Paul Wyche: The Journal Gazette
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By Isabella
Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quiñones, the dancer-actor who rose to fame starring in “Breakin'” and its sequel “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo,” died Wednesday. He was 65.
No cause of death has been announced. Just a day before he was discovered unconscious, Quiñones had posted a photo of himself smiling and giving the peace sign in bed, writing, “Good news y’all! I’m feeling all better, just a wee bit sluggish from my cold, but the good news is I’m Covid 19 negative! Woo hoo!”
Besides appearing in the “Breakin'” films, both in 1984, he had a featured role on the big screen in “Lambada” in 1990. Prior to taking to the movies, Quiñones was already a part of pop culture history for choreographing and appearing in Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” video.
Chambers, aka “Boogaloo Shrimp” in the “Breakin'” films, told Variety that he and Quiñones had been estranged for a long time but reconciled over the last three years, due to their shared spirituality as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
But, he says, they bonded over both becoming Bible students as Jehovah’s Witnesses. “He had actually contacted me out of nowhere,” Chambers said. “We hadn’t talked… He said, ‘Michael, I’m gonna go to a Bible convention in Long Beach and I’d love to sit with you and talk and move on.’ So when he came to my house and we talked, I was like, ‘Wow, he’s different.’ Jesus forgave sinners, so who am I? I was willing to accept his peace offering and forgive. Three years ago we came into our spirituality and forgiveness and became better people. We both put water under the bridge and were talking as men.”
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By The Librarian
español / Italiano
Part of a series on: Jehovah's Witnesses >
Baptized JW's
Serena Williams- tennis player ; 8 Grand Slam champion. Her "baptized" status is disputed since she has never been disfellowshipped for having a baby out of wedlock with Drake or her publicly nude photographs. Let's just say she is now the most famous celebrity who CLAIMS to be one.
Venus Williams - tennis player ; 5 time Grand Slam champion
Damon Wayans - TV and Film Comedy Star. Part of "The Wayans Brothers" TV show back in the 1990's. - Their father was a JW (someone mentioned even Anointed)
Michael Jackson (deceased)
Michael Jackson's Children and Mother Katherine Jackson
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Prince Rogers Nelson (deceased)
Marques Houston - Singer and former member of the kid group "Immature" (and his manager)
Coco Rocha - International Fashion Model
Terrence Howard - actor; Ray, Hustle & Flow, etc. Children and brother are JWs. Studied when he was 17 years old. (not himself a JW)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Prince's Ex-GF back in 2007 - Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
George Benson - Musician / singer (see also: Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. )
"El General" - Panamanian singer
Bobby Martin - Grammy winning producer.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - African Musician
Aoife Ní Thuairisg - Irish Television Presenter
Tulsi Giri - Prime Minister of Nepal
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Reporter for the Phoenix Times Examiner
Alexander P. Stewart - US Civil War Confederate General
Allison Lozz - Mexican Actress (former). recently left novelas (soap operas) to be a more active in the ministry
Maurizio Bianchi - Musician
Ivana Brkic - Croatian Musician
Angelo Palego - Leader of team searching for Noah's Ark
Firpo Carr - Historian, author of Germany's Black Holocaust: 1890-1945; Wicked Words: Poisoned Minds - Racism in the Dictionary; founder: Scholar Technological Institute of Research, Inc. (STIR)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Olympian and NFL player (deceased)
Herman Pizzanelli - Leading Uruguayan concert guitarist in the 1960s (convert to JWs)
Willie Wise - NBA professional basketball player for Seattle Super Sonics and Denver Nuggets
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Professional basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers in 1970s)
Mark McCumber - Professional golfer
Dave Pear - NFL professional football player for Colts, Buccaneers, and Raiders (convert)
Kid Gavilan - welterweight champion boxer; elected to boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 (convert to JWs)
Jorge Påez "El Maromero" - Boxing World Champion
Pele Reid - Boxing Champion
Shont'e Peoples - professional football player (Saskatchewan Roughriders); convert to JWs
La Lupe - Cuban salsa singer (convert)
Janis Gill - ex wife of country music superstar, Vince Gill, is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Vince Gill is NOT a Witness. He is strongly and violently opposed.
Fedor Chistyakov - Russian Singer
Richard Cameron - Dutch Musician
Valerie Campbell - Mother of Naomi Campbell
Tom Edur - Former NHL ice hockey player
Mrs.Ida Eisenhower - (Mother of President Dwight D Eisenhower)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Buchenwald concentration camp survivor and centenarian
Mickey Spillane - Novelist
Larry Graham - Sly & the Family Stone
Danny Granger - Indiana Pacers small forward; Professional Basketball Player
Teresa Graves - Reputedly the first black woman to play the lead in a police movie, also a singer
Gary Gygax - Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Actor
Phillip Landry - Musican
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Margaret Keane - "Big Eyes" artist who said converting "changed her life."
Peter Knowles - Famous
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. player in Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. who quit his football career in 1970 aged 24 to join the Jehovah's Witnesses
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. and underground religious leader under Communism.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - famous London lottery winner in 1961. She then became a devout JW. The musical Spend, Spend, Spend was based on her story.
Evelyn Ntoko (first wife of Nelson Mandela)
Lieby Piliso - Nelson Mandela's younger sister
Ken Richmond - The man who banged the gong in the
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Converted in the
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Phil Terry - member of the 60's R&B group
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. ), Author of Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. )
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Chet Lemon - played with the Detroit Tigers along with Lou Whitaker
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Singer, Former wife of Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Solveig Romero - Mexico and Switzerland, Actress and wife of
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Chuck Winfield - Former Trumpet player for Blood, Sweat, and Tears.
Rosalia Valdez - Former actress who left fame in Mexico to become a witness, daughter of famous Tin Tan Valdez.
Carmina Villarroel - Filipino actress
Patience Dlaminh - a weather forecast reporter in South Africa / Regional 'celebrity'
Red Shea - Guitarist for Gordon Lightfoot (passed away in 2008)
Tom Reynolds - He was one of the singers in the late 60's early 70's band 'Hamilton, Joe,Frank, & Reynolds.
Toun Oni - Nigerian actress (featured in the TV drama 'fuji house of commotion') She was an active witness before her death a few months ago. In fact, she died of heart problems during the Lekki assembly hall construction work.
Paul i.k Dairo (used to be one of Nigeria's top musicians); Last i heard of him, he is one of Jehovah witnesses.
Wolf-Ekkehard Lonnig - a scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Germany
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - leading attorney for the Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Society; won multiple U.S. Supreme Court cases; represented Muhammad Ali in court [not sure if he left eventually or not?]
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Country Music DJ in Florida, USA
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Tony Garcia - Artist, DJ, Producer, Re-mixer, Arranger, Composer,Writer of Dance Music EDM, Funk Melody Freestyle Music Owner of High Power Records
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Alex Rance - Soccer Star
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Minh Hung Godenzi - Miss Hong Kong 1984
Danny Collision - NBA Player currently in California
Clarion Chukwurah - Nollywood Actress
Irina Bohr - Russian singer
Alisson Euler de Freitas Castro - Brazilian Footballer
Carlos Gonzaga - Brazilian Singer
Andriy Mykolayovych Nesmachniy (Ukrainian: Андрій Миколайович Несмачний)
PC-One - Star of Slam in Haiti
Jacy Brean - Author
Mina Godenzi - Actress, Model and Miss Hong Kong
Phillip Ingram - Musician
Ramón Gómez Valdés de Castillo aka "Don Ramón" - Famous Mexican Actor
Kenya Moore - not sure as to her current status though.
Anneliese Zelina - Model
Rob Richie - Major league baseball player with the Detroit Tigers
Darren Collison
Raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
President Dwight D. Eisenhower - WWII General and 34th President of the United States (1953–1961)
Luke Evans - Actor
Toni Braxton - Singer
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - First Gay NFL football player
Nathan Day, frontman of grunge / Britpop group
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Shushila Takao - Actress in New Zealand show "Filthy Rich"
Kim Holland - Dutch Porn Actress
Little Scream - Montreal musician
Kelsey Lu - Fashion model
Rebekah Vardy - I'm a Celeb star
Alex Avery - Comedian in Portland, OR
List of former Jehovah's Witnesses
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Donald Glover - (aka Childish Gambino)
Gregg Alexander - The New Radicals' lead singer; raised by mother
Carol M. Swain - political scientist; professor at Vanderbilt University; author of Black Faces, Black Interests and The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration; left the Witnesses at the age of 20, in 1975 (Ms. Swain was born in 1954 into an extremely poor household in rural Virginia, not far from Roanoke. She grew up with 11 brothers and sisters, dropped out of school in the ninth grade and married at age 16 -- in part, she says, because she saw no need to plan for a lengthy future. She was a Jehovah's Witness, and she believed that Armageddon would begin in 1975)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Singer raised in Australia, presently living in London with wife pin up model *Jordan
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. ); Raised as a Jehovah's Witness[verification needed]
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - American writer of Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses(converted to Catholicism)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - the now infamous kidnapper of Jaycee Dugard
Latoya Jackson
Michael Jackson - Michael became a Jehovah's Witness but disassociated himself shortly after his hit album, Thriller
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Former Watchtower Chief Attorney
Dave Mustaine - Guitarist (ex-Metallica; Megadeth; ex- MD .45)
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. , Raised as a Jehovah's Witness
Gloria Naylor - novelist, author of The Women of Brewster Place (1982, American Book Award)
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. -Singer; raised as one of Jehovah's Witness
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Rene Montes de Oca Martija - dissident human-rights activist in Cuba (son of JW)
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. singer ; raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses
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Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - a singer,poet & actress from USA, she played in the movie - 'why did i get married'
Maureen Mwanawasa, wife of late Zambian president, though she disassociated herself, but she still attends meetings. the late president was also studying with JWs, his mother was a JW. his children also attend meetings, i think one is a publisher.
Thandiwe Banda our current Zambian first lady who was a JW until recently when she disassociated herself. Reportedly a former pioneer.
Mamontha Modise was a JW. travels all over the world to report current news 2 South Africans.
Ja Rule - Rapper - raised a jehovahs witness and is no longer one, in an interview he said his mother was disfellowshipped
Jaywon; currently a musician, was raised a witness, later decided to follow a way of life thats suits him.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Musician
Travis Scott - NFL football player for Rams (raised JW)
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. - Gotham City Writers
Eddie Griffin - Comedian
Leaders of the music band Shakespeare's Unit
Rumors of:
Eddie Murphy - Not verified yet
Josh Groban - We don't know what to think yet.. ? Some have suspicions....
Omarion - I believe he is only "studying"
Jackie Chan - (I still don't believe the photo)
Please Read
Some people have wondered if we have listed people who simply studied briefly with Jehovah's Witnesses. As far as we know, this is not the case. Anybody can sit down and meet with Jehovah's Witnesses to study their beliefs. In no way would we consider that grounds for identifying somebody as a Jehovah's Witness. All of the people listed on our page have actually been considered Jehovah's Witnesses or considered themselves adherents of the faith, either by way of having been raised in the faith or because they were an active convert to the faith.
Of course no insult is meant to Jehovah's Witnesses or anybody else by hosting this list. Personally, reading the biographies and faith statements of many famous Jehovah's Witnesses has helped tear down some stereotypes for me. It simply isn't true, for example, that this faith necessarily stifles creativity or achievement. Clearly, many adherents to the faith (including people raised in it as well as converts who chose to become Witnesses as adults) have been very famous creative people or have been very successful, as measured by worldly standards.
Regardless of the obvious tensions between the pressures of worldly fame, versus remaining active in a religious faith which expects all of its members to live according to the highest Biblical standards of ethics and morality, there are indeed many "famous" adherents who have strived to remain faithful. Even for those who have failed to balance fame and success with the demands of their faith, the teachings and values they were raised with or embraced at some point as an adult remain forever an influence in their lives. Were this not true, these individuals would not be listed here at all. This list is based on what famous people themselves have said to interviewers and to the public. We have no access to actual Jehovah's Witness membership or attendance records. If a celebrity or famous person doesn't talk publicly about their experiences as a Jehovah's Witness, we would have no way of knowing about this part of their lives.
The actions of a single individual should never be used to judge an entire group of people, and I believe most people realize this. Anybody who does try to condemn Jehovah's Witnesses by the behavior of their "worst" lapsed members or former members will stand instantly condemned themselves. This is because the cumulative behavior of the famous (and infamous) members of the group the accuser belongs to is far worse than anything they will be able to dig up relating to people who have been Jehovah's Witnesses. This is true of essentially any sufficiently large religious group. It is true also of anti-religious people, who are nearly always wise enough to avoid condemning entire groups by the actions of individuals, lest they be asked to answer for the hundreds of millions of murders perpetrated by Lenin, Pol Pot, Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Mao, Mussolini, Nicolae Ceausescu, Joseph Goebbels, Maximillien Robespierre, etc.
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By Isabella
Singer Toni Braxton has one remorse — not partying and playing around more when she was younger.
“I remorse not having more sex when I was younger,” Braxton informed The Guardian. “I ought to have drank more. I ought to have partied more. Smoked more, even. I feel my non secular upbringing stopped me doing numerous issues that I ought to have performed. It’s not a superb take a look at the age I’m now. The best way it really works is you try this stuff in your 20s and 30s after which in your 40s you’ve earned sufficient to pay for the remedy.”
Braxton grew up in a number of religions — all of which seemed down on premarital sex.
“After I was seven, my household grew to become very non secular,” Braxton informed the paper. “We had been Jehovah’s Witnesses; we had been Catholic — we tried every little thing earlier than deciding on United Methodist. I requested my mum as soon as what they had been looking for and she simply replied: ‘It was the ’70s.’ The ’70s had been a really non secular period. I feel lots of people had been searching for the fitting path.”
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By Guest Kurt
Evelyn Ntoko Mase Rakeepile
BIRTH 18 May 1922 South Africa
DEATH 30 Apr 2004Â
First wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela. They had 4 children together; Madiba Thembekile Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela and Pumla Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah. Evelyn later divorced Nelson Mandela in 1955 and married Simon Rakeepile, a retired businessman.
Simon Moloka Rakeepile
BIRTH 4 Mar 1930 South Africa
DEATH 19 Apr 2012Â
Married to Evelyn Ntoko (Mase), first wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela. Simon was a retired businessman and lived a fruitful life of spiritual dedication.
Nelson Rolihlahla MandelaÂ
BIRTH 18 Jul 1918 Â South Africa
DEATH 5 Dec 2013Â
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.
Madiba Thembekile “Thembi” Mandela
BIRTH 23 Feb 1945 South Africa
DEATH 13 Jul 1969 South Africa
Oldest child of Nelson Mandela and his first wife Evelyn Ntoko Mase. Brother of Makgatho Lewanika Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela and Pumla Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah. Madiba was often referred to as "Styles Mandela" because of the fashionable way he dressed.
(Add a Photo)Makaziwe Mandela
BIRTH 1947 South Africa
DEATH 1948 South Africa
Second child born to Nelson Mandela and his first wife Evelyn Ntoko Mase. She only lived to be 9 months old. Sister of Madiba Thembekile Mandela, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela and Pumla Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah (the latter whom was given Makaziwe's name upon her birth in 1954).
Makgatho Lewanika Mandela
BIRTH 26 Jun 1950 South Africa
DEATH 6 Jan 2005
Third child born to Nelson Mandela and his first wife Evelyn Ntoko Mase. Brother of Madiba Thembekile Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela and Pumla Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah. Father of Mandla, Ndaba, Mbuso and Andile.
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NELSON MANDELA HEARS THE TRUTH AT HIS SISTER'S FUNERAL
Sister Piliso, the youngest sister of Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, was a witness for twenty years
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By Isabella
"I like boys, I like girls, I like both," the actress explained. "I've always kind of gone my own little way, I'm the rogue girl in Hollywood who's just kind of made my own path and not really cared what people think too much."
When she was asked what her parents thought about her sexuality, Rodriguez revealed she grew up in a house of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the past, she's said her mother's side of the family all practiced the faith, though she doesn't anymore.
"Birthdays and celebrating Halloween are evil. I didn't get to watch Disney movies until I was in my teens because of all the witchcraft," she explained. "My family, I think, at the end of the day they set aside the differences."
"As far as spending lots of time with that side of the family, no. I grew up knowing that you're in this alone," she continued. "Your mom gives birth to you, your family takes care of you, but in a sense you have to make your own in the world. For me, to have other people decide what that looks like, I could never live that life."
Read more:
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By The Librarian
Jehovah's Witnesses > Notable JW's
See also: Celebrities who are/were JW's
Alive:
Brothers:
Mark Sanderson
William Malenfant
Don Adams
Karl A. Adams
Joel Adams
Michael Aronowitz
Ted Armstrong
Malcolm Allen
David Ianelli
Norman Mosure "Stormin' Norman" - District Overseer
George Couch (Bethelite 1957-2007)
Geoffrey Jackson (Governing Body Member)
Colin Quackenbush -
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Angelo Manera - District Overseer - Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Judah Schroeder
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. oversees Richard Ashe
Sisters:
Simone Arnold Liebster
Deceased:
Pastor Charles Taze Russell (spouse) (foster daughter)
Joseph L. Russell
Alexander H MacMillan
George Storrs (Influenced Pastor Russell)
Henry Grew (Influenced Pastor Russell)
George Stetson (Influenced Pastor Russell)
Judge Rutherford / Joseph Franklin Rutherford
Nathan Knorr
Nelson H. Barbour (Influenced Pastor Russell Pre-Watch Tower)
Frederick William Franz
Raymond Franz
Theodore Jaracz
Daniel Sydlik
Carey Barber
Karl A Adams
Milton G. Henschel
Liebster, Max
John E. Barr
Leopold Engleitner
William 'Bible' Brown
W. Glen How
Grant Suiter
Hayden C. Covington
Olin R. Moyle
Ulysses Glass - Gilead Instructor
Bob Mackey
Benjamin Martin
J.R. Brown
Albert Schroeder
Charles Sinutko
Sisters:
Nancy Yuen
Lilian Gobitas Klose
Dorothy Covington, Wife of Civil Liberties Attorney Hayden Covington, Dies at 92
Jeanette (Jenny) Jackson
See also:
Bethel Personnel Assignments (2000)
Note - Over the past 15 years keeping information available, organized and online has proven very difficult. If you see a name above then there was once an entire article, photos and more about the person yet they have been lost through moves and technology changes. If you have lots of details about one of them please make a topic and start posting about them. I will link them up at a later date.
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By Guest Indiana
If you go outside this Labor Day weekend, don't forget the bug spray.
The dangerous but rare Eastern equine encephalitis virus is flaring up in Michigan, state health officials say, and has been confirmed in two people in Berrien and Kalamazoo counties and is suspected in five more people.
The virus, carried by birds and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, is deadly in 1 in 3 people who contract it, and can cause brain damage and permanent neurological disabilities in those who survive.
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By Guest Indiana
Seven were shot at a party near Indiana’s Ball State University.
At least seven people were injured, three in a life-threatening fashion, in a shooting near Indiana’s Ball State University overnight.
According to local NBC affiliate WTHR, the shooting occurred at a large off-campus house party, with shots fired inside the house around 12:45 am. Police say they are still working to piece together what happened, as most witnesses heard but did not see the shooting.
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/18/18630674/ball-state-university-indiana-party-shooting-what-we-know
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By Guest Indiana
WASHINGTON – Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies as secretary of Homeland Security, is leaving her post amid tensions with some in the White House who felt she hasn't done enough to stem border crossings.
Trump tweeted Sunday that Nielsen is leaving the post she has held since the end of 2017.
"Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service," he said. He said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. McAleenan has held senior posts within CBP dating back to President George W. Bush's administration.
Rea more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/07/kirstjen-nielsen-out-trump-secretary-homeland-security/1895285002/
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By Witness
The person who made this short quip was never a JW, although he is able to perceive the contradiction of teachings by the governing body.
Can you perceive the confusion? (meaning of "Babylon")
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By TheWorldNewsOrg
via .ORG
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By Guest Nicole
HAVANA TIMES – Daniel Ortega has achieved what neither Putin, nor climate change, nor China, nor the immigration problem, nor Maduro nor Syria could do: he inspired nothing more and nothing less than the adoption of a bipartisan consensus between the US Republican and Democratic parties regarding his regime.
What’s more, he managed to become a point of consensus between the US Executive branch, headed by Trump, and the US Congress. It may seem a lie or an exaggeration, but no other topic during Trump’s administration has been resolved with this level of consensus.
In reacting to the decisions adopted by the organs of United States power, Ortega momentarily dusted off the old speeches that he had kept filed away these eleven years and spoke once again of interventionism, of imperialism and other expressions of the like. Then, he fell silent.
He’ll likely speak about it again once he’s assimilated the blow and has designed the course he’ll follow. Meanwhile, it’s important to recall that Nicaragua’s economic dependence with respect to the United States has broadened and deepened during this “antiimperialist” regime of Ortega’s.
Read more: https://havanatimes.org/?p=145130
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By TheWorldNewsOrg
via .ORG
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By Guest Nicole
A Florida couple is recalling a distressing experience on a Carnival Cruise after finding a hidden camera pointing at their bed.Â
In an interview set to air Monday, Chris and Dana White told Inside Edition that they discovered a recording device hidden among TV wires in their stateroom last October on the Carnival Fantasy, a three-day Caribbean cruise departing from Mobile, Alabama.Â
"I said, 'Is that what I think it is?' " Chris White said. "And she looked at it and she became concerned. And we were just really flabbergasted that there's a camera in the room and it's plugged up and it's working."
The couple called Carnival security and used their cellphone to film an employee who inspected and disassembled the device. "I was thinking, 'I can't believe this is actually happening to us,' " he said.
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/travel/2018/10/29/couple-claims-secret-camera-aimed-bed-carnival-cruise/1809350002/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2018/10/28/travelers-found-hidden-camera-their-carnival-cruise-bedroom/1800150002/
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By Guest Nicole
Legislators ‘need to stopÂ’ working for institutions
Dave Kohler, of Allentown, was abused by an ordained minister in the JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in November 1965. He was 9 years old.Â
When Kohler was 17, his abuser told him to never talk about the abuse again.Â
“So I obeyed and kept my mouth shut,” Kohler said.Â
He’s been coming to Harrisburg for about five years to show his support for statute of limitations reform. “Individuals vote them in, and then they work for institutions,” Kohler said of the state legislators. “That needs to stop.”
If reform is passed that would allow Kohler the opportunity to sue his abuser, Kohler said he knows what he would do with any money he could collect.
“I will hopefully be able to afford therapy,” he said.
Dave Kohler, who said he was abused by an ordained minister in the Jehovah's Witnesses in Kutztown and Emmaus, talks about his experience, during the demonstration for statute of limitations reform to the state's childhood sexual abuse laws at the state capitol in Harrisburg on Monday. (Photo: Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record)
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By Outta Here
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. This takes the proverbial biscuit. These are guys that plant Jehovah's Witness publications on................Jehovah's Witnesses!!!
They might be in for a decoration!
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By Guest Nicole
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — It was an intersection of two highways, one a steep downhill road, that residents had long warned was notoriously dangerous.
On Saturday afternoon, their worst fears were realized: A limousine lost control, careening through the intersection and striking an empty car. The crash killed all 18 people in the white limousine and two pedestrians in an accident that left deep tire tracks in the ground and a small upstate New York town reeling.
“That limo was coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour,” said Jessica Kirby, 36, the manager of the Apple Barrel Country Store, where she said customers were hit near the parking lot. “All fatal.”
“I don’t want to describe the scene,” she added. “It’s not something I want to think about.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/nyregion/wedding-limo-crash-schoharie-ny.html
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By admin
Jehovah's Witnesses > List of Celebrity JW's >
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. (older posts in jw-archive.org) -------------------------------------------------
Previous posts of Coco Rocha
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By Guest Nicole
'Biased assumptions'
While most of the comments on the post in the Facebook page debated the merits of the celebrations and the priorities of the district, some focused on the religious beliefs of those who don't celebrate Halloween.
Halloween began as the Celtic festival Samhain, where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to frighten ghosts, according to History.com. Due to its roots, the holiday isn't celebrated by certain religions or groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses, some Christians, Orthodox Jews and Muslims.
"It is the stated strategy of some to use our own laws against us," reads on comment on Facebook. "Wake up people. Nothing is an 'American Tradition' anymore. (And many who move here aren't doing so to become American)."
Another comment asked "Who is ruining traditions?" The response from a different person, which has since been deleted, read: "Muslims."
Kucinski said statements such as these are "very hurtful to people who are equally American but may be of a different culture, religion, or hold different beliefs than those who are making these comments."
"This discussion has emboldened certain voices in our community to make sweeping biased assumptions against groups of people that may or may not be the ones that are holding their kids home from school," she said. "Does it matter what group or groups are keeping their kids home and missing a fun celebration at school? No."
Littman said it's anyone's right to not celebrate a holiday, though others don't have to follow suit.
Read more:
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By Guest Nicole
More than 200 Jehovah's Witnesses - a religious organization banned in Russia - have applied for asylum in Finland. More than 100 members of this organization have arrived in the European country only so far in 2018. According to Juha Simila, representative of the Finnish migration service, about 10 cases have been analyzed so far and, in most of them, Finland rejected the asylum application. Simila explained to the Finnish newspaper Aamulehti that some denials have been appealed to the court and that in one of the cases the negative decision of the migration service has already been confirmed.
Read more:
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By Guest Nicole
Many of the children described conditions at US Customs and Border Protection facilities, where they were taken and processed during the first days after crossing the border. In the reports they were only identified by their first names. Timofei, 15, from Russia, who sought asylum on the border with his parents for his beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses, said they were crowded night and day in the closed and crowded room, detained along with other boys. He said there was only one window that opened onto an empty hallway and that they did not have soap in the bathroom, and that only sometimes, they gave him a toothbrush for individual use. He also said that he was offered a shower when he arrived at the facilities in San Ysidro, California, but he did not and the second or third day there did not allow him to do so.
https://www.clarin.com/mundo/trataron-chicos-separados-padres-frontera-relatan-dias-detenidos-unidos_0_SJh7dyam7.html
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By Guest Kurt
/
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. / Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Â is the Grammy Award winning R&B producer that dominated the airwaves for nearly three decades with his signature sound. He is a legend in the music industry, and he is well known around the world. MartinÂ’s fellow JehovahÂ’s Witness brothers and sisters often refer to him as Brother Martin. In addition to being a Grammy Winner, he is famous and respected as The Granddaddy of R&B music. His signature sound was called R&B, and in the 1970Â’s it was known as The Sound of Philadelphia.Â
As far as Bobby Martin is concerned, younger R&B artists often sample and produce remakes of his songs. A good example of this is the song “Da Butta”. WILL SMITH and LIL’ KIM collaborated with Bobby Martin by using one of his productions. The music track and beat were taken from Bobby Martin’s studio recording of (Every Time I Turn Around) “Back in Love Again”, by L.T.D. GEORGE BENSON also recorded a cover of an L.T.D. song, called “Love Ballad”.
Most of us have heard SEAL, and SIMPLY RED sing “If You DonÂ’t Know Me By Now”, which was originally arranged in the studio with Bobby Martin. KANYE WEST sampled “Show You The Way To Go”, using Bobby MartinÂ’s recording of THE JACKSONS.Â
MartinÂ’s success in the music industry has broken the stereotype that Jehovah Witnesses do not participate in any of the arts. In fact, some of the most prolific icons in entertainment just happen to be JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, like PRINCE, KATHERINE JACKSON (Michael JacksonÂ’s Mother), SERENA and VENUS WILLIAMS, GEORGE BENSON, LARRY GRAHAM (DrakeÂ’s Uncle), RONNIE LAWS just to name a few.
JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are happy and joyful people that want to live a clean life. Yet they enjoy music, as long as it is clean music. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses dance at their gatherings, and they all sing songs to Jehovah at all of their meetings. One of Bobby MartinÂ’s fans, Camille Szalma, had the opportunity to take a photo with Bobby and the Latin Music legend “TITO PUENTE”, at a celebrity mixer. Surprisingly, Camille Szalma just happened to be a faithful JehovahÂ’s Witness herself, also showing that JehovahÂ’s Witnesses represent some of the music industryÂ’s fan base. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses purchase music and they enjoy live performances.Â
Martin has even collaborated with many of his Christian brothers that are known in the entertainment world, such as THE JACKSONS, GEORGE BENSON, LARRY GRAHAM, JEAN TERRELL, BENNY GOLSON, HUBERT LAWS, and many others.Â
Bobby Martin is best known for arranging and producing the music of the top icons in the music industry including MICHAEL JACKSON, THE JACKSONS, QUINCY JONES, WILL SMITH, CLIVE DAVIS, WHITNEY HOUSTON, PATTI LABELLE, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, LOU RAWLS, HERB ALPERT, THE BEE GEES, GAMBLE & HUFF, and so forth.Â
Martin worked heavily in producing, and arranging music with GAMBLE & HUFF (Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff). Most of the classic Philadelphia R&B hit songs were arranged or produced by Bobby Martin, songs like “LetÂ’s Just Kiss And Say Goodbye”.Â
Bobby Martin, Kenneth Gamble, and Leon Huff were a close family of music executives. Martin learned about JehovahÂ’s Witnesses from Kenneth GambleÂ’s mother (Ruby N. Gamble), who was a JehovahÂ’s Witness. Martin was later baptized with JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in the year 1976 in Woodland Hills, at an assembly hall where The JacksonÂ’s would attend their assemblies.Â
Martin has produced artists at Capitol Records, Columbia Records with Clive Davis, A&M Records with Quincy Jones, and Philadelphia International Records with producers Gamble and Huff, to name a few. Martin has produced and arranged multiple hits and has accumulated thousands of Gold & Platinum record awards. Bobby Martin is a Grammy winner as well. He won a very significant Grammy Award for the Soul Train theme song, named TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia).Â
MartinÂ’s classic productions are heard on radio stations around the world, and he is presently working in the recording studio on new songs to soon be released in 2013.Â
For more information, search online for Grammy Winner Bobby Martin, Producer Bobby Martin, Arranger Bobby Martin, and Bobby Martin Productions!Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
Â
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By Guest Nicole
(Moscow) – Law enforcement authorities across Russia have carried out a sweeping campaign against JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in recent months, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have carried out dozens of home searches, raids, interrogations, and other acts of harassment and persecution.
The authorities are holding 18 men in pretrial detention on charges of organizing, participating in, or financing the activities of an “extremist organization” solely for their religious activities. Several others are facing the same charges and are under house arrest or subject to travel restrictions. The charges carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Russian authorities should release those in detention immediately, drop the charges, and halt the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“The Jehovah’s Witnesses are simply peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Jehovah’s Witness faith is not an extremist organization, and authorities should stop this religious persecution of its worshipers now.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed four lawyers defending JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in five regions and a representative of the JehovahÂ’s Witnesses. Human Rights Watch also reviewed court documents, media reports, Russian government statements, and Federal Security Service (FSB) photos and videos purporting to show the raids.
The raids and arrests stem from an April 2017 Russian Supreme Courtruling that banned all Jehovah’s Witnesses organizations throughout Russia. The ruling declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center, the head office for 395 Jehovah’s Witnesses branches throughout Russia, an extremist organization and ruled that all 395 be shut down. The ruling, which affects more than 100,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses across Russia, blatantly violates Russia’s obligations to respect and protect religious freedom and freedom of association.
Russian authorities should reverse the ban on the organization’s activities and remove the “extremist” designation, Human Rights Watch said. Meanwhile, they should leave Jehovah’s Witnesses free to practice their faith.
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and other former USSR countries have faced persecution in the past. During the Soviet era, they were arrested and imprisoned in labor camps, including in Siberia. Within the past decade, worshipers across Russia have faced persecution, intrusive home searches, and arrests, and have been denied rights to freedom of assembly, association, and religion.
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Russia for closing the Moscow branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and refusing to allow the group to re-register. The court found violations of articles 9 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect freedom of religion and association, respectively. In addition to awarding monetary damages, the court said that Russia should review the domestic decisions that led to the violations. Russia has refused to carry out the judgments in that case and several others brought by members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On the contrary, Russia has continued to persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses, seeking the group’s complete dissolution in Russia.
From April to June 2018, law enforcement raids targeted JehovahÂ’s Witness communities in at least 11 regions throughout Russia, from Saratov region in southwestern Russia to Primorsky Krai in RussiaÂ’s far east. Police carried out the raids, often accompanied by a combination of FSB officials wearing masks, armed personnel of the Interior Ministry Special Task Police Force or National Guard, and representatives from the Investigative Committee, RussiaÂ’s criminal investigation service. Â
The authorities, who obtained search warrants or entry permits in most cases, confiscated personal computers, mobile phones, bank cards, passports, religious literature, and, in some cases, housing deeds. Dozens of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, including at least one child, were taken to local investigative offices for questioning. Others were detained and later charged.
A lawyer representing a Jehovah’s Witness who is in pretrial detention in Murmansk Region told Human Rights Watch that the authorities’ actions contradict religious freedom guarantees in the Russian Constitution. “The [Russian] constitution says that you can practice your faith together with others, but as it turns out, that’s a crime,” said Yegiazar Chernikov, of the Sverdlovsk Lawyers’ Association.
In at least two regions, armed officers threatened the worshipers with firearms, in one case pointing a gun at a personÂ’s head, a lawyer familiar with the incident told Human Rights Watch.
A JehovahÂ’s Witnesses representative told Human Rights Watch that approximately 160 JehovahÂ’s Witnesses have fled Russia to seek refuge abroad.
On June 20, Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights announced that it had asked the prosecutor general’s office to verify the legality of criminal prosecutions against Jehovah’s Witnesses practicing their faith. A week earlier, several of the spouses of the men in pretrial detention had sent a letter to the chair of the council, Mikhail Fedotov, urging him to ask President Vladimir Putin to end the raids and arrests and to restore freedom of religion in Russia.
Over 150 Russian activists, journalists, and academics – including several members of Memorial, Russia’s foremost human rights group – signed and published an open letter urging the authorities to immediately release those in detention and to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision to liquidate the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organization.
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia – like all people in Russia – should be able to peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of religion and association, Human Rights Watch said. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Russian Constitution as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Russia is a party.
Under international law, freedom of religion includes the freedom to practice one’s religion or belief both individually and in community with others, in public or in private, and through worship, practice, and teaching. Russia already has many rulings against it for its failure to respect the freedom of religion of faith communities and minority religious groups, such as the Church of Scientology, the Salvation Army, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses
“Russia should do right by its national and international obligations to respect freedom of religion,” Denber said. “Russian leadership should make sure that law enforcement is honoring and protecting that right, not trampling on it.”
Raids Aimed at Intimidation
The JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are a peaceful religious community. The consistent show of force in raids in many locations in Russia was disproportionate and seemed aimed at sending a strong message of intimidation, Human Rights Watch said.Â
In most regions, the authorities arrested people they singled out as leaders and organizers of the local Jehovah’s Witnesses community for such actions as recruiting new members and distributing religious literature that the authorities label “extremist.”
On May 16 in the Orenburg Region, in southwest Russia, law enforcement personnel searched 18 homes in four cities and charged nine people. Two are in pretrial custody and another is under house arrest.
On May 17 in Birobidzhan, in southeast Russia, representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses reported that about 150 law enforcement personnel raided the homes of at least nine Jehovah’s Witnesses, confiscating photos, bank cards, money, and computers. An official reportedly saidthat the operation was code-named “Judgment Day.” One person was arrested and charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization” but was released from pretrial detention eight days later.
On April 18 in the town of Polyarny in the Murmansk Region, in northwest Russia, armed law enforcement agents raided at least seven homes and arrested two men. They took several others into custody for questioning and later released them. Police also took a 16-year-old girl into custody and questioned her at the local investigative unit for several hours. A video posted on the Murmansk Investigative Committee’s website shows men wearing camouflage uniforms and helmets forcing open a door to an apartment.
The arrest and raid campaign took place as the trial of a Jehovah’s Witness who is a Danish citizen, Dennis Christensen, continues in Orel, a city in western Russia. Christensen, who was arrested in May 2017, is being tried on charges of organizing activities of an “extremist organization” and faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence if convicted. He has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rightsalleging, among other things, that his arrest constituted unlawful interference with his right to freedom of religion.
Another Jehovah’s Witness in Orel, 55-year-old Sergei Skrynnikov, was charged on May 8, 2018, with participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.”
A lawyer who is defending three Jehovah’s Witnesses in two regions said that throughout the past eight months, FSB agents in the Orenburg Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan conducted wiretapping, videotaping, and other surveillance of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ activities – for which they said they had warrants – as part of the investigation. In some cases, the lawyer said, authorities placed recording devices in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ homes.
Earlier in 2018, police raided more than two dozen JehovahÂ’s WitnessesÂ’ homes in Belgorod and Kemerovo. Two JehovahÂ’s Witnesses in Belgorod are facing extremism charges.
Saratov and Shirokoe, Saratov Region
On June 12, authorities in Saratov Region, southwestern Russia, raided at least seven homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Saratov and village of Shirokoe. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, special forces officers broke down doors and confiscated computers, books, notebooks, photographs, bankbooks, and passports. The authorities took at least 10 people to FSB offices for questioning.
Three were detained and charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization.” They are: 43-year-old Konstantin Bazhenov, 35-year-old Aleksei Budenchuk, and 33-year-old Felix Makhammadiyev. On June 14, the Frunzensky District Court placed all three in pretrial detention until August 12.
Tomsk, Tomsk Region
Law enforcement raided several homes and cars belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Tomsk between 10 a.m. on June 3 and about 2 a.m. the next day, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported. Officers confiscated Bibles, mobile phones, tablets, computers, photographs, money, bank cards, and other personal possessions. They took about 30 people to the police anti-extremism center for questioning.
According to a statement by the Tomsk Investigative Committee, the searches were part of a joint FSB and Internal Affairs Ministry investigation into meetings of Jehovah’s Witness residents in Tomsk. Investigative authorities allege that worshipers studied prohibited, “extremist” religious materials and carried out organized religious activities in violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center.
Representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that 48-year-old Sergei Klimov was detained after a search of his home on June 3, was charged with organizing activities of an “extremist organization,” and will remain in pretrial detention until August 4.
Magadan, Magadan Region
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that on May 30, FSB and law enforcement officers arrested Konstantin Petrov, 31; Yevgeny Zyablov, 41; and Sergei Yerkin, 61, after searching their homes in the city of Magadan (Magadan Region). On the same day, authorities in Khabarovsk (Khabarovsky Krai) detained Ivan Puyda, 39, based on a court order from Magadan. All four are accused of organizing activities of an “extremist organization” and will remain in pretrial detention until July 29.
Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan
Police and FSB officials searched the homes of 10 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, in south-central Russia, on the evening of May 27. The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that the searches lasted “well into the night.”
Investigators arrested Ilham Karimov, 37; Vladimir Myakushin, 30; Konstantin Matrashov, 25;   Aydar Yulmetyev, 24, on suspicion of organizing and participating in the activities of an “extremist organization” and placed them in pretrial detention until July 25. The Naberezhnye Chelny City Court displays records of all four hearings. According to the religious freedom monitoring group Forum 18, Karimov, Myakushin, and Matrashov have appealed their pretrial detention.
Perm, Perm Krai
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia reported that on the evening of May 22, Aleksandr Solovyev, 48, and his wife, Anna, were detained at the railway station in Perm, in the Ural Mountains region, after returning from a trip abroad. Law enforcement then searched the couple’s home and reportedly seized property deeds, photographs, several Bibles, and a Wi-Fi router.
Anna was released, but her husband was held for two days. He was released on May 24, and the Sverdlovsk District Court ordered him confined to house arrest. According to Forum 18, he is being investigated on charges of participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.”
Before the 2017 Supreme Court ruling banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center, Solovyov chaired the Perm Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation, according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia website.
Birobidzhan, Jewish Autonomous Region
On May 17 in Birobidzhan, southeast Russia, police raided the homes of at least nine Jehovah’s Witnesses. The raids were carried out by approximately 150 law enforcement officers. An official reportedly saidthat the operation was code-named “Judgment Day.”
On May 18, 55-year-old Alam Aliev was placed in pretrial detention until July 13 under suspicion of organizing activities of an “extremist organization.” The FSB stated that its request to detain Aliev “was motivated by the fact that the crime is classified as grave” and because “[t]he suspect may impede the criminal proceedings, put pressure on witnesses, and also evade investigative and judicial authorities.” Following an appeal by Aliev’s lawyer, Aliev was released from detention on May 25 but still faces charges.
Orenburg, Orenburg Region
On May 16 in Orenburg Region, Investigative Committee authorities, FSB officials, and armed National Guard officers searched 18 homes in four cities. Vitaly Svintsov, a lawyer representing two Jehovah’s Witnesses in the region, told Human Rights Watch that nine people were charged with organizing or participating in the activities of an “extremist organization.” Two of them, Aleksandr Suvorov and Vladimir Kochnev, both 38, remain in pretrial custody until July 14. Twenty-six-year-old Vladislav Kolbanov remains under house arrest. The other six remain under travel restrictions while the investigation is ongoing, Svintsov said.
Photographs of some of the raids posted on the Orenburg Investigative Committee website show FSB officials and riot police in bulletproof vests and masks approaching Jehovah’s Witnesses’ residences.
A statement by the Orenburg Investigative Committee said that investigative operations were “carefully planned and organized” by law enforcement with the aim of “seizing documents and items relevant to the criminal case, as well as identifying other persons involved in unlawful activities.” Investigators allege that the suspects “organized activities of a subdivision of Jehovah’s Witnesses [Administrative Center] by calling and holding meetings, organizing the recruitment of new members, and communicating the contents of religious literature to meeting participants.”
Shuya, Ivanovo Region
Forum 18 reported that law enforcement raided four homes in the town of Shuya, western Russia, early on the morning of April 20.
Dmitry Mikhailov, 33, was arrested on May 29, over a month after his home was searched and placed in pretrial custody until July 19. He is being accused of “financing extremist activities.” Â
On April 20, the Ivanovo Region Investigative Committee released a statement about the home searches, alleging that since the beginning of 2018, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Shuya had been studying literature “containing statements degrading human dignity . . . and elements of propaganda of the exclusivity of one religion over another.”
Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai
Several homes belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses were reportedly raidedon April 19 in the far-east city of Vladivostok.
Human Rights Watch was able to confirm that on April 23 Valentin Osadchuk, 42, was placed under arrest by Frunzensky District Court on charges of participation in the activities of an “extremist organization” after authorities searched his home and confiscated computers, notebooks, and other devices. He remains in pretrial detention until September 20. Representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that five others face the same charges but remain at liberty subject to travel restrictions.
Polyarny, Murmansk Region
On the evening of April 18 in the town of Polyarny in the Murmansk region, armed law enforcement raided at least seven homes and arrested two JehovahÂ’s Witnesses, Roman Markin, 44, and Viktor Tifimov, 61. Others whose homes were searched were taken to the local investigative unit for questioning and later released without charge.
The Murmansk Region Investigative Committee stated on its websitethat National Guard officers and FSB officials who led the home searches confiscated computer drives and religious literature. A video posted to the website shows men wearing camouflage uniforms and helmets forcing open a door with a pry bar. The Investigative Committee said that beginning in April 2017, the suspects had allegedly “organized activities of the religious organization [Jehovah’s Witnesses] by convening and holding meetings, organizing the recruitment of new members, and leading studies of religious texts at meetings.”
MarkinÂ’s lawyer, Arli Chimirov, told Human Rights Watch that armed officers broke down MarkinÂ’s door and told him and his 16-year-old daughter, who was at home with him, to lie on the floor while law enforcement threatened them with firearms and searched the apartment. MarkinÂ’s daughter was escorted to the investigative unit and was questioned for several hours along with her mother, who arrived some time later.
On April 23, 2018, the Polyarny District Court placed Markin in pretrial custody until June 11. Markin’s lawyer unsuccessfully appealed the decision. According to court documents on file with Human Rights Watch, investigative authorities requested that Markin be placed in pretrial detention because of the risk that he “may continue criminal activities, threaten participants in the legal proceedings, hide or destroy evidence, and also fail to attend preliminary court hearings.” On June 4, Markin’s pretrial detention was extended to October 11.
TifimovÂ’s lawyer, Yegiazar Chernikov, told Human Rights Watch that beginning in October 2017, investigators had been collecting as evidence audio and video recordings of conversations among JehovahÂ’s Witnesses. Chernikov said that on several occasions, a woman involved in the investigation invited Tifimov to her home, where audio and video recording devices were in place, and asked him questions given to her by investigative authorities and designed to incriminate him.
Tifimov was originally detained until June 12, 2018, but his pretrial detention was extended until October 11.
Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
The religious freedom group Forum 18 reported that approximately 60 law enforcement officers, some of them armed, raided eight homes in the city of Ufa, south-central Russia, on the morning of April 10. Investigators confiscated personal belongings, books, and photographs. The lawyer representing one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who was detained said that authorities threatened worshipers with weapons, in one case holding an automatic weapon to a person’s head.
At least 20 people were reportedly taken to the Lenin District Investigative Department for questioning and fingerprinting but were later released. One girl was called for questioning, but when she showed up for the meeting with her mother and the director of her school, the investigator failed to appear.
On April 12, Anatoly Vilikevich, 32, was arrested on suspicion of organizing activities of an “extremist organization,” and placed in pretrial detention. Vilikevich’s lawyer, Vitaly Svintsov, who appealed the order, told Human Rights Watch that on June 21 the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan overturned the lower court’s decision and placed him under house arrest.
A statement by the Bashkortostan Republic Investigative Committeealleged that Vilikevich had organized a local chapter of the banned Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative Center. Investigators who searched his home confiscated “prohibited literature,” the statement said.
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Since 2007, dozens of pieces of JehovahÂ’s WitnessesÂ’ literature have been banned and placed on the federal registry of banned extremist materials. Pictured here, stacks of booklets distributed by a local leader of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in the Siberian town of Gorno-Altaysk are seen during a court session on December 16, 2010.
 ©2010 Reuters/Alexandr Tyryshkin
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