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Unjust Verdicts

Reporting: Supreme Court hearings case banning religion of Jehovah's Witnesses

On April 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia began hearings on the liquidation claim Jehovah's Witnesses. There is a text report from the courtroom.

April 5, 2017 Collapse
10:58

The large, beautiful courtroom is crowded. More than 200 people attend, including numerous journalists, representatives of public organizations, foreign embassies. Hearing started at 10:30 a.m.

Just under 250 people remained outside to await the results of the hearing. Povarskaya Street in Moscow is filled with cars with transmitting TV antennas. The events are filmed by numerous Camera. Police walkie-talkies periodically broadcast the messages "Everything is calm, without incident." In Representatives of embassies and foreign organizations listen to the translation of the process in headphones.

The case is being heard by Judge Y. Ivanenko. On the defendant's side, "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia", represent 6 people, including Vasiliy Kalin from the steering committee and attorneys. Representative Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation — Svetlana Borisova. The defendant's objections were attached to the case, together with annexes in 35 Volumes.

The court allowed photography and video recording only when the final act was announced. However, for audio recording There are no obstacles. About 40 media representatives are present in the hall, they occupy the first rows in the hall.

11:00The court refused to accept the counterclaim to recognize the actions of the Ministry of Justice as political repressions. Judge considered the acceptance of the defence to the claim to be a sufficient measure of protection for the defendant.
11:15Representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses apply for permission to participate in the case of representatives of all 395 local religious organizations. Lawyer Zhenkov: "If believers throughout Russia are deprived of their rights, let them They're going to hear it here in court." Local religious organizations, contrary to the logic of the Ministry of Justice, are not structural subdivisions of each other, but independent legal entities.
11:20Omelchenko's lawyer gives an example: "According to the logic of the Ministry of Justice, it turns out that it is necessary to pass a sentence: 'Shoot Ataman. And his whole platoon.'"
11:25The court refused to involve 395 local organizations in the case as co-defendants.
11:30Jehovah's Witnesses asked the court to allow audio broadcasting of the court hearing. The court refused.
11:35Lawyers for Jehovah's Witnesses are asking the court to postpone the hearing until it reaches a decision on another case in another case Court. We are talking about an appeal in court orders of the Ministry of Justice on the suspension of the activities of organizations.
11:42The Ministry of Justice objects because it believes that the Ministry of Justice had every right to suspend the Activities of organizations.
11:45The court refused to postpone the hearing.
11:50Omelchenko's lawyer petitions to leave the claim of the Ministry of Justice without consideration. The plaintiff did not comply with the pre-trial settlement of claims against 395 Jehovah's Witnesses communities. Before you make a statement a lawsuit to liquidate 395 local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses, state authorities, According to the law, they had to issue official warnings to each of them and give them time to do so. correction.
11:55The second reason for leaving this claim without consideration is that the Russian courts have already Similar cases of liquidation and recognition of 2 out of 395 local organizations are being considered Jehovah's Witnesses (in Karachay-Cherkessia and the Samara Region).
12:05The court rejected the petition to leave the claim of the Ministry of Justice without consideration.
12:10Representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses ask to postpone the hearing for one week due to the fact that the Ministry of Justice sent a statement of claim to the defendant in a timely manner. It arrived by mail only on March 28, 2017. In addition, the Ministry of Justice did not provide the defendant with all the documents referred to in the statement of claim.
12:17The Ministry of Justice does not object to the adjournment of the case.
12:19The court refused to postpone the case.
12:20Lawyer Zhenkov petitions for the suspension of the case due to the fact that a number of Russian courts have filed applications for consideration of court decisions that have entered into force on the basis of newly discovered circumstances. We are talking about on the revision of the cases on the liquidation of 8 local religious organizations (LROs) that have entered into force and on the introduction of 88 publications of Jehovah's Witnesses in the FSEM. The fact is that all those court decisions were made without the involvement of Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, since the Ministry of Justice insisted that the decisions of the courts in The rights of the "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" are not affected by the LRO. In the same case, The Ministry of Justice has changed its position and now all the accusations brought against the LRO are imputed to the Administrative Center.
12:30The Ministry of Justice objects to the suspension, considering that the same lawyers participated in the cases involving the LRO, as in the case of the liquidation of the Administrative Center.
12:33The court retired to the deliberation room.
13:50The court left the deliberation room. The suspension of the case was denied.
13:55Lawyer Zhenkov files a motion to involve specialists in the case, namely religious scholars and Linguists. Experts can clarify whether the texts that underpin the requirement are so dangerous The Ministry of Justice on the prohibition of an entire religion in Russia.
14:00When asked by the judge whether the lawyers propose to arrange a "revision" of the decisions of the courts, which were the literature, is included in the FSEM, the lawyers explained that this information will be important for determining proportionality requirements of the Ministry of Justice.
14:04A representative of the Ministry of Justice objects to the admission of specialists to the hearing.
14:05The court refused to involve specialists in the hearing of the case.
14:06Lawyer Zhenkov asks to involve 9 foreign legal entities in the case, representing religious associations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Europe. The reason is that the Ministry of Justice in In his lawsuit, he asks the court to confiscate real estate belonging to these organizations.
14:14The court refused to involve foreign organizations in the case.
14:15Omelchenko's lawyer files a motion to involve interested parties in the case eight Russian citizens who were rehabilitated as victims of political repression. These people are present in the hall. The lawyer convincingly argues that if the claim is satisfied, these people from the those rehabilitated will turn into "extremists."
14:20The Ministry of Justice believes that the court decides on the liquidation of legal entities, this does not apply to individual citizens. In his Lawyer Zhenkov recalled that the Soviet authorities were guided by such considerations, banning the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, however, the repression hit the people hard, as a result of which they were rehabilitated.
14:25The court dismisses the petition.
14:30Lawyers are petitioning for the interrogation of individual citizens, followers of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, who can testify to the measures taken by Jehovah's Witnesses to prevent extremist activity.
14:35The Ministry of Justice does not object. The court satisfied.
14:40Lawyers file a motion to interrogate as witnesses persons recognized as victims of political Repression. The Ministry of Justice objects. The court refuses.
14:43The representative of Jehovah's Witnesses, M. Novakov, files a motion for the interrogation as witnesses of persons who were eyewitnesses to the falsification of evidence against believers in cases that the Ministry of Justice uses in claim as "new evidence of an offence".
14:45To the judge's objection that these are decisions that have entered into force, Novakov explains that in this case, A prejudicial approach cannot be used in the case, since it is a question of different subjects of law. Court is obliged to examine the evidence directly. Novakov tells the court about the circumstances planting and perjury in a number of Russian cities.
15:00The Ministry of Justice objected, arguing that this interrogation, in their opinion, was aimed at "revising the decisions that have entered into force." The court refused to question witnesses of falsification of evidence against local organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
15:05Omelchenko's lawyer petitions for the requisition from the courts of the publications that were recognized "extremist" and which formed the basis of this lawsuit to ban the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Attorney Stresses that this is necessary in order to examine whether these statements are sufficiently dangerous, to significantly restrict the right to freedom of 300,000 Russian citizens on this basis Religion. He drew attention to the legal requirement that there should be restrictions are justified and proportionate to the constitutionally significant objectives.
15:15Omelchenko gives examples of statements in the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses that caused these publications were recognized as extremist.
15:16Omelchenko explains that the court should investigate whether the statements in the said statement are so dangerous. that they would justify restricting the rights of hundreds of thousands of citizens.
15:20The Ministry of Justice objects. The court refuses to demand literature recognized as extremist.
15:21The right to file motions passes to the administrative plaintiff. A representative of the Ministry of Justice asks to attach to the There are several judicial acts in the case that were not attached to the statement of claim. The Office, not having them on the hands, hastened to refer to them in its lawsuit. And only now, having received them, does he ask to attach them to the case.
15:25The defendant objects. The court, having deliberated on the spot, grants the request of the Ministry of Justice.
15:28

The court adjourned until April 6, 2017 at 14:00.

April 6, 2017 Back to top Collapse
12:00

The weather in Moscow is warm and sunny. A large queue of people formed near the entrance to the court. Television journalists are working. There is a calm and friendly atmosphere among those present. Increased security measures are noticeable. There is a bus with police officers right at the entrance. A thorough inspection is carried out at the entrance. No liquids are allowed inside the building. The staff of the Supreme Court who organize the hearings carry out their work in a professional and coordinated manner. Despite the large number of listeners, there are no glitches.

14:30The hearing began with a motion by the defendants to stay the hearing due to the fact that private cases had been filed complaints about yesterday's refusals of the court to satisfy most of the 17 petitions filed. Hearing should be suspended pending a decision on these complaints.
14:33The Ministry of Justice objects to the suspension of the hearings. The court retires to the deliberation room.
14:37

The court denies the motion to stay the hearing.

Omelchenko's lawyer requests that materials that may testify to the political motives for the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. We are talking about documents of foreign organizations, such as the UN, the OSCE, official statements of human rights organizations, as well as archival Documents.

14:40

The court decided to grant the request to admit these materials.

The court reports on the merits of the case and gives the floor to the Ministry of Justice.

14:45The representative of the Ministry of Justice Borisov proceeds to present the arguments justifying the need to ban all organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. It lists the decisions of the courts against the local religious organizations (LROs) of Jehovah's Witnesses.
15:12

In conclusion, the representative of the Ministry of Justice asks the court to liquidate all organizations of Witnesses Jehovah, remove them from the register of legal entities and ban their activities. Asks to be confiscated property and make the court decision immediately enforceable (i.e., do not wait for the entry into the of the decision into legal force).

The judge asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice a counter-question: why does the Ministry of Justice ask at the same time liquidate legal entities and prohibit their activities. The judge is perplexed: how can it be forbidden that no longer exists. He asked whether the Ministry of Justice was demanding that all unregistered groups be banned. The representative of the Ministry of Justice explains that he is not asking to ban them, because Jehovah's Witnesses do not provided the agency with information about unregistered groups.

15:16A new clarifying question of the judge: on what grounds does the Ministry of Justice apply a prejudicial approach to Administrative center, if the center was not involved in the affairs. Prejudice is applicable in the case of decisions that have entered into force (i.e. the court relies on them as an already established fact) only in against the same subjects of law. Accordingly, the court decisions issued in respect of LROs did not may have prejudicial effect against a centralized organization.
15:17A representative of the Ministry of Justice argues that the Administrative Center was aware of these court cases, and the lawyers of the Center were present at them.
15:20The Ministry of Justice in its lawsuit asserts the need to liquidate religious organizations due to the fact that Organizations, in their opinion, violate the rights of citizens. The court asks Borisova's representative the next question Clarifying question: what rights of citizens are being violated? Borisova reports that this is the right to receive medical treatment. According to them, organizations prevent citizens from receiving medical treatment. In In response to the hum in the courtroom, the judge asks those present to restrain their emotions.
15:24The judge asks if the Ministry of Justice has evidence of their claim about medical treatment. The Ministry of Justice does not I am ready to provide them. The judge is perplexed again, because the Ministry of Justice has recently conducted a large-scale inspection Jehovah's Witnesses and, if there were such facts, they should have been identified.
15:25The judge asks the Ministry of Justice to clarify their assertion that the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses pose a threat public safety. The Ministry of Justice speaks of a threat to an indefinite circle of people.
15:30The judge asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice if they ask to ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses, Will believers gathered for prayer be threatened with criminal prosecution? The Ministry of Justice: "Yes, if the court will find them guilty of violating Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation."
15:34A judge asks a representative of the Ministry of Justice about the Ministry of Justice's Federal List of Extremist Materials (FSEM) Russia. The court is interested in the question: is the Ministry of Justice revising this list? The representative of the Ministry of Justice is uncertain informs the court that this list may be revised from time to time.
15:39The judge gives the defendants the opportunity to ask questions to the Ministry of Justice.
15:40Lawyer Zhenkov first of all asks the court to refuse to accept a copy of the court's decision, which takes a few minutes The Ministry of Justice presented it to the court. The court's decision describes a case in which some parents brought Sick Child's Hospital. Doctors diagnosed low hemoglobin levels and suggested treatment medicines or transfusion of donor blood. Parents preferred medications, However, the hospital appealed to the court to give it carte blanche to use the donor Blood. The decision also mentions that there was no threat to life, it was about planned treatment. Attorney draws attention to the fact that the court's decision does not mention any of the organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
15:50The judge asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice: if there is no mention of Jehovah's Witnesses, then what is the relationship The document is relevant to the case.
15:53The judge postpones the decision to admit the document.
15:54Lawyer Zhenkov begins to ask questions to the representative of the Ministry of Justice. The first question is whether the Ministry of Justice has information about any offenses committed under the influence of the literature of the Witnesses Jehovah, which is included in the FSEM. The response of the representative of the ministry: "No, we do not have such information."
15:57Lawyer Zhenkov clarifies with the representative of the Ministry of Justice whether the defendant correctly understands that the claims of the Ministry of Justice are reduced to three points: 1) importation of extremist literature, 2) financing of LROs, 3) non-acceptance effective measures to prevent extremist activity. The Ministry of Justice confirms that this is true understanding, however, to this should be added 4) "the threat of violation of human and civil rights".
16:00

Lawyers have tried unsuccessfully to find out what kind of human rights violations are meant.

Zhenkov tries to clarify the point "failure to take effective measures to prevent extremist activities." He asked whether the Ministry of Justice was aware of the timely letters sent by the Centre Jehovah's Witnesses to all LROs, on the inclusion of certain materials in the FSEM? The Ministry of Justice is aware. Next Question: What does the ministry think would be an effective measure? The Ministry of Justice does not know the exact answer to the this question. The lawyer asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice whether there is such a criterion for extremist activity as inaction? It is obvious to everyone that there is no such criterion.

16:10Zhenkov asks whether the Ministry of Justice is aware that materials recognized as extremist make up 0.1% of the total literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Ministry of Justice does not know. Does the Ministry of Justice know that the Rostov Regional Court, who recognized 34 publications of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist, at the same time refused to recognize extremist dozens of others?
16:19Zhenkov clarifies whether the Ministry of Justice is aware that literature has not been imported into Russia for two years. To the Ministry of Justice, this is Known. Then a natural question arises, why exactly in 2017 the Ministry of Justice raised the issue of Eliminate. The Ministry of Justice cannot provide facts confirming that during the last 12 months The Administrative Center distributed "extremist" literature.
16:13The Ministry of Justice reports that the FSEM does not indicate the date of inclusion of materials in this list.
16:24The judge asks the representative of the ministry whether it is possible to make claims against a religious organization, and Also customs for the fact that materials were imported into the country that will be recognized as extremist in the future? How to know in advance that this or that material will be included in the FSEM. Representative of the Ministry of Justice: no way, only contact the FSEM.
16:30The defendant's representative, Yuriy Toporov, is trying to find out what the Ministry of Justice means by the concept of "structural" a division of the worldwide organization of Jehovah's Witnesses." What is a "world organization"? It's some kind of A legal entity? The Ministry of Justice believes that no, we are talking about a certain canonical concept. What is "structural" subdivision"? Is it a legal concept? No, it's more of a canonical connection. Another question: in the In what sense, then, does the Ministry of Justice use this term in relation to LROs, saying that they are "structural subdivisions of the Administrative Center"? Canonical or legal? Representative The Ministry of Justice believes that this is identical.
16:37Toporov is trying to find out whether the law on extremism can issue a warning to the "structural unit" without the organization itself. The Ministry of Justice is forced to admit that there should be a warning carried out throughout the organization.
16:40Toporov's legitimate question: if the warning was issued to a local religious organization and did not to the Administrative Center, how then can this local organization be "structural" subdivision of the center? Nohow.
16:42The Ministry of Justice now believes that issuing a warning to a "structural unit" is not prohibited by law, but So, the prosecutor's office could have done it. What is not forbidden is allowed. The judge asks the representative Ministry, whether at least any notifications were sent to the religious organization at that time (To the Administrative Center)? There is no record that such notices have been sent.
16:46Toporov's new question to the Ministry of Justice. Does the law on countering extremism provide for the possibility of Liquidate a "structural unit" without liquidating the organization itself? Representative of the Ministry of Justice: "According to your interpretation, it does not." The judge asks the defendant to accept the Ministry's response as eat.
16:53Questions to the Ministry of Justice are asked by Omelchenko's lawyer. He asked whether there was a unit in the Ministry of Justice capable of answering exactly when a certain item appeared on the Federal List of Extremist Materials book. The Ministry of Justice believes that the answer to this question can be obtained by a court request.
16:56Omelchenko asks about the federal centers of forensic examination under the Ministry of Justice of Russia. It draws attention to the fact that these centers came to diametrically opposite conclusions about the presence or absence of signs of extremism. Omelchenko's question: how could this be possible? A representative of the Ministry did not Knows. The next question is: why did the Ministry of Justice support only the negative conclusions of the experts and did not support them Positive? Unknown. Has the Ministry of Justice initiated a review of decisions in cases where there was such a review? contradiction? The Representative is not aware of any such facts.
16:58Omelchenko recalls that earlier today the court asked the Ministry of Justice whether the Ministry had initiated revision of the list of extremist materials after amendments were made to the law, for example, on that the Bible and quotations from it cannot be recognized as extremist materials. None of the kind There were no initiatives on the part of the Ministry of Justice.
17:07Questions to the representative of the Ministry of Justice are asked by the representative of the defendant Maxim Novakov. He's trying to find out Is the Ministry of Justice aware of the circumstances of the events that are imputed to Jehovah's Witnesses as "extremist?" activities". For example, do they know why the special services are needed before searches of Jehovah's Witnesses? They de-energized entire neighborhoods in which worship buildings are located. Ministry of Actual Circumstances doesn't know. The defendant has no other questions to the Ministry of Justice.
17:13The court adjourns the hearing until April 7, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. The entrance to the building will be open from 9:00.
April 7, 2017 Back to top Collapse
9:00

Soft rain is drizzling in Moscow. Along the façade of the Supreme Court, there was a long line of those who I came to the trial as a listener. A large A bus full of visibly bored police officers. Such a high-profile trial seems to be an unusual event for court employees. However, the surprising calm that, despite the obvious excitement, is maintained by Hundreds of believers, better than any words, convinces that extremism is not about them.

9:40The Great Hall of the Supreme Court is gradually filling up with listeners and journalists.
10:00The trial began with the court's questions to the representative of the Ministry of Justice. The court is trying to deal with the fact that the plaintiff accuses the Administrative Center of an episode from 2014 when, according to the Ministry, The Administrative Center imported into Russia a publication that would later be recognized as extremist Materials. The Court is interested in the question of how a religious organization could have known that the book would be recognized extremist, if it is not in the FSEM.
10:10The court is trying to understand what provision of the law the Ministry of Justice relies on, arguing that local religious Organizations (LROs) are "structural subdivisions" of the Administrative Center. The Ministry of Justice believes that This makes sense, since organizations read the same literature and are connected to each other. The Court asks To what extent does it meet the requirements of legal certainty in such a case? Won't it break the right to freedom of religion enshrined in the European Convention? After all, the attraction was refused 395 organizations to participate in the case as co-defendants. Questions remain unanswered.
10:20The judge asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice on what basis they claim that the financing of the LRO Is the financing of "extremist activity" the administrative center? Why is it objective? Proved? If nothing, then what are the claims of the Ministry of Justice based on?
10:28It is the turn of the defendants to give explanations. First of all, however, Omelchenko's lawyer is petitioning for attaching to the case extracts from the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" with the dates of entry of certain publications into the FSEM. Court Attaches.
10:35The first speaker is Vasily Kalin, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Administrative Center of the Witnesses Jehovah in Russia". Is it legitimate to try to ban the Witnesses today? For 26 years, the center has not been involved in responsibility for extremism. "If we've been good all these years, at what point did we become extremists?" If the ban happens, significant harm will be done, and the persecution has already begun. People will be persecuted just for reading the Bible together, and we have been through this before. We've already been appointed on a par with organizations such as the Taliban, Aum Senrikyo and others. Position of Jehovah's Witnesses Unchangeable: to obey the authorities, to pray for them. They always adhere to the principles of peacefulness.
10:45

Kalin tells the circumstances of the repression of this religion in the USSR, which he himself remembers. It shows certificate of a rehabilitated victim of political repression. He asks what Does the Ministry of Justice want to issue a certificate to him and his fellow believers? The actions of the Ministry of Justice throw the country back into the past.

Full Speech by Vasily Kalina

10:50Kalin's deputy, Sergey Cherepanov, speaks. He describes the measures taken by the center Jehovah's Witnesses for the prevention of extremism.
10:57Cherepanov mentions that the center of Jehovah's Witnesses is on the list of the most dangerous organizations. He's not a lawyer, but He thinks that the ministry's actions are misleading the fight against extremism. In recent years, Twenty criminal cases were initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses under the article of extremism. Although most cases ended in acquittals, the rights of believers were significantly violated, and their lives were overshadowed.
11:05Cherepanov mentions cases of planting and falsifications, which were reported to law enforcement agencies, However, they are completely ignored by the police and other authorities. There is no doubt that the center of Jehovah's Witnesses has taken all possible measures to counter extremism. Deputy The Prosecutor General, who signed a warning to Jehovah's Witnesses a year ago, refused to meet at the which could clarify what other measures the supervisory authority could expect from Jehovah's Witnesses.
11:13

Extremism is being fought throughout the civilized world. However, it is only in Russia that this is prosecuted Jehovah's Witnesses, whose services are attended by about 20 million people in the world. Chasing Them in Russia means to challenge all those countries where Jehovah's Witnesses freely practice their faith. At this point, Cherepanov concludes his speech and asks that the theses of his speech be attached to the case.

Full text Sergey Cherepanov's explanations (PDF, 226 KB)

11:15Speech by lawyer Zhenkov. He convincingly proves that, contrary to the assertion of the Ministry of Justice, among the goals and The objectives of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses are not extremism. If for 100 years of unofficial and 26 years There has been no proven harm from the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in the official existence of Jehovah's Witnesses, then what is the case with the harm referred to by the Ministry of Justice?
11:20Zhenkov draws attention to the fact that the vast majority of Witnesses' publications were included in the FSEM 8 more years ago. Over the years, there has not been a single act of terrorism or vandalism by Jehovah's Witnesses. Nothing like it had happened before.
11:24Zhenkov draws attention to the fact that all these publications were included in the FSEM even before the famous the Supreme Court Plenum, which clarified that criticism of others should not be considered extremism Religions.
11:25Zhenkov stresses that only a few experts find signs of extremism in the literature of the Witnesses Jehovah. Often, unqualified experts work. Courts hear cases in the absence of believers. To For example, one of the brochures, which contains almost no text, was recognized as extremist for the phrase "Avoid doing bad things." In response to laughter in the hall, Zhenkov said that people who are being searched Because of this pamphlet, it's no laughing matter.
11:30Two other publications have been included in the FSEM, but Jehovah's Witnesses still do not know why, despite A lot of requests and requests. "If printed texts are viewed in this way, then Russia will soon be able to be seen at all Leave them without books!"
11:35Zhenkov: One gets the impression that the prosecutor's office is trying by any means to recognize both as extremist as many materials of Jehovah's Witnesses as possible. For example, the prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit with the court for recognition extremist Bible itself, despite a direct clause in the law that the Bible and quotations from it cannot be recognized as extremist. From the arguments of the prosecutor's office: "Taken as a book, the Bible ceases to be The Bible, as it is only in the Church." (Laughter.)
11:39Zhenkov draws attention to the fact that cases related to the recognition of the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist, appealed to the ECHR. 22 complaints and merged into one proceeding. In response to a request from the Strasbourg Court The Russian Federation has officially acknowledged that the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses does not contain overt appeals to violence.
11:45The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that cases involving the recognition of Jehovah's Witnesses' material extremist do not affect the rights of the "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia," and these decisions have not been cancelled. And the Ministry of Justice now believes that, on the contrary, it affects the rights of the center. But it's error.
11:55Zhenkov's lawyer documents that the printed materials were never imported into the country after were recognized as extremist. This also applies to all episodes that the Ministry of Justice imputes believers in their suit.
12:05When almost every publication was imported into the country, the center of Jehovah's Witnesses had the results of examinations, that do not show signs of extremism in them. Thus, the center could not foresee that one or the other Materials may be considered extremist. The legislation is based on the principles of legal certainty and predictability of the consequences of certain actions. However, in the actions of the state against Jehovah's Witnesses, this principle is clearly not respected.
12:10Statement of the defendant's representative Toporov. "The extremism of Jehovah's Witnesses remains extremism in the paper." No victims, victims or survivors of alleged "extremist" activity neither the prosecutor's office nor the Ministry of Justice could represent.
12:12Toporov refutes the Ministry of Justice's thesis about the "financing of extremism." Financial assistance provided by LROs was used to maintain worship buildings, pay for utilities, and sometimes help believers affected by natural disasters.
12:17Representative Toporov: The Ministry of Justice encourages the country's highest judicial body to resort to double standards. Previously, the court, with the support of the Ministry of Justice, took a consistent position that decisions against local organizations are not affected by the rights of the Administrative Center. Now the Ministry's position has changed from Quite the opposite. It is trying to extend the sanctions imposed on several local organizations, and all other 395 local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
12:22Toporov analyzes the legal meaning of the concept of "being part of the structure of a centralized organization." Referring legislation, statutes and legal opinions, Toporov shows that it is exclusively about canonical, spiritual connection. Local religious organizations are not affiliates and representative offices of a centralized organization.
12:37Toporov explains that the centralized and local organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses are not responsible on each other's obligations. The Center is not the founder of any of the LROs. Each of them has its own composition founders of 10 or more citizens. Each LRO has its own unique name, its own charter, segregated property, the right to conclude civil law contracts. Addressing the judge, Toporov He gives an analogy: the entire judicial system of Russia is a single structure, but the regional courts do not are structural subdivisions of the Supreme Court, but are independent institutions.
12:43

Toporov wonders why the overwhelming majority, more than 380 LROs of Russia, who have never received no claims from the state, should be liquidated, even without any Warnings and opportunities to change something? There are hundreds and hundreds of results of inspections in the case various agencies that did not reveal any violations in the activities of all these LROs. 22 LRO of Crimea, registered under Russian law and have not committed a single violation, They are perplexed why they should be recognized as extremist, and their property confiscated? Why A Moscow LRO registered under the ECHR order and has not committed a single offense must to be subjected to such a severe sanction?

Full text of Yuriy Toporov's speech

12:52Speech by the representative of Maxim Novakov. His presentation is devoted to the analysis of the so-called "new facts of extremist activity", which the Ministry of Justice refers to in its lawsuit. We are talking about fines, imposed on several LROs due to the discovery of extremist materials in worship buildings.
13:06The Administrative Center was not involved in the cases, so it did not have an effective opportunity to raise the question of the existence of provocations. In the meantime, no evidence for the court can be established Forces. Court orders imposing fines cannot be prejudicial. Otherwise, That would be a violation of the right to a fair trial. The decisions referred to by the court are beautiful Closed "caskets", but the contents of these "caskets" are not so pretty. To have a holistic picture and give an objective assessment, the court must assess the circumstances of the incident. Bursts into worship services Riot police, throw all the men on the floor, they are not even allowed to raise their heads, while unknown persons Men move around the building uncontrollably. Cameras show riot police storming the worship building and the police officers plant forbidden materials in the cabinet, and then they "discover."
13:12Novakov tells an interesting detail, recently discovered in the materials of one case. Was that one of the planted publications bears an inscription indicating that the publication belongs to one of the Orthodox anti-sectarian centers!
13:18Novakov draws attention to the fact that the term "structural subdivision" itself is defined in the name of the corresponding chapters of the law. The term "structural unit" refers only to political parties.
13:25

The court adjourns until April 12, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

Audio recordings of speeches:

Vasiliy Kalin
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Sergey Cherepanov 
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April 12, 2017 Back to top Collapse
8:00

Moscow, Povarskaya Street. An invigorating morning. Stiff fingers. There are more than 200 people at the entrance. Those Who Stand At the beginning of the queue, we arrived at the court in a taxi by 5:30, but they were not the first: in parked cars Believers who had come to the court hearing, in which freedom of religion in Russia is being decided, were already warming up.

9:30The day before, on April 11, 2017, most groups of Jehovah's Witnesses had a successful celebration The Lord's Supper. At the moment, it is known that police officers and other law enforcement officers authorities invaded the celebration in the city of Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk region). They rewrote the passport data Believers. Law enforcement officers also came to worship services in Krasnoyarsk and Michurinsk (Tambov region) to ask believers questions or serve summonses.
9:58

"I ask everyone to stand up!" The court announces the continuation of the court session and for the purpose of giving explanations gives the floor to attorney Anton Omelchenko. Omelchenko says his explanations will be concerning how the claim of the Ministry of Justice violates the provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and international treaties.

10:12Loudly and convincingly, Omelchenko proves that the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice contradicts Articles 9, 10, 11 of the European Law Convention, Articles 28, 29, 30 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Civil Rights political rights. He quotes from the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), by which an authoritative court determines the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to freedom of religion. That demands by the Ministry of Justice, is not a justified and proportionate measure.
10:18The ECtHR, in its judgments, has clearly defined which texts can be considered to incite hatred and enmity — incitement to violence, blood feud, calls justifying the need to use physical strength. It is noteworthy that in the memorandum that the Russian Federation sent to the ECHR, The Ministry of Justice acknowledged that there were no overt calls for violence in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses (p. 41).
10:25Omelchenko notes that the communities of Jehovah's Witnesses, which the Ministry of Justice asks to liquidate, received many letters of commendation and gratitude from the local authorities (available in the file), but warnings about They did not receive any inadmissibility of extremist activity.
10:31Speaking about the disproportionality of the measure required by the Ministry of Justice, Omelchenko lists the steps he took The Administrative Center (CA) of Jehovah's Witnesses: 1) notified all LROs about the entry of books into the FSEM, 2) created Commission to Prevent the Appearance of Extremist Materials, 3) notified the authorities to no avail 4) unsuccessfully asked the Prosecutor General's Office what other measures could be expected from the Jehovah's Witnesses to prevent "extremist activity."
10:43International law prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment. This norm protects dignity, including the right to mental integrity of the person. Lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice on prohibition of Jehovah's Witnesses breaks the moral and physical resistance of the individual, as it forces them Be afraid to openly profess your faith. Some of the victims of criminal prosecution for their faith in Taganrog left the Russian Federation and even received political asylum in European countries. Their Escape It eloquently testifies to the fact that believers are afraid to openly profess their religion. Of course most of the 175,000 believers will not leave Russia, which means they will be persecuted in the Russia.
10:50Omelchenko analyzes the legality of the actions of the Ministry of Justice. Current legislation Jehovah's Witnesses recognized as victims of political repression. The Ministry of Justice (among other departments) is obliged by law to to promote the rehabilitation of believers. However, the Ministry of Justice is moving in the opposite direction. Omelchenko lists domestic and international calls to the Russian Federation to stop politically motivated persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, misuse of anti-extremist of the law applicable to Jehovah's Witnesses. We are talking, for example, about the signed by the most "The Repressed Are Again Persecuted" by well-known Russian human rights activists, on the open appeal of the Moscow Helsinki Group, as well as on appeals from various structures in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, United Nations, etc. International norms on the prevention of reprisals prescribe that close attention should be paid to signals from the human rights community. The Ministry of Justice, ignoring all incoming signals, continues to act as a repressive body.
11:04Omelchenko talks about the biased position of the Ministry of Justice. Expert institutions under the Ministry of Justice came to mutually exclusive conclusions with regard to the same materials of Jehovah's Witnesses. Justice did nothing to remedy the situation. Moreover, the Ministry of Justice has always insisted on the use of only those conclusions of experts who found "signs of extremism" in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is new evidence that the Ministry of Justice's lawsuit to ban Jehovah's Witnesses is politically motivated.
11:12

Lawyer Zhenkov asks for an explanation about the court's decision, which is several days old The Ministry of Justice presented to the court as "an example of violation of the rights of citizens by religious organization" (the story of a patient who, of two alternatives, chose medication rather than blood transfusion).

The lawyer, firstly, is perplexed as to why the Ministry of Justice did not explain where they got the document. containing medical confidentiality.

Secondly, Zhenkov says that in case of refusal of transfusion, we are not only not talking about a violation of somebody's rights, but, on the contrary, that the rights of the citizen were guaranteed, the right to voluntary Informed treatment. If a patient were denied treatment only on religious grounds, it would be would be a violation of rights. Zhenkov reads out excerpts from the Order of the Ministry of Health, concerning the dangers of transfusion of blood components, as well as the need to receive Written consent from the patient to perform this operation. Zhenkov notes that there is no reservations to the effect that members of certain religions are allowed to exercise the right to an informed consent, and others are not allowed.

11:30

The judge begins to ask questions of the defendant's representatives.

The first question is: Does the Jehovah's Witnesses Training Center provide Bible interpretation to local organizations? The answer is no, interpretation of sacred texts is provided by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (international management).

A new question is: in what sense does the CA ensure the "coordination of activities" of the LRO (according to the Charter). Answer: LROs are separate legal entities, but the CA provides them with recommendations. For example, if there is a question of constructing a worship building, the CA can refer to the Bible recommend the construction of a modest, unpompous building. However, the ultimate decision on how to there will be a new building, takes LRO.

Another question of the court is whether the CA approved the charters of those 8 LROs that were liquidated by court decisions. Representative Toporov explains to the court that the founders of the new LRO apply to the CA with a request to entering the CA structure in order to speed up the registration procedure. In this case, the CA will certainly coordinates their statutes to ensure that the founders are Jehovah's Witnesses and that their The goals of the task coincide with the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The court is interested in the question of whether the CA is the founder of non-profit, public organizations or LROs, after all, such a possibility is spelled out in the Charter. Lawyers explain to the court that the possibility in the Charter It was prescribed "just in case", but it was not implemented. The founders of all LROs were local Citizens. For example, the charter also provides for the possibility of importing literature, but this possibility It is also not implemented due to objective circumstances.

12:05

The Court is interested in the question of whether the chairpersons of the LRO are members of the steering committee of the CA. Kalin explains, that members of the LRO are never members of the steering committee of the CA.

Are there CA decisions that are mandatory for LROs? Kalin explains that when LROs request material assistance from the CA (in the form of a donation), the center is interested in the question of how the funds are spent. For example, The TC provides a design for a modest worship building, and the LRO coordinates this project with the local Authorities. Or if a natural disaster occurs, the TC donates funds to help believers and cooperates with the LRO to help affected Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as their relatives.

The court asks whether the funds were spent on the production of printed products. Defendants They explain that they don't.

Court: Did the Training Center import literature that was later recognized as extremist? Defendants explain that the function of the CA is purely logistic: it collects orders from individuals directly A foreign publishing house, and it also sends them literature. The CA is not engaged in "dissemination" Literature.

The Court: One of the books was imported into Russia shortly before it was recognized as extremist, However, when was it common among believers? Lawyers pay attention to the a letter in which the CA immediately informs all LROs about the entry of this book into the FSEM, and asks not to use it anymore. Naturally, after that, the TC could not distribute this book.

Court: What is the fate of printed products that are recognized as extremist? It is withdrawn by the center believers? Destroyed? Lawyers explain that the TC cannot dictate to believers what to do with literature that is in their possession. However, may pay attention to the provisions of the of the law, and does so.

12:30

It is the plaintiff's turn to ask questions. What is the role of CAs in approving the charters of LROs and their members? Omelchenko gives the following example. The role of the CA in approving the charters of the LRO is similar to the role of the LRO itself. Ministry of Justice: The Ministry of Justice checks the statutes for compliance with the law, and the CA checks the statutes for canonical correspondence.

New questions of the representative of the Ministry of Justice are devoted to finding out how independent LROs are in their the extent of the CA's influence on the LRO, including the approval of governing bodies and charters of LROs.

The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice a counter-clarifying question: "From the point of view of legality, how is this affects the legal capacity and legal personality of legal entities?" The question turns into a rhetorical one. DOJ: Who are traveling ministers? Who are special preachers? Defendant's Representatives explain that these ministers cooperate with religious groups, not with LROs.

12:50

The court (addressing the representative of the Ministry of Justice): Does the plaintiff have evidence that the traveling Ministers and special preachers have something to do with the decisions of the competent ones that have come into force. bodies to find individuals or LROs guilty of extremist activity? No, the Ministry of Justice There are no such facts.

The Court (addressing the representative of the Ministry of Justice): Does the Ministry of Justice still believe that judicial acts against Do individuals and LROs have prejudicial force for our case? Yes, the Ministry of Justice still thinks so, as the CA was aware of these cases. The Court urges the representative of the Ministry of Justice to make a clear statement in the future indicate which provisions of the law the agency refers to, since the court is tasked with checking legality of the claims of the Ministry of Justice.

13:10A representative of the Ministry of Justice is trying to find out from the defendants whether the fact that the CA provides financial assistance to the LRO, to the fact that the CA and the LRO are a single organization subordinate to the CA. Attorney-at-law Zhenkov explains that if a person gives material help to a friend, it does not mean that this friend turns out to be in some kind of dependence. Ministry of Justice: Does the CA conduct audits of the financial activities of LROs? Lawyers They explain that the CA does not have such an obligation, but it is the Ministry of Justice that carries out regular inspections the financial activities of the LRO, as evidenced by the hundreds of inspection reports of the Ministry of Justice in the files. Moreover, none of the inspections revealed the expenditure of funds for non-statutory purposes.
13:25The representative of the Ministry of Justice is interested in the question of why the CA sent a letter to the LRO about the recognition of one of the books extremist only after its inclusion in the FSEM, if, by the believers' own admission, they knew about the the decision was made earlier, from the information on the website of the district court. Lawyers explain what to track It is extremely difficult to find court decisions on the official websites of the courts, moreover, from the brief information on the It was not clear on the court's website that it was a publication of Jehovah's Witnesses, and not a publication of the same name publication of a different origin.
13:35The representative of the Ministry of Justice draws attention to the fact that, according to an outdated (until 2010) copy of the "Fundamentals of the Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses", the main means of disseminating the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses is The Watchtower magazine. Permission to distribute this periodical was revoked in Russia, and the document "Fundamentals of Doctrine" submitted to the Ministry of Justice has been amended accordingly. Representative The Ministry of Justice is interested in what is the source of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses now. The lawyers explain that The basis of the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine is the Bible, with most of the religious books of the Witnesses are based on the Orthodox Synodal edition. The Watchtower itself was not recognized as extremist, but only a few of its separate issues. Since 2015, no publications are not imported into the country at all.
13:40The court adjourns the hearing until 2:30 p.m.
14:30A representative of the Ministry of Justice continues to ask questions to representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses. What measures did he take? A Training Center to Prevent Extremist Activity After a Warning from the Prosecutor General's Office on March 2 2016. Lawyers list. The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice clarifying questions: If the CA at all Didn't do anything? Would there be a reason to liquidate them? Is there extremism "by negligence" or "By inaction"? Answer of the representative of the Ministry of Justice: No. THE COURT: If not, what are we even trying to find out? Why, then, does the Department of Justice impute this to the CA in the first place?
14:45The Ministry of Justice presents to the court an "internal" document of Jehovah's Witnesses, obtained by the Ministry of Justice from "open sources." In response to a clarifying question from the court, a representative of the Ministry of Justice said that the letter was taken from the website NTV Television Company. The representative of the Ministry of Justice believes that the text of the letter will help to clarify how to communicate with each other CAs and LROs are financially linked. Lawyers are not ready to confirm that such a letter is genuine, but they have already it is obvious that LROs are neither the recipients nor the sender of the letter, which means that the letter has no relationship to this process. The Court postpones the question of whether to append the text to the case files.
14:58The Ministry of Justice is requesting the questioning of four witnesses by the plaintiff. We are talking about people who In the past, they practiced the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, but later left it. The defendants object. Court grants the petition for the examination of witnesses by the plaintiff.
15:05The interrogation of the witness on the part of the defendant, Valentin Zavyalov, who has been a professor at the Moscow Institute of Strategic Studies since 1992, begins. He has been practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses for more than 20 years. He reported that at meetings of his religious group Literature included in the FSEM is never used. The names of this literature are posted on the wall the place where worship services are held. Believers carefully inspect the room before starting services in order to exclude the possibility of such literature being found at divine services.
15:20Witness Yevgeniy Skladchikov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Witnessed Jehovah's in 1998. He says that in the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses he was attracted by the unconditional peacefulness It is completely incompatible with extremism. No extremist publications on worship services are not used.
15:30Witness Vilen Kantere, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Worker of Science and Technology. Representative Defendant Toporov: "When you became one of Jehovah's Witnesses 25 years ago, did you pursue extremist goals?" Witness: "God forbid! The witness explains that this is incompatible with the faith of the Witnesses Jehovah. Toporov: "Do you use the materials included in the FSEM?" A law-abiding citizen destroyed these publications. (Kantere, though, says he's leaving it aside the question of whether he agrees that these publications have been included in the FSEM.) Dozens of his students defended PhD and doctoral dissertations. His religion does not in any way contradict his scientific work. On A question from a representative of the Ministry of Justice explained that his religion did not prevent him from obtaining higher education. As a researcher, he believes that education should be approached responsibly.
15:50Witness Tatyana Kremneva, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences. Within the framework of his scientific activity, he is engaged in prevention of child abuse, as well as extremist manifestations in youth education Wednesday. He professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Axe Spokesman: When you became Jehovah's Witness, Have you been prompted to commit extremist acts? Answer: No, the religion of the Witnesses Jehovah's is incompatible with extremism. The court's question: why didn't you become the founder of the LRO? THE WITNESS: I don't see it Need. Court: Do you not incite hatred towards other religions in each other at divine services? Witness: No. Lawyer Zhenkov: Did the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses help you raise your child? A witness tells of that he is proud of his child, his success in study and work. Zhenkov: how do you feel about your colleagues and Students who don't share your religion? Witness Answer: Positively, without hatred, disrespect, contempt, discrimination.
16:05The Ministry of Justice invites its witnesses. The first witness is Natalia Koretskaya. The Witness Left Religion Jehovah's Witnesses many years ago. She is unable to explain to the court where she can come from in such a case "Facts of extremist activity" in recent years are known.
16:54

When questioning witness Koretskaya, the court drew attention to the fact that she uses personal notes when giving Readings. Omelchenko's lawyer asked how to explain the similarity of the wording from her notes with the texts from the website of a well-known anti-sectarian center. The court decided to get acquainted with Koretskaya's notes later.

The interrogation of witnesses of the Ministry of Justice continues. Testimony is given by former Jehovah's Witness Pavel Zverev.

18:11

Questioning witness Zverev, the court asks: "If you have been harmed, have you applied to the The witness did not apply. Zverev said that under the influence of literature of Jehovah's Witnesses, he personally felt hatred for the clergy of the Orthodox religion. The witness denies that he is a member of anti-cultist organizations, although he has also met He was photographed with the most famous "sectologist".

Witness of the Ministry of Justice Petrov, former Jehovah's Witness. In 1983, after becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses, she left work related to the propaganda of military heroism, because it is not in accordance with the doctrine Jehovah's Witnesses. In 2009, she left the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. As an example, extremist activities of the Administrative Center, a witness cites the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses exclude from their ranks those who commit sins. (The court asked a representative of the Ministry of Justice whether What are the arguments of the Ministry of Justice cited in the lawsuit supported by the testimony of this witness? The Ministry of Justice is again talking about a possible threat to an indefinite circle of people.) When asked by the court whether she had seen witness Petrov, for someone to distribute extremist literature, the witness replies that he does not Saw.

The court invites the last witness of the Ministry of Justice, V.V. Koretsky.

18:30

In 2009, Koretsky left the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses. The judge asked whether 2009 was limited to the year his knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses. Witness: Yes. The Ministry of Justice asks the witness to explain what he knows about the attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses to higher education and state symbols. The Court Asks representative of the Ministry of Justice: "If you do not indicate these points in the grounds of the claim, why do we need it Representative of the Ministry of Justice: "The question has been withdrawn." When asked by the court whether Koretsky was interested in the outcome He answers curtly, "Yes."

The court adjourns until April 19, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

April 19, 2017 Back to top Collapse
9:00

The front of the Supreme Court building is more crowded than ever. The queue began to form at night. Many specially came from different cities of Russia. Since the weather in Moscow is cold, most are dressed in winter. From time to time, someone would bring coffee and pies for those standing in line. Staff The police work professionally and coherently, ensuring the safety of those involved in the trial.

10:05

Zhenkov filed a motion to attach fresh documents. He reports that in March-April In 2017, law enforcement agencies across Russia, citing an ongoing trial, invaded the worship buildings, demand that they be stopped, interrogate believers, and rewrite passport data. Prosecutor's warnings about criminal liability for extremism are issued in connection with Holding Bible study meetings. The Ministry of Justice objects to the introduction. The Court shall determine join.

10:15A representative of the Ministry of Justice requests that copies of the decisions of the Steering Committee be attached to the case file CA on the appointment of members of the LRO committees. In the opinion of the Ministry of Justice, these documents testify to the the role of the CA. Representatives of the CA leave it to the discretion of the court. In their opinion, this is irrelevant evidence. Lawyers draw attention to the fact that some of the documents are dated 1998 and earlier (that is, before registration CA under the new law). In addition, the content of the certificates fully complies with the Charter of the CA. Help were issued due to the fact that the charter of the LRO was changing, so certificates were issued to confirm that the persons specified in them are still members of the LRO. The court shall determine to be attached, except that refer to the time before the CA is re-registered.
10:25The court proceeds to examine the materials of the case. The first document is the statement of claim of the Ministry of Justice. Trial Again clarifies with the representative of the Ministry of Justice on what grounds the department asks to liquidate all LROs together with CAs. He asks again whether the Ministry of Justice intends to clarify the claims. The Ministry of Justice does not intend to. Defendant's Attorneys draw attention to the fact that the real estate listed in the lawsuit does not belong to the CA.
10:35The court examines the document "Fundamentals of the Doctrine and Corresponding Practice of Jehovah's Witnesses." Lawyers draw attention to the provisions on love for one's neighbor and tolerance (which directly contradicts the concept of "extremism"). They are also asked to read out the provisions that say that Jehovah's Witnesses are trying to Give your children a good education.
10:40The Charter of the CA is being studied. The Court is interested in the question of whether religious groups are part of the structures of LROs. How many total unregistered groups? Lawyers explain that unregistered groups are part of the structure TC. The concept of "structure" in the Law on Freedom of Conscience is related to the separation of religion and state. Religions exist according to their internal hierarchical institutional structure, which includes The state does not delve into it. In this regard, the CA does not maintain legal records related to the activities unregistered groups, and therefore cannot provide official information to the court.
10:47

The court announced a 10-minute technical break.

11:00The examination of documents continues. The Court enumerates the various decisions of the courts. When a Solution Is Being Investigated Rostov Regional Court of 2009 (on the Taganrog LRO), representative of the defendant Omelchenko draws attention to the fact that this judgment was delivered prior to the decision of the Plenum of the Supreme Court, which decided what is extremism and what is not. For example, the Taganrog community, as well as publications By this decision, Jehovah's Witnesses were recognized for "undermining respect for other religions", "rejecting the use of blood for medical purposes", "renunciation of civic duties". Also a number of publications were recognized as extremist for having absolutely nothing to do with Extremism. For example, the brochure Jehovah's Witnesses. Who are they? What do they believe?" was recognized extremist for mentioning that Jehovah's Witnesses do not take up arms. Others are cited Examples.
11:10Representatives of the defendant draw attention to the fact that the enumerated judicial acts were issued without involvement Consequently, they cannot serve as evidence in a lawsuit.
11:15Representative Novakov draws attention to the fact that at least one court decision, although the Ministry of Justice attached it to the case, was overturned by a higher court.
11:20The Certificate of Inspection of the CA by the Ministry of Justice is being discussed. Lawyers draw attention to the unreliability of the conclusion of the Ministry of Justice on the that the CA hides information about imported literature. In fact, by submitting for verification more than 70,000 pages of documents to the Ministry of Justice, the CA with good reason refused to provide information, which the Ministry of Justice had to request from the customs authorities as part of interdepartmental cooperation.
11:30

A representative of the Ministry of Justice draws attention to the fact that, according to one of the documents, under the leadership of There are more than 2,000 unregistered groups operating in CAs. Lawyers explain that this is an internal spiritual structure.

The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice for what purpose they attached to the case the trial balance Statements. A representative of the Ministry of Justice explains that the statements indicate that "monetary The funds may have been used to finance extremist activities." The Court asks It can be seen that the money was spent on extremist activities, and not on the usual statutory Goal. The Ministry of Justice does not have exact data. Representative Toporov draws attention to the fact that as part of the inspection The Ministry of Justice was provided with all agreements for targeted donations to the CA, in which the purpose was deciphered of all financial transfers. A natural question from the representative: "Why didn't the Ministry of Justice submit these documents to the court?"

11:40Omelchenko's lawyer to a representative of the Ministry of Justice: "Can you specifically name what amount, when, who it was? The Ministry of Justice has no information.
11:45Documents showing that the prosecutor's office collected information about property are reviewed Believers. Representatives of the defendant are asking the representative of the Ministry of Justice for what purpose these meetings were gathered. information. Answer: for the purpose of confiscation of property in the event that the court decides to do so. decision.
11:50Certificates and acknowledgements issued by the authorities of the CA and LRO for assistance in landscaping are inspected Cities. The representative of the Ministry of Justice believes that Jehovah's Witnesses are doing this in order to carry out "missionary activity." Lawyer Zhenkov, addressing the representative of the Ministry of Justice: "Svetlana Konstantinovna, when it came to financing LROs, you suspected extremist goals. When believers are involved in helping the city, you are again suggesting some kind of trick. You can't do that!"
11:55Zhenkov draws attention to the state religious expertise of the Ministry of Justice, based on the conclusions which was registered in 1999. The conclusions of this examination are still in force. Attempted revision conclusions of a competent expert examination in a court hearing are inadmissible.
12:00The following volumes of the case consist entirely of expert opinions, about 70, testifying to the absence of extremism in the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses. Many studies have been conducted in expert institutions Justice ministry. For example, Zhenkov, referring to the conclusions of a state expert institution, quotes from the book "Mankind in Search of God" (included in the FSEM). The book says: "It is not possible to study different religions is to betray one's own faith. On the contrary, it can be strengthened when we see how we have sought the truth other people, and what it gave them. Knowledge gives understanding, and understanding gives tolerance to people who have other views." Experts found no signs of extremism in the book, quite the opposite. However, the book is included in the list of extremist materials.
12:05The Ministry of Justice believes that these examinations were carried out at the request of lawyers, which means that they contain private opinions Experts. Omelchenko explains that this is not true: a significant part of the examinations was carried out at the request of courts, law enforcement agencies and customs authorities.
12:15The author examines the decisions and sentences of the courts that have entered into force, testifying to the absence of extremist in the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses. The believers were prosecuted and, according to the In fact, they spent five years in court, and then were acquitted. Now, they face sanctions again if if the claims of the Ministry of Justice are satisfied.
12:17Representative Novakov: planting extremist materials in worship buildings of Jehovah's Witnesses have become an epidemic in Russia. Novakov describes the events of September 20, 2016 in the village of Nezlobnaya (Stavropol Territory), when law enforcement officers cut out the front doors with a grinder and planted extremist ones materials right under the CCTV cameras.
12:19Omelchenko: The Ministry of Justice did not take action to ensure that expert conclusions on the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses, conducted in the south of the country did not differ from the conclusions of the examinations carried out in the north. Justice did nothing (as a party that was involved in the cases) to reconsider the newly opened court decisions on the recognition of materials of Jehovah's Witnesses that have come into force Extremist.
12:25The article examines the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In connection with the fact that the ECHR gave legal interpretation of the refusal of believers to receive blood transfusions, the discussion about the blood transfusions. A representative of the Ministry of Justice refers to a case where a child of Jehovah's Witnesses died after a terrible accident, as well as in the event that a child born with multiple pathologies died. Court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice: is there evidence of a causal relationship between non-use of donated blood and death. Lawyers tell the court what they do not say Representative of the Ministry of Justice: in both cases, criminal cases were initiated against the parents, extensive examinations that established the absence of such a cause-and-effect relationship. Parents acquitted for the absence of a crime event.
12:40Materials are being examined indicating that the believers appealed to the competent authorities for the facts of falsification (planting).
12:45Court decisions to recognize literature as extremist materials. It can be seen that the CA was not involved in the participation in the case (as well as the representatives of the publishing house). Representatives of the defendant talk about double standards government agencies. When it was necessary to recognize literature as extremist, the training centers were not allowed to participate in the case, however, when the task is to liquidate the CA, he is charged with the fact of recognition of literature extremist.
13:00The case file contains DVDs with video recordings of the plantings. A spokesperson for Novakov says that materials will help to understand whether the CA is related to prohibited materials in local worship services buildings, or other persons are related to them. The discs will help to see the reaction of the believers themselves — how they are They react indignantly to the appearance of prohibited materials in worship buildings.
13:05Court: To what period of time do the video recordings relate? Novakov: the events in the village of Nezlobnaya relate to September 2016. It was only thanks to the video recording that law enforcement officers refused to criminal intent to initiate a case against the LRO. Novakov describes outrageous details falsifications caught on cameras in other settlements of Russia.
13:10The court asks the defendant's representatives whether all these facts have been appealed in accordance with the established procedure. And if Yes, whether there are results. Representatives of the defendant confirm that they have appealed and continue to appeal to the authorities, but so far to no avail. The court proceeds to examine other evidence without watching the video.
13:20The materials of the 24th volume of the case are already being examined. In total, there are at least 43 volumes in the case.
13:25The court reads out in its entirety the CA's public statement that the CA has nothing to do with extremism. The statement was originally posted on the jw-russia.org website. At the same time, the court finds out who is the copyright holder of this site. Representatives of the Training Center report that the site belongs to the foreign Watch Tower Society. The CA does not have so the statement was posted on the website of another organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
13:30The next few volumes consist of acts of inspections of LROs by the judicial authorities, but no No violations of the law were revealed. The Ministry of Justice, in turn, asks to attach it to the case file copies of various warnings and cautions issued to the LRO.
13:43

The court adjourns until 2:30 p.m.

14:40Hearings are ongoing. Volume 39, which contains the minutes of LRO meetings in different cities, is reviewed. In The protocols record in detail the events related to the planting of extremist literature, as well as Measures that have been taken against the appearance of extremist literature in places of worship.
14:45The Court draws attention to the fact that the form of the minutes of the meetings of the different LROs is similar to one another. Court I am interested in the question: is there an approved form for these protocols? Why are they similar? Omelchenko explains that there is no approved form. The reason for their similarity is explained by the fact that believers are in close contact with each other.
14:50The court again asks the defendant's representatives whether they claim to challenge the court decisions that formed the basis of the claim. Omelchenko's lawyer clarifies that this is not a question of revising these Solutions. At this hearing, the court must evaluate these decisions as any other evidence in the case, the degree of their relevance.
15:02Color photographs are examined - freeze frames of video materials testifying to the planting extremist materials in places of worship. Representative Novakov draws attention to the unified the scheme by which the planting was carried out throughout the country.
15:07Another characteristic feature of tosses is fake witnesses. One example is notarial certified evidence of friendship between one of the witnesses and an FSB officer on a social network.
15:08In the village of Kurdzhinovo (Karachay-Cherkessia), three believers were fined on the grounds of false witness Readings. Subsequently, these witnesses repented and gave a receipt that they had knowingly given false testimony under pressure from law enforcement officers. Novakov draws attention to the fact that there is a receipt in the case file.
15:13Omelchenko draws attention to the court decision made in Voronezh. The Court correctly assessed that Extremist materials found tucked under a carpet nailed to the floor were clearly planted. How The Voronezh court noted in its decision that the fact that the Witnesses profess the same religion is not raises doubts about the authenticity of their testimony.
15:16Omelchenko returns to the question that was raised a little earlier, at 2:45 p.m. He shows the court a series of protocols of different LROs. These protocols vary greatly in form. The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice, Does the agency have any doubts that there are protocols that differ in design? There is no doubt about it. Court He doesn't doubt it either.
15:20The representative of Toporov draws attention to the fact that the decision to liquidate the local organization of Birobidzhan was made in trial with the participation of the same representative of the Ministry of Justice, S. Borisova. CA to participate in the case does not because his rights are not affected. Therefore, it is surprising that in this process, the Ministry of Justice has changed its position and is applying the decision on the LRO of Birobidzhan to the CA.
15:25Documents signed by various international and domestic authorities and organizations and expressing concern about the application of anti-extremist legislation to Witnesses Jehovah. Omelchenko reads out the most characteristic excerpts from these documents, including calls for of the Russian Federation to stop the political persecution of believers.
15:42

The court returns to the resolution of the motions filed earlier, but postponed. Representative of the Ministry of Justice asked to attach to the case 12 court decisions giving doctors the right to use donor blood in treatment of minors. Representatives of the defendant believe that these decisions do not apply to Case.

First, refusal of blood transfusion has nothing to do with the concept of "extremism" (no others) There are no grounds other than extremist activity for the Ministry of Justice to ban Jehovah's Witnesses in the lawsuit leads).

Secondly, the CA was not a party to those court cases and is not even mentioned in any of the decisions.

Thirdly, the inclusion of these decisions affects medical confidentiality. To evaluate them, you will need to Ask for patients' consent as well as their medical records. In all solutions without exception It is said that the parents wanted to treat their children and turned to medical institutions. About the Waiver There was no question of treatment.

Lawyer Zhenkov draws attention to the fact that in the ECHR ruling, which gives a legal interpretation refusal of blood transfusion, examples of prohibitions in Islam and Orthodoxy that may be potentially hazardous to health. "However, the Ministry of Justice does not come up with a lawsuit to liquidate centralized organizations of these religions," Zhenkov said.

15:59The court refuses to attach court decisions related to blood transfusion procedures.
16:10The court is deciding whether to attach copies of 28 acts of prosecutorial response, namely warnings and warnings issued to various LROs. These acts were issued over a period of 6 years, not only in for the last 3 years.
16:20The Court asks why the Ministry of Justice did not apply to the local courts on these acts. The Ministry of Justice explains that The violations were minor or eliminated. Representatives of the defendant note that these acts are not related with extremist activities. The court refuses to attach these acts to the case file.
16:22The Court returns to the issue of attaching to the case a copy of the "internal" document of Jehovah's Witnesses, obtained by the Ministry of Justice from "open sources" (from the website of the NTV television company). Representatives of the CA confirm the authenticity of the text, explain to the court the content of this letter, telling the procedure for implementation believers of voluntary donations. They explain to the court what "councils of elders" are and who they are "circuit overseers." Taking into account the detailed explanations, the court decides to attach this document to the materials Case.
16:35In response to the assertions of the representative of the Ministry of Justice that the decisions of the CA on the appointment of the chairpersons of the LRO are imperative nature, the representative of Toporov draws attention to the wording "recommends as Chairman of the LRO".
16:36A representative of the Ministry of Justice asks to attach to the case an updated extract from the state register with an updated list property of CAs and LROs. The court gives the defendants 10 minutes to read the statement.
16:38

A short technical break has been announced.

17:11The hearings are resumed. Representatives of the defendant, having familiarized themselves with the extract from the register, comment that The extract is not up-to-date information, but information about the property that has ever been in property of the CA or LRO, however, was alienated. The Ministry of Justice explains that it is in this form that the data provided by the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography. The court decides to attach it.
17:16The Court wonders how the idea of a connection between an LRO and a CA is formulated in the statutes of the LRO. To do this, he asks parties, whether they have an example of the charter of the LRO. The Ministry of Justice does not. Omelchenko presents to the court a sample of the Charter of the LRO Jehovah's Witnesses. The text of the charter states that the LRO is part of the "canonical structure" of the CA, belongs to to the "religious denomination of Jehovah's Witnesses." There is no wording "structural unit" (the term applicable to political parties), on which the administrative plaintiff insists.
17:29The court denies the earlier motion to view the video recordings of the plantings.
17:30Since there are no more motions, the court announces the continuation of the hearing on April 20, 2017 at 14:00.
April 20, 2017Back to topCollapse
13:15

The courtroom of the Supreme Court is gradually filling up with listeners. It feels hard to feel pent-up excitement. The parties are intently preparing to speak in the debate.

13:50Most of the seats in the hall are already occupied.
14:09Hearings begin. Omelchenko submits a short motion to attach the statement European Union on the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. In it, the European Union says, that "the statement of claim of 15 March, filed by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation with the Supreme Court, is the latest tough measure taken in the fight against Jehovah's Witnesses and further strengthening violations of their rights and the prosecution to which they are subjected in Russia, which is contrary to international standards on freedom of religion or belief." The Court specifies how this application can influence the outcome of today's hearing. Omelchenko says that this is evidence of a violation of Article 18 of the European Convention. Although the European Union is not a body of the Council of Europe, it is made at a meeting Council of Europe. The court refuses to attach the document.
14:15The Court shall begin its deliberations. Speech by the representative of the Ministry of Justice.
14:16The Ministry of Justice draws attention to the fact that Russia adheres to the principle of the rule of law. For the law on the Freedom of conscience is subject to limits. The Ministry of Justice draws attention to the fact that the very name of the training center is "Managerial center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" indicates that the centralized organization carries out control over LROs. The Ministry of Justice draws attention to the leading role of the CA in interaction with the LRO. The CA agrees issues related to the appointment of chairpersons of LROs, etc. Organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses are represented by is a whole organism. They are characterized by organizational unity. Canonical Link References The Ministry of Justice considers them unconvincing.
14:25According to the representative of the Ministry of Justice, the fact that the defendant continues to claim planting, indicates that the Training Center does not repent of extremist activities.
14:28Representative of the Ministry of Justice: although many religions express one or another attitude towards secular authorities, the texts Jehovah's Witnesses are held in unacceptable offensive ways of expressing the truth of their beliefs. It is not quotations from the Bible that are recognized as extremist, but interpretations of what is written in the Bible.
14:35The Ministry of Justice believes that the wide coverage of court decisions recognizing materials as extremist gave the CA all possibilities not to import into the country literature that would fall under the arguments of the courts that extremist activity.
14:35According to the Ministry of Justice, a gross violation of anti-extremist legislation is evidenced by the fact that the Training Center on the For 25 years, he imported materials that were later recognized as extremist.
14:38The Ministry of Justice considers it cynical that the word "extremist" is used in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses (as applied to the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses) is taken in quotation marks, despite the fact that court decisions on recognition of literature as extremist has entered into force.
14:40Summing up, the representative of the Ministry of Justice, as before, asks to liquidate the training center and all LROs of Jehovah's Witnesses. confiscate their property, and all this without waiting for the court decision to enter into force.
14:42The representative of the administrative defendant Omelchenko begins his speech in the debate.
14:45Omelchenko analyses the non-legal nature of the generalization made by the Ministry of Justice that various Organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses are allegedly a single organization "with structural subdivisions."
14:50Omelchenko cites the norms of legislation on countering extremism. The law does not provide for such extremist actions, such as "an act in the form of omission", "an act committed unintentionally, negligence." The Supreme Court of Russia has repeatedly pointed out that extremism can only be active actions aimed at forcible change of the foundations of the constitutional order.
15:02

The plaintiff's representative, according to Omelchenko, gave his own interpretation of the fact that This is extremism. However, the defendant recalls that the legal interpretation is given by the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. And these courts ruled that extremism can be considered "incitement to hatred and hatred propaganda of social, racial, national, religious superiority, the presence of which should be be determined taking into account all the relevant circumstances of each particular case, namely the form and the content of the activity or information, its addressees and purpose, socio-political context, the presence of a real threat, including calls for unlawful encroachments on constitutionally protected values, justification or justification of their commission."

"Restricting freedom of conscience and religion by means of anti-extremist legislation, freedom of expression and the right to impart information shall not apply to any activity or information on the sole grounds that it does not fit into the generally accepted perceptions that do not conform to established traditional views and opinions, enter into conflict with moral or religious preferences. To do otherwise would be retreat the constitutional requirement of the necessity, proportionality and fairness of restrictions on rights and freedoms of man and citizen".

15:13

Omelchenko: The actions of the Ministry of Justice do not pursue a legitimate goal, they bear all the signs of political Repression. "I ask you to dismiss the claims of the administrative plaintiff in full."

Full text Anton Omelchenko's speeches (PDF, 184 KB)

15:16Lawyer Zhenkov speaks during the debate. He begins with a personal impression of the last few days. He found himself in a one of the parks in Moscow and saw that dozens of Jehovah's Witnesses had come to this park. They didn't have posters and they did not come out to protest against the trial, which began in Supreme Court on 5 April 2017. They went out to clean up the garbage that had accumulated over the winter. So who are these people? Extremists or good Christians?
15:20The Ministry of Justice demands to take away all worship buildings of Jehovah's Witnesses on the territory of Russia, built believers at their own expense. This happened in Russia only once, namely a hundred years back in 1918. At that time, the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars confiscated all property, including liturgical buildings, of the Russian Orthodox Church.
15:27Zhenkov: The Ministry of Justice suggested that Jehovah's Witnesses are desperately saying that the cases are against them Rigged. However, believers do not despair, Zhenkov notes. They believe the Bible's words that it is not Nothing secret that won't be revealed. And everyone will be held accountable to God for his deeds. Just the other day, on April 17, 2017, the President of the Russian Federation approved an amendment to Article 303 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Criminal liability is provided for the falsification of evidence in administrative cases. However the problem of falsifications should be of concern not only to the President, but above all to the executive authorities authorities, such as the Ministry of Justice (justice means justice in Latin).
15:35There are dozens of certificates in the case: gratitude not only for the improvement of the territory, but also for active life position, for assistance to victims of natural disasters, for assistance to the forced migrants from the territory of Ukraine, for assistance to the children's home, for the improvement of the leisure center for children with disabilities, for participating in the marathon "Help the Child", etc. that the organization is both useful and dangerous?" asks Zhenkov.
15:40Zhenkov analyzes the testimony of witnesses, both on the part of the plaintiff and on the part of the defendant.
15:45The lawyer draws attention to the expert opinions on the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. "Why Me Again Do I want to focus on literature? Because literature recognized as extremist is the only claim against Jehovah's Witnesses of carrying out extremist activities."
15:46

Zhenkov: "There was a man in this room who was born in prison. 'Cause his mom is 5 months pregnant pregnancy was sentenced as an enemy of the people to 8 years in prison just for being Jehovah's Witness. She gave birth in prison, and the child spent two years in the prison orphanage. The father did not could have taken him away because he had been exiled to Siberia. In 1991, the State recognized the mother as a victim political repressions, apologized to her, assigned a pension. And here in court, this man, He was born in prison and asked me: "Does the Ministry of Justice really want to repeat this terrible war? history?" And I didn't know what to say. Even now I don't know what motivates the representatives of the Ministry justice and those who direct this process."

15:50

Zhenkov: "What will happen if the court grants the request of the Ministry of Justice? Dear Court, if it is the will state, then the country successfully acquires 170,000 prisoners of conscience and the corresponding Reputation. If it is the will of the state that the law should be observed, then the decision of the court can only be one is to dismiss the administrative claim of the Ministry of Justice."

Full text of Viktor Zhenkov's speech (PDF, 174 KB)

15:52The representative of the defendant Toporov begins his speech in the debate. "Accuse Jehovah's Witnesses of Extremism is like accusing a baby of extremism. Only an infant is incapable of committing extremist activity because of their age, and Jehovah's Witnesses because of their religious Outlook. For them, calls for any violence against people, violent acts, enmity and hatred of people on any grounds is a serious sin against God."
16:02Speaking about the independence of the LRO, Toporov refers to the charter of the CA. LROs are endowed with an absolute right without taking into account the will of the Administrative Center to determine the term of its presence in the said structure, to decide issues of liquidation, transfer to other centralized religious organizations, etc. "The TC has no right to liquidate LROs, is not their founder... What kind of structural unit is this?" he asks Axes.
16:12

At the end of his speech, Toporov quotes the statement in full human rights defender Lyudmila Alekseyeva. At the end, he says: "You, dear court, are you, here and today You can eliminate injustice and dishonesty towards hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens, restore their good name, strengthen the credibility of the law on countering extremism, clearly showing The difference between real extremists and extremists drawn on paper. We hope that you will be able to the Court will have the courage to do so and to make a fair and impartial decision, guided by the law and the gift of God, the conscience of man."

Full text of Yuri Toporov's speech

16:13The representative Novakov begins his statement in the debate. He draws attention to the fact that due to the suspension Believers across the country were subjected to massive violations of their rights: worship services were invaded law enforcement officers and rewrote the personal data of citizens who had not committed any Offences. Police officers carried out illegal detention, delivery to the police, personal Administrative cases are initiated, warnings are issued about the possibility of criminal prosecution under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
16:16Referring to the increasing number of violations of rights, Novakov says: "All the more so if the Court rules on the This will have even more tragic consequences throughout the country. Any Jehovah's Witness can be recognized as an extremist with all the ensuing consequences — widespread religious violence against the Witnesses: from destruction and damage to property and attacks to the point of causing grievous harm health and killings of peaceful believers on the basis of religious hatred. At any international level The blame for connivance with violence and persecution under far-fetched circumstances will be placed on public authorities in Russia".
16:32

Novakov recalls that the representative of the Ministry of Justice in his debate accused Jehovah's Witnesses of cynicism. "I I will tell you what cynicism is," Novakov said. When the Ministry of Justice in the trial of the LRO first says that it is right The CA is not affected, and then these decisions are presented as the basis for the liquidation of the CA. Or when Much harsher statements against Jehovah's Witnesses are perceived by the Ministry of Justice as "ordinary At the same time, he calls "extremism" those statements that are far from extremism. When Contrary to the available data, the Ministry of Justice dismisses reports of falsification, while hesitating to cite as a basis for action those cases where the falsification is clearly recorded on video. "Here's what is cynicism!" concludes Novakov.

Full text of Maxim Novakov's speech (PDF, 125 KB)

16:40Representative Cherepanov begins his speech in the debate. He believes that if the court leaves the Witnesses Jehovah's in the legal field, Russia will not only not suffer damage, but on the contrary will improve its reputation both internally as well as in the international arena. Decisions against Jehovah's Witnesses have been appealed to the ECHR and the Committee on Jehovah's Witnesses human rights at the United Nations.
16:45"We have had good cooperation with the Ministry of Justice for decades," Cherepanov said. "I think the Ministry of Justice should to feel in a sense our intercessor, he has registered us!" To representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Cherepanov says: "Let's be friends! Don't turn into a punitive body. Us We don't want to sue you, we ask you to help us, and not look for an excuse to shut us down."
16:47Cherepanov talks about the problem of denigrating the good name of Jehovah's Witnesses in the media. Various are attributed to Atrocities, such as the "seizure of apartments". Proving the falsity of this myth, Cherepanov recalls the biblical the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet that which is not theirs."
16:50

"The strength of a powerful state is precisely to protect the interests of the minority, because the majority will stand up for themselves."

Full text of Sergey Cherepanov's speech

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16:55Defendant's representative Kalin speaks: "With an unfounded and ill-considered accusation, the Ministry of Justice not only It humiliates itself and its functions, but it humiliates the entire state in the eyes of the international community. If you have Dear representative of the Ministry of Justice, I have personal convictions that Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists, I am very much What a pity. If a representative of the Ministry of Justice has become a victim of the circumstances in which he has found himself, and is forced to comply with the just the role of the accuser, I'm sorry too. But in both cases, you will have to answer to your own conscience."
16:56

Kalin reminds us of our responsibility before God and says: "I would like to take this opportunity to endure warning to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Justice. Please come to your senses! Please come to your senses!"

Full text of Vasily Kalin's speech (PDF, 46 KB)

17:00The parties exchange remarks.
17:01The representative of the Ministry of Justice reminds that the essence of the lawsuit is to liquidate a legal entity, the Ministry of Justice does not makes claims against individuals. The Ministry of Justice reminds the court of the testimony of one of the plaintiff's witnesses, who has been expelled from the religious community. The Ministry of Justice considers this a violation of citizens' rights. In the reciprocal Zhenkov reminds that at one time the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated the church writer Leo Tolstoy. In modern times, the Russian Orthodox Church has refused to overturn the excommunication decision, despite petitions hereof. This is an internal matter of the church. Zhenkov asks if the Ministry of Justice intends to present any charges against the Russian Orthodox Church requirements.
17:09The court retires to the deliberation room.
17:18The hall is filled with television journalists.
18:25The court is still in the deliberation room. The hall is waiting for the announcement of the judicial act.
18:50

The Supreme Court Decided to Liquidate the Centralized Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, as well as all 395 local religious organizations of this religion.

The believers have already begun to prepare a complaint to the appellate instance (a panel consisting of three judges Supreme Court), which should be considered within a month.

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