Discrimination

In southern Russia, believers are being forced to resign due to the Supreme Court's decision against Jehovah's Witnesses

Crimea,   Krasnodar Territory

The Supreme Court's decision against Jehovah's Witnesses organizations caused a flood of violations of the rights of individual believers, despite the fact that the court did not consider the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, nor did it resolve the issue of the rights of individuals.

On April 26, 2017, in Mineralnye Vody (Stavropol Territory), the head of the company's security service suggested that one of Jehovah's Witnesses working at the enterprise resign of his own free will. Otherwise, he was promised to make life unbearable. In an informal conversation, one of the leaders confirmed that this requirement is related to religion.

On April 28, 2017, in Krasnodar, two women working in the regional clinical hospital refused the requirement to wear St. George ribbons on their robe. They were summoned to the head, who, referring to the order of the head physician, threatened them with dismissal. The women tried unsuccessfully to explain their decision. Since they refused to sign a letter of resignation of their own free will, they lowered their rate (with loss of pay) and at the same time increased the amount of work by 1.5 times. As they were told, this was done so that they themselves would quit.

On May 15, 2017, in the city of Novokubansk (Krasnodar Territory), the director of a preschool institution summoned an employee and demanded that she write a letter of resignation "of her own free will," explaining her demand by the fact that the woman professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The believer recalled that in two years she has established herself as a conscientious and responsible employee who gets along with the team and children and to whom there is no complaint from the authorities. Referring to the decision of the Supreme Court, the director said that the woman could no longer work in this institution. The believer experienced a strong emotional shock in connection with the dismissal.

Earlier it was reported about cases of pressure on workplaces in the Perm Territory, Smolensk region, Tatarstan and Crimea. The Supreme Court decision also increased pressure on children of Jehovah's Witnesses in schools. In one case, a schoolgirl is even threatened with transfer to another form of education.