Witnesses would later perish in his death camps.) In response, Rutherford praised the German Witnesses and advised all of his followers to refuse to participate in any oaths of allegiance that violated (in his view) the Second Commandment: “Thou shall have no Gods before me.” With conflict looming around the world in the 1930s, many states enacted flag salute requirements, especially in schools. The steadfast refusal of Witnesses to pledge, combined with their refusal to serve in the military or to support America’s war effort in any way, triggered public anger. Witnesses soon became a ubiquitous presence in courtrooms across the country. The relationship between Witnesses and the courts was complicated, in part because of the open disdain Rutherford and his followers displayed toward all forms of government and organized religion. Rutherford instructed Witnesses not to vote, serve on juries or participate in other civic duties. He even claimed Social Security numbers were the “mark of the beast” foretold in Revelations. The Catholic Church, said Rutherford, was a “racket,” and Protestants and Jews were “great simpletons,” taken in by the Catholic hierarchy to “carry on her commercial, religious traffic and increase her revenues.” Complaints about unwelcome public proselytizing by Witnesses led to frequent run-ins with state and local authorities and hundreds of appearances in lower courts. Every day in court for Rutherford and the Witnesses’ chief attorney, Hayden Covington, was an opportunity to preach the true meaning of law to the judges and to confront the satanic government. In late 1935, Witness Walter Gobitas’ two children—Lillian, 12, and Billy, 10—were expelled from school in Minersville, Pa., because they balked at the mandatory recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, and a long court battle ensued. When Gobitis v. Minersville School District (as with Barnette, a court clerk misspelled the family surname) made its way to the Supreme Court in the spring of 1940, Rutherford and Covington framed their argument in religious terms, claiming that any statute contrary to God’s law as given to Moses must be void. The Court rejected the Witnesses’ claim, holding that the secular interests of the school district in fostering patriotism were paramount. In the majority opinion, written during the same month that France fell to the Nazis, Felix Frankfurter wrote: “National unity is the basis of national security.” The plaintiffs, said Frankfurter, were free to “fight out the wise use of legislative authority in the forum of public opinion and before legislative assemblies.” In a strongly worded dissent, Justice Harlan Stone argued that “constitutional guarantees or personal liberty are not always absolutes…but it is a long step, and one which I am unwilling to take, that government may, as a supposed educational measure…compel public affirmations which violate their public conscience.” Further, said Stone, the prospect of help for this “small and helpless minority” by the political process was so remote that Frankfurter had effectively “surrendered…the liberty of small minorities to the popular will.” Public reaction to Gobitis bordered on hysteria, colored by the hotly debated prospect of American participation in the war in Europe. Some vigilantes interpreted the Supreme Court’s decision as a signal that Jehovah’s Witnesses were traitors who might be linked to a network of Nazi spies and saboteurs. In Imperial, a town outside Pittsburgh, a mob descended on a small group of Witnesses and pummeled them mercilessly. One Witness was beaten unconscious, and those who fled were cornered by ax- and knife-wielding men riding the town’s fire truck as someone yelled, “Get the ropes! Bring the flag!” In Kennebunk, Maine, the Witnesses’ gathering place, Kingdom Hall, was ransacked and torched, and days of rioting ensued. In Litchfield, Ill., an angry crowd spread an American flag on the hood of a car and watched while a man repeatedly smashed the head of a Witness upon it. In Rockville, Md., Witnesses were assaulted across the street from the police station, while officers stood and watched. By the end of the year, the American Civil Liberties Union estimated that 1,500 Witnesses had been assaulted in 335 separate attacks. The reversal of Gobitis in Barnette just three years later was remarkably swift considering the typical pace of deliberations in the Supreme Court. In the wake of all the violence against Witnesses, three Supreme Court justices—William O. Douglas, Frank Murphy and Hugo Black—publicly signaled in a separate case that they thought Gobitis had been “wrongly decided.” When Barnette reached the Supreme Court in 1943, Harlan Stone, the lone dissenter in Gobitis, had risen to chief justice. The facts of the two cases mirrored each other, but the outcome differed dramatically. Most important, in ruling that Witness children could not be forced to recite the pledge, the new majority rejected the notion that legislatures, rather than the courts, were the proper place to address questions involving religious liberty. The “very purpose” of the Bill of Rights, wrote Justice Robert Jackson, was to protect some issues from the majority rule of politics. “One’s right to life, liberty and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, may not be submitted to vote….Fundamental rights depend on the outcome of no elections.” Jackson’s opinion was laced with condemnation of enforced patriotism and oblique hints at the slaughter taking place in Hitler’s Europe. “Those who begin in coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters,” Jackson wrote. “Compulsory unification of opinions achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.” Religious dissenters, when seen from this perspective, are like the canary in the coal mine: When they begin to suffer and die, everyone should be worried that the atmosphere has been polluted by tyranny. Today, the Witnesses still proselytize, but their right to do so is well established thanks to their long legal campaign. Over time they became less confrontational and blended into the fabric of American life. In the wake of the Barnette decision, the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance continued to occupy a key (yet ambiguous) place in American politics and law. The original pledge was a secular oath, with no reference to any power greater than the United States of America. The phrase “under God” was added by an act of Congress and signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 1954. Eisenhower, who had grown up in a Jehovah’s Witness household but later became a Presbyterian, alluded to the growing threat posed by Communists in the Soviet Union and China when he signed the bill: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resources in peace and war.” Eisenhower’s political instincts for the ways that religion functioned in American life were finely honed: Support for the amendment to the Pledge of Allegiance was strong, including an overwhelming majority of Catholics and Protestants as well as a majority of Jews. According to a Gallup survey, the only group that truly opposed the change was the smattering of atheists. In a country locked in battle with godless communism, a spiritual weapon such as an amended pledge that was not denominationally specific made sense. Only after the intervening half-century and more does the “Judeo-Christian” God invoked in the pledge seem less than broadly inclusive. Sarah Barringer Gordon is the author of The Spirit of the Law: Religious Voices and the Constitution in Modern America.

"Jehovah does the unexpected… and He does it with style" (G. Jackson)

he court announces a break until April 19, 2017 10:00. Case to proceed on April 19th after the memorial special talk on April 16th ENTITLED "HOW TO CULTIVATE PEACE IN AN ANGRY WORLD" WOW. THANK YOU JEHOVAH FOR A GREAT WITNESS TO THE WORLD.

Interviewing witnesses Koretskaya, the court pointed out that it uses personal notes when testifying. The lawyer Lew asked, how do you explain the similarity of the wording of its records with texts from the site well-known anti-sectarian center. The court decided to read the recordings Koretskaya later. Interviewing witnesses Zverev, the court asks, "If you harm if you are treated to the competent authorities on the matter?" The witness did not address. Zverev said that influenced the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses, he personally experienced the hatred of the clergy of the Orthodox religion. The witness denies that he is anti-cult organizations, though there are pictures with the most famous "sectologists". Witness Justice Petrov, a former Jehovah's Witness. In 1983, he became a Jehovah's Witness, she left work associated with the promotion of military heroism, because it does not meet the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 2009, she left the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. As an example of extremist activity Administrative Center of results in the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are excluded from its ranks those who commit sins. (The court asked the representative of the Ministry of Justice, which is the Ministry of Justice the arguments set forth in the claim, confirmed by the testimony of this witness? The Ministry of Justice once again talking about a possible threat to the public.) On the question of the court, the witness Petrov saw that someone was distributing extremist literature, the witness He says he does not see. 18:11 The Court of Justice welcomes the last witness, V.V.Koretskogo. 18:11 The Court of Justice welcomes the last witness, V.V.Koretskogo. 18:11 Interviewing witnesses Koretskaya, the court pointed out that it uses personal notes when testifying. The lawyer Lew asked, how do you explain the similarity of the wording of its records with texts from the site well-known anti-sectarian center. The court decided to read the recordings Koretskaya later. Interviewing witnesses Zverev, the court asks, "If you harm if you are treated to the competent authorities on the matter?" The witness did not address. Zverev said that influenced the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses, he personally experienced the hatred of the clergy of the Orthodox religion. The witness denies that he is anti-cult organizations, though there are pictures with the most famous "sectologists". Witness Justice Petrov, a former Jehovah's Witness. In 1983, he became a Jehovah's Witness, she left work associated with the promotion of military heroism, because it does not meet the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 2009, she left the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. As an example of extremist activity Administrative Center of results in the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are excluded from its ranks those who commit sins. (The court asked the representative of the Ministry of Justice, which is the Ministry of Justice the arguments set forth in the claim, confirmed by the testimony of this witness? The Ministry of Justice once again talking about a possible threat to the public.) On the question of the court, the witness Petrov saw that someone was distributing extremist literature, the witness He says he does not see. The Court of Justice welcomes the last witness, V.V.Koretskogo. 18:30 In 2009 Koretsky left the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses. The judge asked whether the 2009 limited his knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses. Witness: Yes. The Ministry of Justice asked the witness to explain what he knows about Jehovah's Witnesses to higher education, to the state symbols. The court asked the representative of the Ministry of Justice: "If you do not specify the points in the grounds of the claim, why do we find out?" The representative of the Ministry of Justice, "the question is removed." On the question of the court, whether Koretsky is interested in the outcome of the case, he answers briefly: "Yes." The court announces a break until April 19, 2017 10:00. Case to proceed on April 19th after the memorial special talk on April 16th ENTITLED "HOW TO CULTIVATE PEACE IN AN ANGRY WORLD" WOW. THANK YOU JEHOVAH FOR A GREAT WITNESS TO THE WORLD.

Yes but the updates have stopped for now for some reason. Not getting any news from Russia at this time. Will update when we can.

16:54 Justice continues questioning witnesses. Indications provided by a former Jehovah's Witness Paul Zverev.

15:30 Witness Wilen Canter, Ph.D., honored worker of science and technology. The representative plaintiff Ax: "Becoming a Witness 25 years ago, if you pursue extremist objectives?" Witness: "God forbid! No, of course! "The witness explains that it is incompatible with the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. Axes: "Are you using the materials included in FSEM" The witness explained that, as a law-abiding citizen, destroyed these publications. (However, Kanter said that leaving aside the question of whether he agrees with the fact that these publications are included in FSEM.) Dozens of his students defended their candidate and doctoral dissertations. His religion does not contradict his scientific activity. To the representative of the Ministry of Justice says that his religion does not interfere with higher education. As a scientist, he believes that to education must be approached responsibly. 15:50 Witness Tatyana Kremneva doctor of pedagogical sciences. As part of the research activities concerned with the prevention of child abuse, as well as extremist materials in the youth environment. Profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The representative of Axes: When did you become a Jehovah's Witness, steel Do you have any motive to commit extremist acts? Answer: No, the Jehovah's Witnesses religion is incompatible with extremism. The question the court why you did not become the founder of MPO? Witness: I do not see the need. Court: You worship not excite each other hatred towards other religions? Witness: None. Lawyer little wife: The teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses help you to raise a child? The witness says that is proud of his child, his success in school and work. Little wife: how you treat colleagues and students, who do not share your religion? witness answer positively. Without hatred, contempt, scorn, discrimination. 16:05 The Ministry of Justice invites its witnesses. The first witness Natalia Koretskaya. The witness left the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for many years. She could not explain to the court where it may then be known "facts extremist activity" in recent years.

14:30 The representative of the Ministry of Justice continues to ask questions to representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses. What measures are being taken to prevent the CA extremist activities after the issuance of the Prosecutor General's warning March 2, 2016. Lawyers list. The court sets a representative of the Ministry of Justice clarifying questions: If the CA did not take anything at all? It would be the basis to remove them? Is extremism is by negligence or inaction? Reply by the representative of Ministry of Justice No. Court: If not, we're all trying to figure out? Why then do the Ministry of Justice it imputes blame CA? 14:45 The Ministry of Justice is the court "internal" document of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Ministry of Justice obtained from public sources. When asked the court representative of the Ministry of Justice reported that the letter was taken from the site NTV. The representative of the Ministry of Justice believes that the text of the letter will help clarify how each other are connected financially CA and MPO. Lawyers are not ready to confirm that this letter is authentic, but it is obvious that the MPO are neither recipients nor the sender of the letter, and then a letter is irrelevant to the process. Court postpones until later the question of whether the text to attach to the case file. 14:58 The Ministry of Justice seeks to question four witnesses for the plaintiff. We are talking about people who in the past practiced the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, but later abandoned it. Defendants argue. The court grants the motion to question witnesses for the plaintiff. 15:05 It begins examination of a witness by the defendant, Zavyalova Valentina Mihaylovicha, since 1992 professor at the IISS. Profess the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for over 20 years. He said that the meetings of his religious group never used literature made to FSEM. The names of the literature posted on the wall of the room where services are held. Believers carefully inspect the premises prior to the beginning of worship, to exclude the possibility of finding such literature on the worship. 15:20 Witness Eugene Skladchikov, Ph.D., professor of MSTU. Bauman. Of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1998. He said that the Jehovah's Witnesses religion attracted him unconditional peacefulness of biblical teaching, it is absolutely not compatible with extremism. No extremist publications in worship are not used.

8:00 Moscow, Cook Street. Invigorating morning. Numbed fingers. More than 200 people enter. Those who stand in the queue, came to the court by taxi to 5:30, but they were not the first: in a parked car is already basking in the faithful who came to the court, which decided the freedom of religion in Russia. 9:30 On the eve of April 11, 2017, most of Jehovah's Witnesses groups celebrating the Lord's Supper safely passed. At the moment, it is known that police officers and other law enforcement agencies intruded on celebrations in Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk region).. They rewrote the passport data of the faithful. Also, law enforcement officers came to worship in the city of Krasnoyarsk and Michurinsk (Tambov region.) To ask questions or give believers agenda. 9:58 "I ask you all to stand!" The court announces the continuation of the hearing and to give explanations to speak lawyer Anton Omelchenko. Omelchenko said that his explanation will concern how the claim of Justice violated the provisions of the Constitution and international treaties. 10:12 Omelchenko loudly and convincingly proves that the action of the Justice Ministry in contravention of articles 9, 10, 11 of the European Convention, Articles 28, 29, 30 of the Russian Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He quotes from the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in which an authoritative court establishes the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to freedom of religion. Something that requires the Ministry of Justice, is not justified and proportionate measure. 10:18 ECHR in its judgments clearly determined which texts can be considered to incite hatred and enmity - incitement to violence, to the blood feud, calls, justifies the use of physical force. It is noteworthy that in the memorandum, which the Russian Federation has sent to the ECHR, namely the Ministry of Justice has recognized that there are no open calls for violence (p. 41) in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. 10:25 Omelchenko said that the community of Jehovah's Witnesses, which the Ministry of Justice asking to liquidate, received numerous awards and commendations from local authorities (there are in fact), but they did not receive warnings about the inadmissibility of extremist activity. 10:31 Speaking about the disparity required Ministry of Justice action Omelchenko lists the steps that are taken Administrative Center (UC) of Jehovah's Witnesses: 1) notify all MPO of books introducing in FSEM, 2) established a commission to prevent the emergence of extremist materials, 3) to no avail notify authorities of planted 4) unsuccessfully asked the Prosecutor General's Office, what further action can be expected from the Jehovah's Witnesses, to avoid "extremist activity". 10:43 International law prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment. This rule protects the dignity, including the right to mental integrity of the individual. Justice lawsuit to ban Jehovah's Witnesses break moral and physical resistance of the person, since forcing them to be afraid to openly practice their faith. Of the victims of criminal prosecution for faith in Taganrog on sentencing left the Russian Federation and even received political asylum in Europe. Their flight eloquently testifies to the fact that believers are afraid to openly practice their religion. Of course, most of the 175 thousands of believers will not leave Russia, and therefore, will be prosecuted in Russia. 10:50 Omelchenko analyzes the legality of actions of the Ministry of Justice. By applicable law, Jehovah's Witnesses are recognized as victims of political repression. At the Ministry of Justice (among other institutions) the law imposed a duty to promote the rehabilitation of the faithful. However Justice moves in the opposite direction. Omelchenko lists domestic and international calls for Russia to stop politically motivated persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, the misuse of anti-extremist legislation as applied to Jehovah's Witnesses. It is, for example, on the signing of the most well-known Russian human rights activists appeal "Repressive again being harassed", on the open letter of the Moscow Helsinki Group, as well as appeals from various structures in Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation, the United Nations and others. international standards on the prevention of repression, require to pay close attention to the signals coming from the human rights community. The Ministry of Justice is ignoring all the signals, continues to act as a repressive body. 11:04 Omelchenko says biased position of the Justice Ministry. Expert institutions under the Ministry of Justice came to the mutually exclusive conclusions in respect of the same materials as the Jehovah's Witnesses. The Ministry of Justice did nothing to correct the situation. Moreover, the Ministry of Justice has always insisted on using only the conclusions of experts, who found "signs of extremism" in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is further evidence that the action of the Justice Ministry to ban Jehovah's Witnesses politically motivated. 11:12 Lawyer little wife asks opportunity to give an explanation of the court decision, which a few days ago the Ministry of Justice submitted to the court as "an example of violation of the rights of citizens on the part of the religious organization" (history of the patient, which of the two alternatives chosen drug treatment rather than via blood). A lawyer in the first place, is perplexed as to why the Ministry of Justice did not explain why they have a document containing medical confidentiality. Second, little wife says that in case of refusal of transfusion it not only is a violation of anyone's rights, but, on the contrary, that the citizens were provided with the right - the right to free and informed treatment. If the patient refused treatment on religious grounds only - it would be a violation of rights. Little wife read out excerpts from the Ministry of Health Order, concerning the dangers of transfusions of blood components, as well as the need to obtain their patient's written consent for the operation. Little wife notes that in Order no reservations, that the representatives of some religions are allowed to exercise the right to informed consent, and the other is not allowed. 11:30 The judge begins to ask questions to representatives of the defendant. The first question: does the CA interpretation of the Bible of Jehovah's Witnesses to local organizations? The answer is no, the interpretation of sacred texts provide the Steering Board of the Jehovah's Witnesses (international guidelines). The new question is: in what sense the CA provides a "coordination of activities" MPO (the Charter). Answer: MPO are separate legal entities, however, the CA provides them with recommendations. For example, if there is a question about the construction of the liturgical buildings, CA is referring to the Bible to recommend the construction of a modest, nepompeznogo building. However, the final decision on what will be a new building takes MPO. The next question the court whether those statutes CA 8 MPO claimed which were liquidated court decisions. Ax representative explained to the court that the founders of the new MPO appeal to the CA with the request to join the TC structure, to speed up the registration process. In this case the CA will certainly agrees their charters, to ensure that the shareholders are Jehovah's Witnesses and that their objectives coincide with the purpose doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses. Court interested in the question whether the TC founder of non-profit, non-governmental organizations, or LRO, as in the Charter spelled out such a possibility. Lawyers explain to the court that the possibility of the Charter spelled out "just in case", but it was not implemented. The founders of MPO were local citizens. For example, the statute also spelled out the possibility to import literature, however, this possibility is also not being implemented due to objective circumstances. 12:05 Court interested in the question whether the chairmen of the MPO are part of the CA steering committee. Kalin explains that MPO members never included in the CA steering committee. Are there any solutions CA Required MPO? Kalin explains that when MPO request financial assistance from the CA (in the form of donations), the center of interest the question of how funds are spent. For example, the CA provides a modest project liturgical building and MPO coordinates the project with the local authorities. Or if there is a natural disaster, the CA donates funds to help the faithful and collaborating with MPO to help the victims of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as their relatives. Court asks whether the funds are spent on the production of printed materials? Respondents explain that there. Court: Did the CA literature imports, which was later recognized as extremist? Respondents explain that the CA function is purely logistical: the order of the individuals directly collects foreign publishers, and it also sends them to literature. CA does not deal with "the spread" of literature. Court: One of the books was imported in Russia not long before it was recognized as extremist, but when it was spread among the believers? Lawyers pay attention to the materials available in the letter case in which the CA immediately announces the introduction of this book FSEM and asks for more it does not use. Naturally, after that CA this book could not spread. Court: What is the fate of printed products, which is recognized as an extremist? She seized the center of the believers? Destroyed? Lawyers explain that the CA can not dictate to the faithful, what to do with the literature, which is in their possession. However, you may pay attention to the provisions of the law, and does so. 12:30 Turn to ask questions goes to the plaintiff. What is the role of the CA in the approval of the Charter of MPO and their members? Omelchenko gives the following example. The role of the CA in the approval of the Charter of the LRO is similar to the role of the Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice checks for compliance with the statutes of the law and the statutes of the CA checks on canonical correspondence. New questions the representative of Ministry of Justice devoted to the elucidation of how MPO independent in their activities, how much influence the CA on the MPO, including the approval of the governing bodies and the Charter of MPO. The court sets a representative of the Ministry of Justice a counterclaim clarifying question: "From the point of view of the law as it affects the capacity and legal personality of legal persons?" The question becomes rhetorical. Ministry of Justice: Who are the traveling minister? Who are the special preachers? Responder representatives explain that these attendants cooperate with religious groups, and not with MPO. 12:50 The judge (referring to the representative of the Ministry of Justice): Do you have proof of the plaintiff that the traveling minister and special preachers are somehow involved in the final judgments of the competent authorities for recognition of individuals or MPO guilty of extremist activity? No, the Ministry of Justice of the facts there. Court (referring to the representative of the Ministry of Justice): As before, if the Ministry of Justice considers that judicial decisions in respect of individuals and MPO have a prejudicial effect for our business? Yes, the Ministry of Justice still thinks so, since CA was aware of these matters. The Court recalls that in this process it is necessary to check the legality of Justice requirements, so please continue to lead the norms of law. 13:10 The representative of the Ministry of Justice is trying to figure out, but does not indicate whether the fact that the CA provides financial assistance to the MPO, the fact that the CA and of MPO - a single organization, the subordinate CAs. Little wife's lawyer explains that if a person has a financial aid to his friend, it does not mean that he is dependent. Ministry of Justice: Is the CA conducts audit of financial activity of MPO? Lawyers explain that such a duty in CA there, but it is the Ministry of Justice carries out regular checks of economic activity MPO, as evidenced by the hundreds of existing regulations in matters of the Ministry of Justice inspections. Moreover, none of the checks did not reveal spending on non-statutory targets. 13:25 Representative of the Ministry of Justice are interested in the question of why CA has sent a letter to the MPO on the recognition of one of the books of extremist only after its inclusion in FSEM if by his own admission believers they knew of the decision earlier, from the information on the website of the district court. Lawyers explain that monitor court decisions on the official websites of courts is extremely difficult, moreover, from summary information on the Court's website it was not clear what we are talking about the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses, not the eponymous publication of other origin. 13:35 The representative of the Ministry of Justice points out that, according to the obsolete (to 2010), a copy of "Fundamentals of Faith Jehovah's Witnesses", the main means of spreading the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses is the magazine "Watchtower". Resolution on the distribution of this periodical was withdrawn in Russia, and the document "Foundations of Faith", represented by the Ministry of Justice, be amended accordingly. Representative of the Ministry of Justice are interested in, what is the source of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses today. Lawyers explain that the foundation beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses is the Bible, with the majority of religious books Witnesses are based on the Orthodox Synodal edition. Needless periodical was not recognized as extremist, but only a few issues. Since 2015, no publication do not enter the country. 13:40 The court announces a break in the court session until 14:30.

USA/Russia: Diplomatic meeting must tackle deplorable human rights record at home and abroad 11 April 2017, 09:30 UTC AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Though recent developments in Syria are bound to dominate US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first official visit to Moscow this week, he must also use the opportunity to highlight the dire human rights situation inside Russia, Amnesty International said today. Secretary Tillerson is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on 11-12 April. “Both the USA and Russia must accept their share of the blame for the international community’s failure to broker an end to the bloodbath in Syria, and in particular we urge both governments to use this week’s meeting to work towards an end to the longstanding paralysis of the UN Security Council,” said Sergei Nikitin, Director of Amnesty International’s Moscow office. “However, during his visit Secretary Tillerson must also raise the issue of Russia’s wide-ranging denial of human rights at home. The Russian authorities are responsible for a staggering list of human rights violations, from the de facto ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses and the incarceration of peaceful protesters to the failure to effectively investigate the campaign of abduction, torture and killing of gay men in Chechnya.” “Any failure by Secretary Tillerson to raise Russia’s deplorable human rights record at home at this week’s meeting will send a dangerous message that violations can be tolerated for the sake of political expediency,” said T.Kumar, Amnesty International USA’s International Advocacy Director. In the first few months of 2017, Russia has seen a disturbing new surge in political repression resulting from a raft of laws passed last year which further limit the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. More than 1,000 peaceful demonstrators were arrested in Moscow alone and hundreds were arrested in other cities on 26 March, following one of the largest protests held in Russia in recent years. Many protesters were fined by the courts or sentenced to several days of administrative detention. At least 14 journalists were arbitrarily detained during the rallies. Police also raided the offices of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a civil society group, on the same day, and 12 staff members were later put behind bars by a court on spurious charges. At the end of March, dozens of protesters were jailed or fined by courts following a nationwide strike by Russian truck drivers. According to credible sources, more than 100 gay men in Chechnya have been rounded up, detained, tortured and even murdered in an apparently coordinated campaign. These alarming abductions and killings follow a similar pattern to enforced disappearances which have been documented in hundreds of cases over the years in Chechnya and other republics in Russia’s North Caucasus. Virtually none of these have been effectively investigated. Many NGOs throughout Russia which have been labelled as “foreign agents” have faced harassment, and Valentina Cherevatenko, the founder and Chair of the Women of the Don Union, became the first person to be criminally prosecuted for violation of the “foreign agents law”. Following changes to the law last year, banning any form of missionary activity outside of specially designated places, the Ministry of Justice has requested that the national headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as all 395 of their regional organizations, should be declared an “extremist organization” and shut down. “Secretary Tillerson has already proved reluctant to acknowledge human rights violations by the Russian authorities during his Senate confirmation hearing,” said Sergei Nikitin. “While it is absolutely vital that he uses this meeting with his Russian counterpart to take steps to end the suffering of the Syrian people, geopolitical issues cannot be allowed to obscure the reality of the dire situation of human rights inside Russia,” said T. Kumar.