[{"body":"On May 16, 2021, the association of former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp (Lagergemeinschaft Dachau) sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin condemning the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.\n“Not a day passes on which there is no report of state repression against Jehovah’s Witnesses,” the letter explains. “The homes of members of the religious denomination are searched and ravaged by the Russian secret service, FSB, and the police. Violent assaults and mistreatment occur. Women and men are condemned to long-term prison sentences. Requests to ease detention conditions or for parole are regularly refused.”\nThe letter concludes: “We urge you to grant every resident of the Russian Federation the constitutional right to free exercise of religion. Please end this injustice!”\nSince the ban on Russian religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses and as of June 7, 2021, almost 1500 searches have been carried out in 65 regions of Russia, 492 people have become accused of extremism, the courts have already passed 100 sentences, 15 believers have been sent to a colony, 2 have served their sentences and been released, the rest are still serving their sentences. A total of 57 Jehovah's Witnesses are detained for their faith.\n","category":"rights","date":"2021-06-07T15:04:09+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2021/06/071504/image_hu_b9baf012a256ede3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2021/06/071504/image_hu_177f0719e6d8855a.jpg","webp":"/news/2021/06/071504/image_hu_c2005e176cc738ba.webp","webp2x":"/news/2021/06/071504/image_hu_fe9baa5187feb4a8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2021/06/071504.html","regions":["moscow","germany"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["nazi-germany","international","eu","head"],"title":"Former prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp called on Putin to stop the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"How many people were repressed for their faith in 2020? As of December 30, 2020, 427 followers of Jehovah's Witnesses are officially in the status of accused, suspected, indicted, convicted, or acquitted. Of these, 146 learned of criminal prosecution in 2020. (In 2019, the number was 213.) The total number of criminal cases brought was 188 (most often 2 or more defendants in one criminal case).\nWhat is the geographic scope of religious repression as of the end of 2020? Criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses have already been opened in 60 Regions, Territories, republics, Autonomous Regions, and Cities of Federal Significance. In 2020, cases were opened in 8 new regions of Russia. (In 2019, the number was 21.)\nHow many convictions for faith were handed down in 2020, and how many of them went into effect. As of December 30, 2020, 59 men and women were convicted for their faith in the past 2 years. During 2020, 39 people were convicted under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code and sentenced to various penalties by the trial courts. (In 2019, the figure was 18.) Of these, 21 people are still waiting for an appeal decision. For 23 believers during 2020, appeal hearings were held and sentences went into effect. (In 2019, the number was 10.) In some cases, sentences were reduced or increased, but most were unchanged.\nHow many Jehovah's Witnesses have passed through temporary detention facilities, pre-trial detention centers, or penal colonies, and how many are still being held there. A total of 221 believers have been sent behind bars since May 2017. During 2020, 49 believers were placed in pre-trial detention (SIZO), and another 23 spent a few days each in a TDF, but they were given a non-custodial measure of restraint. Thus, during the year, 72 believers ended up in detention. (In 2019, the figure was 84.) As of December 30, 2020, 46 people remain behind bars, including 36 in pre-trial detention facilities and 10 in penal colonies.\nVladimir and Tatyana Alushkin Felix Makhammadiyev, March 2020 The family meets Gennadiy Shpakovsky at the exit from the pre-trial detention center Lyudmila Shut in the courtroom, September 2020 Yuriy Zalipaev in the courtroom Yuriy Savelyev in the courtroom, Novosibirsk, 2020 The security forces are storming the apartment of believers. Moscow, November 2020. Photo source: Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Vardan Zakaryan after the session of the Presnensky District Court, Moscow, November 30, 2020 Dennis Christensen in a prison cell for visits during a meeting with a lawyer. Lgov. September 8, 2020 Natalia and Sergey Britvin, Vadim and Tatyana Levchuk, Berezovsky, September 2020 How many searches have been conducted in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses? Since the ban on registered Jehovah's Witnesses took effect, a total of 1,274 searches have been conducted in their homes. Of these, 477 searches were conducted in 2020. (In 2019, the number was 489.) A search is a significant restriction of a person's constitutional right to liberty and security of person, privacy, personal and family secrets, honor, and good name.\nChronicle of the incursions into the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in 2020:\n01/19/2020 Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan): 4 searches were conducted. 01/21/2020 Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan): 1 search was conducted. 01/22/2020 Razdolnoye (Primorye Territory): 6 searches carried out. 01/24/2020 Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan): 1 search was conducted. 01/28/2020 Pechora (Komi Republic): 12 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Darasun resort (Trans-Baikal Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/10/2020 Chita (Trans-Baikal Territory): 23 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Pervomaisky (Trans-Baikal Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/10/2020 Verkhnyaya Hila (Trans-Baikal Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/10/2020 Baley (Trans-Baikal Territory): 3 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Amazar (Trans-Baikal Territory): 4 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Duldurga (Trans-Baikal Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/10/2020 Yasnogorsk (Trans-Baikal Territory): 6 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Khilok (Trans-Baikal Territory): 4 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Krasnokamensk (Trans-Baikal Territory): 4 searches carried out. 02/10/2020 Novopavlovsk (Stavropol Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/12/2020 Stavropol (Stavropol Territory): 1 search was conducted. 02/13/2020 Yalta (Republic of Crimea): 1 search was conducted. 03/06/2020 Kizlyar (Republic of Dagestan): 1 search was conducted. 03/23/2020 Khabarovsk (Khabarovsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 03/24/2020 Luchegorsk (Primorye Territory): 4 searches were conducted. 03/30/2020 Karpinsk (Sverdlovsk Region): 3 searches carried out. 04/11/2020 Teikovo (Ivanovo Region): 5 searches were conducted. 04/28/2020 Starokorsunskaya (Krasnodar Territory): 1 search was conducted. 04/29/2020 Kholmskaya (Krasnodar Territory): 5 searches carried out. 04/29/2020 Pavlovskaya (Krasnodar Territory): 5 searches carried out. 05/12/2020 Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory): 4 searches were conducted. 05/19/2020 Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory): 3 searches were conducted. 05/20/2020 Maisky (Kabardino-Balkaria Republic): 5 searches carried out. 05/21/2020 Lesozavodsk (Primorye Territory): 1 search was conducted. 05/21/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 2 searches carried out. 05/22/2020 Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Khabarovsk Territory): 2 searches carried out. 05/26/2020 Kerch (Republic of Crimea): 5 searches were conducted. 05/27/2020 Vyazemsky (Khabarovsk Territory): 5 searches carried out. 05/27/2020 Khabarovsk (Khabarovsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 06/02/2020 Vlasikha (Moscow Region): 5 searches carried out. 06/09/2020 Astrakhan (Astrakhan region): 27 searches carried out. 06/18/2020 Nazarovo (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 12 searches carried out. 06/22/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 2 searches were conducted. 06/23/2020 Goluboy Bay (Republic of Crimea): 2 searches carried out. 07/02/2020 Tavrichanka (Primorye Territory): 6 searches were conducted. 07/07/2020 Likino-Dulevo (Moscow Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/07/2020 Vyazemsky (Khabarovsk Territory): 2 searches carried out. 07/09/2020 Vladivostok (Primorye Territory): 7 searches were conducted. 07/11/2020 Kaliningrad (Kaliningrad Region): 7 searches were conducted. 07/12/2020 Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo Region): 4 searches carried out. 07/13/2020 Voronezh (Voronezh Region): 64 searches carried out. 07/13/2020 Ramon (Voronezh Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/13/2020 Liski (Voronezh Region): 2 searches carried out. 07/13/2020 Semiluki (Voronezh Region): 3 searches carried out. 07/13/2020 Stary Oskol (Belgorod Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/13/2020 Borisoglebsk (Voronezh Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/13/2020 Maslovsky (Voronezh Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/13/2020 Pavlovsk (Voronezh Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/13/2020 Novovoronezh (Voronezh Region): 1 search was conducted. 07/14/2020 Seversk (Tomsk Region): 6 searches conducted. 07/15/2020 Zvezdny (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic): 1 search was conducted. 07/23/2020 Surgut (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug): 1 search was conducted. 07/28/2020 Solikamsk (Perm Territory): 3 searches were conducted. 08.08.2020 Rostov-on-Don (Rostov Region): 1 search was conducted. 08.08.2020 Gukovo (Rostov Region): 16 searches carried out. 08.08.2020 Kursk (Kursk region): 2 searches carried out. 08/10/2020 Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Territory): 2 searches carried out. 08/18/2020 Partizansk (Primorye Territory): 1 search was conducted. 08/19/2020 Yugorsk (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area): 8 searches were conducted. 08/19/2020 Sovetskiy (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area): 1 search was conducted. 08/24/2020 Pechora (Komi Republic): 12 searches carried out. 08/27/2020 Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan): 1 search was conducted. 09/03/2020 Vyazemsky (Khabarovsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 09/04/2020 Yelets (Lipetsk Region): 2 searches conducted. 09/05/2020 Pechora (Komi Republic): 1 search was conducted. 09/15/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 09/24/2020 Blagoveshchensk (Amur Region): 1 search was conducted. 01.10.2020 Sevastopol (Republic of Crimea): 9 searches were conducted. 06.10.2020 Solnechnodolsk (Stavropol Territory): 1 search was conducted. 10 /11/2020 Nikolsk (Penza Region): 4 searches were conducted. 10/13/2020 Zeya (Amur Region): 8 searches were conducted. 10/19/2020 Berezovsky (Sverdlovsk Region): 5 searches carried out. 10/22/2020 Sovetskaya Gavan (Khabarovsk Territory): 2 searches carried out. 10/29/2020 Vyazemsky (Khabarovsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 11/ 11/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 2 searches were conducted. 11/ 12/2020 Maisky (Kabardino-Balkaria Republic): 1 search was conducted. 11/12/2020 Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkaria Republic): 6 searches conducted. 11/12/2020 Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkess Republic): 1 search was conducted. 11/16/2020 Gryazi (Lipetsk Region): 9 searches carried out. 11/18/2020 Nizhnekamsk (Republic of Tatarstan): 12 searches were conducted. 11/ 19/2020 Nizhnekamsk (Republic of Tatarstan): 1 search was conducted. 11/24/2020 Moscow (Moscow): 20 searches carried out. 11/27/2020 Cheboksary (Chuvash Republic): 5 searches carried out. 11/27/2020 Novocheboksarsk (Chuvash Republic): 2 searches carried out. 11/27/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 11/28/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 11/30/2020 Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk Region): 4 searches were conducted. 02.12.2020 Kholmskaya (Krasnodar Territory): 2 searches carried out. 12/09/2020 Oryol (Oryol Region): 8 searches were conducted. 12/11/2020 Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory): 1 search was conducted. 12/21/2020 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka Territory): 1 search was conducted. 12/21/2020 Lermontovka (Khabarovsk Territory): 4 searches carried out. 12/21/2020 Bikin (Khabarovsk Territory): 5 searches carried out. 12/24/2020 Kirsanov (Tambov Region): 20 searches carried out. 12/24/2020 Lukhovitsy (Moscow Region): 1 search was conducted. 12/25/2020 Chita (Trans-Baikal Territory): 1 search was conducted. Which international organizations came out in defense of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses in 2020?\nOn March 12, 2020, 27 European Union (EU) states issued a statement calling on Russia to stop repressing Jehovah's Witnesses. Six other non-EU countries joined the statement.\nOn May 6, 2020, the UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted a decision concerning 18 believers in Russia. The group deemed the cases against them illegal and recommended their immediate release.\nOn July 23, 2020, 30 OSCE member states issued a statement harshly criticizing the Russian repression of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nOn October 1, 2020, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (the body that oversees how countries execute ECtHR judgments) issued a decision noting the repeated failure of the Russian Federation to implement the final judgment in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow v. Russia. The Committee of Ministers pointed out that the 2017 Supreme Court decision concerning Jehovah's Witnesses effectively nullified earlier progress in the case, creating a legal basis for the repetition of violations that the European Court had previously assessed and found unlawful.\nEarlier condemnations of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia included:\nУполномоченный по правам человека в РФ, Совет по правам человека при Президенте РФ, Президент РФ, видные общественные деятели России, внешнеполитическая служба Евросоюза, наблюдатели Парламентской ассамблеи Совета Европы, Рабочая группа по произвольным задержаниям ООН, Управление Верховного комиссара ООН по правам человека. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that decisions of Russian courts to liquidate and ban Jehovah's Witnesses organizations \"do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses and do not contain restrictions or prohibitions on the individual practice of the above-mentioned doctrine.\"\n","category":"analytics","date":"2020-12-30T17:18:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/12/11/image_hu_6e824854a7e195a4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/12/11/image_hu_a0edc9c3ff7dcd03.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/12/11/image_hu_d07e38f46596a544.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/12/11/image_hu_a8c58fff6371606a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/12/11.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["analytics","review","statistics","international","human-rights-defenders","human-right-organizations","commissioner-rf","presidential-council","pace","eu"],"title":"Jehovah's Witnesses Under the Yoke of Repression: Results of 2020","type":"news"},{"body":"\"A committee composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe and overseeing the implementation of ECHR judgments has called on Russia to lift the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses organizations.\"\n","date":"2020-10-01T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/docs/49.html","regions":["france"],"tags":["eu"],"title":"Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the results of the audit of the implementation of the ECHR judgments on the complaints \"Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow v. the Russian Federation\" and \"Krupko and Others v. the Russian Federation\"","type":"docs"},{"body":"On 23 July 2020, at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), 30 member States issued a statement strongly criticizing the repression of Jehovah's Witnesses by the Russian authorities.\nThe joint statement of OSCE member States said: “We have heard the Russian delegation claim more than once at the Permanent Council that Jehovah’s Witnesses are, and will continue to be, able to practice their religion freely, and that freedom of religion or belief is guaranteed in the Russian Federation. However, we continue to see numerous reports about home raids, detentions, and criminal investigations concerning Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is in strong contrast with the claims by the Russian delegation.”\nThe statement stresses: \"All people, including members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, must be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, without discrimination, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia's OSCE commitments and obligations under international law.”\nOf particular concern to European leaders were the mass arrests and beatings of believers in the city of Voronezh in mid-July this year. Nicola Murray, Deputy Head of the UK Delegation with the OSCE, drew attention to “increasing number of searches, as well as use of simultaneous large-scale home raids, creates the impression of an organised campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses.” She added: \"So-called ‘evidence’ used against those investigated and prosecuted includes regular aspects of communal religious life.”\nThe US joined the OSCE statement. Lane Darnell Bahl, representative of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, called on the Russian authorities to cease criminal investigations against Jehovah's Witnesses, halt the seizure of their headquarters in Russia, and immediately release all imprisoned or detained believers.\nThis is not the first time that EU countries have demanded that Russia stop persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses on the basis of their religion. Similar statements on this topic were published onMarch 12, 2020 and May 10, 20188. Many other foreign and Russian organizations have made similar calls.\n","category":"rights","date":"2020-08-28T11:03:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/08/8/image_hu_17c1bf7f45be9c2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/08/8/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/08/8/image_hu_86e1e63efe5828ce.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/08/8/image_hu_35999351caac64a5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/08/8.html","regions":["eu","voronezh"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","osce","human-rights-defenders"],"title":"Thirty European nations condemned the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"A joint statement of the 27 European states-members of the European Union (EU) was circulated on March 12, 2020, in Vienna at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The statement was joined by another six non-EU countries.\nAmong other things, the statement said: \"... Jehovah's Witnesses must be able to peacefully enjoy their human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression, without discrimination. We call on the authorities to drop all charges against individuals who have been unjustifiably prosecuted or prosecuted for exercising human rights.\"\nThe European Union cites shocking statistics: \"Since the liquidation of all local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 869 house searches have reportedly been conducted, 26 people are in pre-trial detention, 23 are under house arrest, 316 have been charged and 29 have already been convicted.\"\nThe statement lists the most egregious recent cases of ill-treatment of believers by Russian officials: \"According to reports from the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, which were also reflected in Forum 18 reports and media articles, on 6 February 2020, in Orenburg, prison No. 1 officers beat five citizens (Alexei Budenchuk, Gennady German, Roman Gridasov, Felix Makhammadiev and Alexei Miretsky). All of them suffered serious injuries, and one of them required hospitalization. In addition, on February 10, 2020, it was reported that Vadim Kutsenko was tortured before he was taken into custody. Law enforcement officers repeatedly beat and choked him, as well as beat him with electric shocks, demanding information about other Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nThe European Union pledged to continue to \"closely monitor developments around Jehovah's Witnesses in the OSCE region.\"\n","category":"rights","date":"2020-03-17T18:00:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/03/6/image_hu_17c1bf7f45be9c2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/03/6/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/03/6/image_hu_86e1e63efe5828ce.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/03/6/image_hu_35999351caac64a5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/03/6.html","regions":["austria","eu","saratov","zabaykalsky"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international","osce","siloviks-violence","torture"],"title":"European Union Calls on Russian Authorities to Stop Ill-Treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"\n","date":"2020-03-12T00:00:00Z","permalink":"/en/docs/18.html","regions":["eu"],"tags":["eu"],"title":"EU Statement on the Situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation and Reports of Torture and Ill-Treatment","type":"docs"},{"body":"On September 23-25, 2019, a committee composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe and overseeing the implementation of ECHR judgments \"urged the authorities to urgently take all necessary measures to ensure the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to practice their religion without hindrance.\"\nThe Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has examined the Russian Federation's compliance with the judgments in the cases of Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow and Others v. Russia and Krupko and Others v. Russia. A document published on the website of the Council of Europe states: \"The Committee is concerned about information received from various sources that as a result of the new ban, Jehovah's Witnesses are being arrested, prosecuted and tried simply for participating in peaceful religious services and making donations.\"\nBackground to the case \"Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow and Others v. Russia\". In March 2004, the Golovinsky Court of Moscow liquidated the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. The believers appealed this decision to the European Court of Human Rights and won. The court decided to lift the restrictions, re-register the community and pay tens of thousands of euros in compensation.\nBackground to the case of Krupko and Others v. Russia. In March 2006, about 400 believers gathered in a rented space for the annual celebration of the Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. The worship service was disrupted - dozens of security officials, including a riot police, entered the building, ordered the crowd to disperse, and several men were detained. The believers appealed against these actions, first in local courts, and later in the ECHR. The European Court sided with Jehovah's Witnesses, found the disruption of worship and detention unlawful, and awarded the victims compensation for non-pecuniary damage and legal costs.\n","category":"rights","date":"2019-10-21T18:18:33+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/10/1268/image_hu_bef00bf20962b44e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/10/1268/image_hu_19500d295c944042.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/10/1268/image_hu_7061905fe753f9ea.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/10/1268/image_hu_aac3c5ccb8a11a3f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/10/1268.html","regions":["france","moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["echr","complaints","eu","mro","meetings-disruption"],"title":"The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe checked how Russia implements the judgments of the European Court on the complaints of Jehovah's Witnesses ","type":"news"},{"body":"On February 7, 2019, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressed serious concern about the verdict against Dennis Christensen. They stated: \"The accusation and imprisonment of Christensen only for confessing his faith is an unacceptable violation of the right to freedom of religion.\"\n\"The speakers expressed the hope that Christensen's conviction would be overturned by the decision of the Court of Appeal and called on the Russian authorities to release him while the appeal is pending.\"\nThe observers recalled that the European Court of Human Rights had previously defended the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to conduct religious activities without interference from the Russian authorities. In addition, PACE itself has previously expressed concern about the abuse of the law on countering extremism by the Russian authorities. Thus, on April 21, 2017, PACE issued a statement stating, among other things: \"The recent decision of the Supreme Court to declare the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation an extremist organization and to close it and 395 local religious organizations of the Witnesses raises serious concerns about religious freedom in Russia, and also serves as another example of how anti-extremist legislation is used to suppress freedom of expression opinions and peaceful assemblies\" (source).\n","category":"rights","date":"2019-02-13T20:44:34+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/02/612/plenary_chamber_of_the_council_of_europes_palace_of_europe_2014_01_hu_265297661933db31.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/02/612/plenary_chamber_of_the_council_of_europes_palace_of_europe_2014_01.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/02/612/plenary_chamber_of_the_council_of_europes_palace_of_europe_2014_01_hu_2cd57d2673c409d8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/02/612/plenary_chamber_of_the_council_of_europes_palace_of_europe_2014_01_hu_511d07dc4b5e81bf.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/02/612.html","regions":["france"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","pace","echr","liberty-deprivation"],"title":"PACE observers called for Christensen's release without waiting for an appeal","type":"news"},{"body":"A few hours after the verdict was announced to Dennis Christensen, the European Union's foreign policy service issued a statement in connection with the verdict.\n\"Today, a Russian court in Oryol sentenced Dennis Christensen, a Danish citizen, to 6 years in prison. He was accused of \"organizing extremist activities,\" essentially exercising his right to freedom of religion as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. A number of criminal cases against Jehovah's Witnesses are next in line,\" the statement said, summing up: \"No one should be imprisoned for peacefully observing the precepts of their religion. The European Union believes that Mr. Christensen should be released immediately and unconditionally.\"\n","category":"rights","date":"2019-02-07T12:51:18+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/02/594/9815182515_2597e06d7a_o_hu_9c4c75832eb1028.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/02/594/9815182515_2597e06d7a_o.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/02/594/9815182515_2597e06d7a_o_hu_3beb962ec53c346d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/02/594/9815182515_2597e06d7a_o_hu_ea517c541ecabd89.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/02/594.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu"],"title":"EU statement: \"Release immediately and unconditionally\"","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 15, 2018, the Kingdom of Denmark submitted an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to join as a 3rd person in the case of Christensen v. Russia.\nThe complaint was filed with the ECHR in June 2017, after Russian courts made an unsubstantiated decision to pre-trial detention Dennis Christensen, a Danish citizen who was arrested in Oryol solely for practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. (Russian law enforcement officials mistakenly mistake citizens' joint religion for participation in an extremist organization.) The complaint was accompanied by a written request from Christensen himself to consider the case as a matter of urgency. On 4 September 2017, the ECHR declared the complaint admissible and sent questions to the Russian Government regarding the circumstances of the case.\nIt all started a year ago, on May 26, 2017, when Svetlana Naumova, a judge of the Sovetsky District Court of Oryol, without due grounds decided to choose a measure of restraint in the form of detention against Dennis Christensen, thereby correcting Christensen's key constitutional and basic human right - the right to liberty and security of person, which is second only to the right to life in importance. Four weeks later, on June 21, 2017, the Oryol Regional Court upheld the decision of the lower court.\nAt the time of publication of this news, Dennis Christensen has been in custody in the Oryol pre-trial detention center for a year.\nUnofficial translation\nApplication No. 39417/17\nDennis Ole Christensen v. Russia\nComments by the Government of Denmark\nIn a letter dated 7 September 2017, the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Court) notified the Government of Denmark (hereinafter referred to as the Government) of the above-mentioned application lodged by a Danish citizen and invited the Government to notify the Court if the Government decided to exercise its right to intervene under Article 36 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) and Rule 44 of the Rules of Court. In a letter of 30 November 2017 the Government informed the Court of their intention to exercise their right to intervene. In a letter of 26 March 2018, the Court sent to the Government a copy of the parties' observations concerning this application and invited the Government to submit in writing any observations it might have on the issues raised in the present case. The deadline for submission of comments from the Government was set for April 27, 2018. The Government argued that the applicant's pre-trial detention constituted a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. The Government emphasise that the above arguments are without prejudice to the present case, either when Article 9 § 1 of the Convention is applied alone or when applied in conjunction with Article 14 of the Convention, which has also been violated, as alleged by the applicant. If the Court has any questions in view of these observations or the statement in general, the Government will be at your disposal. I. QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES\nParties were invited to address the following issues in their comments:Has there been a violation of Article 9 of the Convention, taken alone or in conjunction with the provisions of Article 14 of the Convention, in connection with the applicant's arrest and detention? Did the domestic courts' decisions to detain the applicant and extend his detention contain \"substantial and sufficient\" grounds, as required by Article 5 § 3 of the Convention (see Buzadji v. Moldova, No. 23755/07, paras. 92-102, ECHR 2016 (excerpts))? The Government further provides comments on question 2. This case concerns the imprisonment of a Danish citizen for 10 months by the Russian authorities and, according to the information provided to the Government, it is clear that he was deprived of his liberty without sufficient grounds. Article 5 of the Convention is one of the key provisions of the Convention and prohibits arbitrary deprivation of liberty. A fundamental safeguard against arbitrary deprivation of liberty is that any deprivation of liberty must be justified on substantial and sufficient grounds. Moreover, as provided for in article 5, paragraph 1, of the Convention, pre-trial detention is an exception to the basic rule under article 5, paragraph 1, that everyone has the right to liberty. Article 5, paragraph 3, of the Convention provides for a number of procedural guarantees, including the provision that pre-trial detention should not exceed a reasonable time. II. THE GOVERNMENT'S OBSERVATIONS\nAccording to the Court's case-law under Article 5 § 3, the maintenance of \"reasonable suspicion\" is a sine qua non[1] condition for the lawfulness of continued detention (see, inter alia[2], Grand Chamber judgment of 5 July 2016, Buzadji v. Moldova, application No. 23755/07). In paragraph 102 of Buzadji v. Moldova, cited above, the Court stated that, in addition to maintaining reasonable suspicion, the official was required to provide \"substantial and sufficient\" reasons for detention immediately after arrest. In previous cases, the Court has found arguments to be \"substantial\" and \"sufficient\" reasons on grounds such as \"the threat of escape, the risk of exerting pressure on witnesses or the falsification of evidence, the risk of collusion, the risk of re-offending, the risk of causing public disorder and the need to protect the detainee\" (see paragraph 88 of Buzadji v. Moldova, cited above). a. Reasonable suspicion\nThe investigator of the Investigative Department of the FSB of Russia in the Oryol region justified the first requirement for the applicant's detention as follows (Appendix 16):\n[...] in the period from October 18, 2016 to May 16, 2017, D.O. Christensen, being a member of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Orel\" (hereinafter referred to as the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Orel\") [...] , in respect of which the decision of the Oryol Regional Court of June 14, 2016, which entered into force, was made on the liquidation of activities in connection with the implementation of extremist activities, committed actions of an organizational nature, aimed at continuing the illegal activities of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Eagle\" and expressed in the convening of meetings of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Eagle\" in the premises at: [...], the organization of preaching activities, the distribution of funds of the LRO of Jehovah's Witnesses \"Eagle\".\nAs can be seen from the above quotations, the applicant was allegedly a member of the LRO \"Oryol\", which was dissolved on the grounds of extremist activity. However, according to the available information, the applicant had never been a member of the Oryol LRO and he could never have become a member because the Orel LRO did not recognise foreign nationals as members (see paragraph 10 of the applicant's reply of 21 February 2018 to the Government's observations on the admissibility and merits of the case). It would be more accurate to say that the applicant was a member of the legitimate religious assembly \"Central\". Furthermore, the Government would like to point out that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, in its judgment of 18 October 2016, made it clear that the \"liquidation\" of the Orel LRO does not prohibit its members from holding worship services that are not related to the distribution of extremist literature. This conclusion further confirms that the applicant has the right to attend, participate in and conduct worship services at the Tsentralnoye Meeting. On this basis, the Government considered that there were no grounds for \"reasonable suspicion\" that the applicant had committed the offence for which he had been detained. The Government considered that Article 5 § 3 of the Convention had been violated on that ground alone. b. \"Substantial\" and \"Sufficient\"\ni. Threat of Escape\nOn 21 June 2017 the Oryol Regional Court upheld the decision to impose pre-trial detention on the applicant. The court's reasoning includes the following (Appendix 36-B):\nThe arguments of the defense lawyers that Christensen has been registered as a permanent resident of the city of Oryol for more than 10 years, has a residence permit and a legal source of income in the Russian Federation, is married to a citizen of the Russian Federation, has a positive characteristic at the place of residence, are not a sufficient guarantee that in case of release Christensen will not leave the Russian Federation, This could seriously complicate the preliminary investigation.\nIn principle, the threat of escape is among the circumstances which have been considered \"substantial\" and \"sufficient\" in previous cases before the Court (see paragraph 88 of Buzadji v. Moldova, cited above). However, the Court recognizes the threat of escape only when such a risk is considered real. The Court pointed out that the threat of escape could not be determined solely by the gravity of the sentence possible; it should be assessed on the basis of other relevant factors. In this context, account must be taken, inter alia, of the character of the person concerned, his or her morals, property, connection with the State in which he or she is persecuted and his or her international contacts (see, inter alia, paragraph 33 of the judgment of 26 January 1993, V. (W) v. Switzerland, application No. 14379/88). In the present case, the Oryol Regional Court found that the applicant had been registered as a permanent resident of Oryol for more than 10 years, had a residence permit and a legal source of income in the Russian Federation, was married to a citizen of the Russian Federation and had a positive characteristic at his place of residence, but, nevertheless, the court found that these factors did not constitute a sufficient guarantee that that the applicant will not leave the Russian Federation. In its appeal decision, the Oryol Regional Court did not state any reason why these factors could not be considered as a guarantee against escape. Moreover, on 15 September 2017 the applicant received a letter from the Embassy of Denmark in Moscow (Annex 20) assuring him that the Embassy would not issue him a new passport or otherwise assist him in leaving the territory of the Russian Federation. However, the letter did not lead to the applicant's release. The Court had previously ruled that an applicant who provided reasonable grounds for his or her to appear before a court, for example by providing guarantees or depositing his or her passport, should be released (see paragraph 39 of the Court's judgment of 12 December 1991 in the case of Clooth v . Belgium, application No. 12718/87). In this regard, the Government considered that there was no real risk of escape, and therefore such an alleged justification could not constitute \"substantial\" and \"sufficient\" reasons for the applicant's detention. ii. Risk of collusion\nIn its appeal decision of 21 June 2017 the Oryol Regional Court also gave the following reason, leaving unchanged the decision to impose a preventive measure on the applicant in the form of pre-trial detention (Appendix 36-B):\n[The applicant] may use his authority and position among the members of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses \"Oryol\", in respect of which the court issued a decision to liquidate it in connection with its recognition as extremist, can influence them in order to induce them to testify in his favor or refuse to testify, thereby obstructing the proceedings, or take measures to destroy evidence.\nIn principle, the risk of collusion, including fears that witnesses will be influenced or that evidence will be tampered with, is also one of the justifications that the Court has defined in previous cases as \"substantial\" and \"sufficient\" grounds for pre-trial detention (see paragraph 88 of Buzadji v. Moldova, cited above). In its case-law, the Court has found that the risk of collusion, including the fear that witnesses will be influenced or that evidence will be tampered with, is a justification that becomes invalid over time (see, inter alia, paragraph 35 of the Court's judgment cited above in W. v. Switzerland). According to the information submitted, the FSB investigator interviewed all the witnesses and collected all the evidence in the case case until 20 November 2017, when the Oryol Regional Court nevertheless ordered the extension of the applicant's pre-trial detention (see paragraph 57 of the applicant's reply of 21 February 2018 to the Government's observations on the admissibility and merits of the case). According to the available information, the applicant was in pre-trial detention until the trial, which began on 3 April 2018, i.e. for a total of just over ten months. In the light of the foregoing, the Government argued that the risk of collusion had not, or at least had not continued, to be a \"substantial\" and \"sufficient\" reason justifying the applicant's pre-trial detention. The courts did not provide any other reasons to justify the applicant's pre-trial detention. The general assessment was that the Government therefore considered that there was neither a \"reasonable suspicion\" nor \"substantial and sufficient\" reasons for the applicant's pre-trial detention and, thus, the Government alleged that there had been a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. III. CONCLUSION\nThe Government claimed that the applicant's detention constituted a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. Copenhagen, 26 April 2018\nMr. Tobias Elling Rehfeld, Chargé d'Affaires of the Government of Denmark\nMs. Nina Holst-Christensen, Chargé d'Affaires of the Government of Denmark\n[1] Translator's note: sine qua non (Latin) - mandatory, indispensable.\n[2] Translator's note: inter alia (Latin) — among others, among others.\n","category":"rights","date":"2018-05-29T12:36:27+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/05/329/shutterstock_34787520526192_1_hu_6e788a2878d27343.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/05/329/shutterstock_34787520526192_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/05/329/shutterstock_34787520526192_1_hu_e4d84198bab985c4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/05/329/shutterstock_34787520526192_1_hu_1c7ef1072df9acb5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/05/329.html","regions":["eu","france"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","echr"],"title":"The Government of Denmark as a 3rd party in the case of Christensen v. Russia before the European Court","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 10, 2018, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a statement on the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The European Union is deeply concerned about the increasing persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. \"The Russian government claimed that although it had liquidated the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses, individual believers were free to practice their faith,\" the statement said. Over the past year, authorities have opened nine criminal investigations and five Jehovah's Witnesses are currently in detention.\"\nEU Statement on the Situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia Unofficial translation (source in PDF) EUROPEAN UNION\nPC. DEL/588/18 10 May 2018\nOSCE Permanent Council No. 1185\nVienna, 10 May 2018\nThe European Union is deeply concerned by recent reports of increased state harassment of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, including police raids on private homes, arbitrary detentions and intimidation.\nWe have repeatedly stated that Jehovah's Witnesses, like all other people, should be able to peacefully practice their religion and enjoy freedom of assembly without discrimination, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and international obligations.\nOn April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation banned the activities of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses and all 395 local legal entities of the Witnesses on the basis of legislation on \"extremism.\" The Russian government claimed that although it had liquidated the legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses, individual believers were free to practice their faith. However, the government's words are at odds with its actions. Over the past year, authorities have opened nine criminal investigations, and five Jehovah's Witnesses are currently in detention. All of them could face possible jail time of up to ten years just for getting together to hold a peaceful worship service. In addition to criminal investigations, the Russian state has confiscated some 90 to 100 properties belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses by court order, and another 100 properties are currently under trial. Russian authorities also threaten Jehovah's Witnesses with deprivation of parental rights.\nThe EU reiterates its call on Russia and all other OSCE participating States to abide by their international obligations on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. OSCE participating States have repeatedly stressed the importance of freedom of religion or belief as a fundamental principle of universal security.\nThe EU will continue to closely monitor developments concerning Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the OSCE area and is concerned by reports that several participating States are restricting the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to profess their faith.\nFreedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief is a fundamental right of every human being and excludes any discrimination. This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as joint OSCE commitments. Freedom of religion or belief includes the freedom to manifest one's religion or belief, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, in teaching, worship and worship. The EU continues to promote freedom of religion or belief, which must be respected and promoted everywhere on the basis of the principles of equality, non-discrimination and universality.\n","category":"rights","date":"2018-05-21T23:38:50+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/05/319/973514798_hu_17c1bf7f45be9c2a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/05/319/973514798.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/05/319/973514798_hu_86e1e63efe5828ce.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/05/319/973514798_hu_35999351caac64a5.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/05/319.html","regions":["austria"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international","osce"],"title":"European Union Statement on the Situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"The only basis for all accusations of \"extremism\" against Jehovah's Witnesses — the Federal List of Extremist Materials — can be revoked. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called on Russia to do so in its Recommendation of August 25, 2017.\nThe UN Committee is concerned about the unclear definition of extremist activity and the lack of clear criteria by which materials can be classified as extremist, which is used against vulnerable segments of the population.\nThe international community unanimously condemned the accusations of extremism and the ban imposed by a Russian court on Jehovah's Witnesses organizations. This is evident from the following official statements.\nJoint statement by the 28 member states of the European Union, as well as 11 other states, including Australia, Canada and NorwayJuly 21, 2017 (source) \"On July 17, the Russian Supreme Court upheld a decision to liquidate all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, cease their activities and confiscate property on charges of \"extremist activity.\" The decision confirms the ban on the peaceful worship of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country. This ban has already led to cases of criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as police raids on their prayer halls. It has contributed to an atmosphere of hatred and bullying, which has led to arson attacks and other forms of harassment. Jehovah's Witnesses, like all followers of religious groups, must be able to peacefully enjoy freedom of assembly without interference, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as by Russia's international obligations and international human rights standards.\"\nFederal Republic of Germany. German Foreign OfficeJuly 19, 2017 (source) \"We are concerned by the approval of the court decision to ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Thus, despite our attempts at persuasion at all levels, the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of religion and thought has become punishable.\"\nUnited States of America. U.S. Department of StateJuly 19, 2017 (source) \"The Russian Supreme Court's decision against Jehovah's Witnesses this week is the latest in a disturbing trend of persecution of religious minorities. We call on the Russian authorities to lift the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, lift the closure of the Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center, and release all members of religious minorities who continue to be unjustly detained for so-called 'extremist' activities.\"\nUnited Kingdom. Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeJuly 18, 2017 (source) \"We are deeply concerned that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation rejected the appeal of Jehovah's Witnesses against the decision that labeled them \"extremists\". This ruling criminalizes the religious activities of more than 175,000 Russian citizens and contravenes the right to religious freedom that is protected by the Russian Constitution.\"\nEuropean Union. European External Action ServiceJuly 18, 2017 (source) \"Jehovah's Witnesses, like all other religious groups, must be able to peacefully enjoy freedom of assembly without interference, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as by Russia's international commitments and international human rights standards.\"\nUnited States of America. U.S. Commission on International Religious FreedomJuly 17, 2017 (source) \"Unfortunately, the Supreme Court's decision demonstrates the government's continued attempts to equate those who peacefully exercise the right to religious freedom with extremists. Jehovah's Witnesses are not an extremist group and should be able to practice their religion openly, freely and without pressure from the authorities.\"\nFederal Republic of Germany. German Chancellor Angela MerkelMay 2, 2017 (source) \"I... asked Mr. President to exert his influence to ensure the preservation of the rights of minorities. This also applies to Jehovah's Witnesses.\"\nOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human RightsApril 25, 2017 (source) \"I am concerned about the unjustified criminalization of the peaceful activities of members of the Jehovah's Witnesses communities in Russia, the liquidation of this community in the country. This Supreme Court decision poses a threat to the values and principles on which democratic, free, open, pluralistic and tolerant societies are founded.\"\nOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Combating Racism, Xenophobia and DiscriminationApril 25, 2017 (source) \"This ban, the persecution of peaceful people for mere worship, clearly violates the fundamental right to freedom of religion, and with it international human rights standards guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, so it needs to be reviewed as soon as possible.\"\nParliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropeApril 21, 2017 (source) \"The recent decision of the Supreme Court to declare the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation an extremist organization, to close it and 395 local religious organizations of the Witnesses, raises serious concerns about religious freedom in Russia, and also serves as another example of how anti-extremist legislation is used to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.\"\nUnited States of America. Commission on Security and Cooperation in EuropeApril 21, 2017 (source) \"Russia's failure to respect religious freedom is yet another inexcusable violation of Moscow's OSCE commitments. People who practice their faith peacefully should never be harassed, fined, or imprisoned. The court order to confiscate the property of Jehovah's Witnesses adds humiliation to the persecution. It is hoped that this case will be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.\"\nEuropean Union. European External Action ServiceApril 21, 2017 (source) \"Yesterday's decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to ban the activities of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia on grounds of \"extremism\" paves the way for criminal prosecution of members of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses for the mere practice of their religion. Jehovah's Witnesses, like all other religious groups, must be able to peacefully enjoy freedom of assembly without interference, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as by Russia's international commitments and international human rights standards.\"\nUnited Kingdom. Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeApril 21, 2017 (source) \"The decision of the Supreme Court of Russia to recognize the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist is alarming. This ruling effectively criminalizes the peaceful worship of 175,000 Russian citizens and contravenes the right to religious freedom enshrined in the Russian Constitution. The UK calls on the Russian government to uphold its commitment to this basic human right.\"\n","category":"rights","date":"2017-09-04T17:10:43+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/09/212/k.jakubowska_shutterstock.com_1_0_hu_5b07e79946eef0fc.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/09/212/k.jakubowska_shutterstock.com_1_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/09/212/k.jakubowska_shutterstock.com_1_0_hu_ba1022958e431c8c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/09/212/k.jakubowska_shutterstock.com_1_0_hu_4ba8c7a949044f56.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/09/212.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international","osce","pace","state-department","fsem"],"title":"The UN called on Russia to abolish the List of Extremist Materials","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 5, 2017, in Strasbourg (France), at the 1283rd meeting of the Committee of Ministers (the body monitoring the implementation of ECHR decisions), the issue of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia was raised in the light of the lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. A statement was made by the Delegation of the European Union.\nThe European Union called on the Russian authorities to ensure the peaceful enjoyment by Jehovah's Witnesses of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to freedom of assembly and association without further interference, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The Russian authorities need to comply with international agreements, including the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as international human rights standards.\nStrasbourg, 05/04/2017. Unique ID: 170407_38\n1283rd meeting of the Committee of Ministers\nStatement of the European Union on the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia\nThe March 15 filing by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation with the Supreme Court is the latest tough action taken against Jehovah's Witnesses and a further intensification of the violation of their rights and prosecution to which they are subjected in Russia, which contravenes international standards on freedom of religion or belief.\nThis decision may lead to the liquidation of the Administrative Center and all local representative offices of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and the confiscation of their property. In the meantime, the Ministry labeled the Administrative Center as \"extremist\" and imposed a ban on all legal entities of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country. This is a very negative development that could lead to criminal proceedings against Jehovah's Witnesses simply for practicing their religion.\nThe European Union shares the concerns of the UN Human Rights Committee about a number of reports indicating that the Federal Law on Countering Extremist Activity is increasingly being used in the Russian Federation to restrict freedom of religion aimed, inter alia, at Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe Russian authorities should ensure that Jehovah's Witnesses peacefully enjoy the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and the right to freedom of assembly and association without further interference, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The Russian authorities must comply with international agreements, inter alia the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as international human rights standards.\nThe European Union continues to promote freedom of religion or belief as a right to be exercised by all and everywhere, based on the principles of equality, non-discrimination and universality. Under international human rights law, the exercise of freedom of religion or belief in community with others includes (but is not limited to): legal personality and non-interference in internal affairs, including the right to establish and maintain accessible places of worship or assembly, the freedom to choose and train leaders, and the right to engage in social, cultural, educational and charitable activities.\n","category":"rights","date":"2017-04-20T11:50:48+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/04/147/702013119_univ_lsr_xl2999_hu_cb29fc7dbd8e0ea3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/04/147/702013119_univ_lsr_xl2999_hu_291a6f295660ee4e.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/04/147/702013119_univ_lsr_xl2999_hu_46eff594a4b96cb3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/04/147/702013119_univ_lsr_xl2999_hu_5dbe1e1d36348543.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/04/147.html","regions":["france"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","echr","mro","administrative-center","unhrc"],"title":"The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe heard a report on the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia","type":"news"},{"body":"\"Jehovah's Witnesses in France are citizens like everyone else. There is no reason to think otherwise. Some of their beliefs are unique to them. But these beliefs do not contradict the values of the French Republic and do not conflict with the teachings of other religions that exist in France. I would like to emphasize that France has always been a multi-confessional country, and even more so today. We are a secular state, and it is not always easy for foreign countries to understand this. That is, we proceed from the fact that everyone is free to believe what he wants, and the state does not interfere in religious matters. Therefore, we can coexist peacefully. The government does not impose its ideology, and religions, in turn, do not dominate each other. That is why, I think and hope, Jehovah's Witnesses can practice their faith in an acceptable way without disturbing public order. But so far they have never been seen in such violations.\nI believe that a democratic society should clearly define what it means to violate public order, to harm the common interest. A democratic country can blame and condemn someone in clear terms. Extremism is an obscure concept. Each of us will always be an \"extremist\" for someone. There is political diversity in France, and views can range from the extreme left to the extreme right. Does this mean that people who hold opposing views are extremists who violate public order? Absolutely not. Public order is violated by someone who causes damage to property or people, for example, in public places. We all know what it looks like. But the concept of \"extremism\" does not make any sense to me if it does not include specific actions that can be qualified as extremism. For this reason, if they try to bring Jehovah's Witnesses under this law, then the concept of \"extremism\" is not applicable in this case. Perhaps the law on extremism is a way to convey to religious groups, whether Jehovah's Witnesses or someone else, that they must obey this law without clarifying concepts and any clarifications. In this case, in practice, this means that the fight is not against extremism, but against religion itself. Consequently, the principle underlying international human rights instruments — the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms — is violated. Both documents contain an article that clearly defines freedom of conscience and religion. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, freedom of conscience and religion is unconditional. The European Convention on Human Rights states that such freedom may be restricted if public order is affected. A Russian judge should take into account that if the fact of violation of public order is not proven, then Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted for completely different reasons - they are persecuted as a religion. In this case, we ignore the fundamental freedom enshrined in the most important international laws. I would like you to persuade the Supreme Court, which is obliged to decide on the case, to carefully weigh two conditions: on the one hand, the fact of violation of public order, and on the other hand, freedom of religion is a fundamental right that cannot be taken away without serious consequences.\nJean-Marie Delarue, member of the French Council of State, former director of civil liberties at the French Ministry of the Interior.\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-04-18T13:43:09+03:00","duration":"4:37","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/04/145/photo_delarue_0_hu_6a802309b3f4b75c.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/04/145/photo_delarue_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/04/145/photo_delarue_0_hu_e6293b4cc25e6916.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/04/145/photo_delarue_0_hu_ecf11ceed2c8b349.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/04/145.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["video","international-community","human-rights-defenders","expert-comments","eu"],"title":"Jean-Marie Delarue: \"In practice, this means that the fight is not against extremism, but against religion itself\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"First of all, I must say that I do not belong to Jehovah's Witnesses, so I do not know the details of their doctrine. But on duty, I had the opportunity to work and get to know some of their responsible persons in Spain. We have a great relationship. My impression of the Witnesses is that they are very kind people who never create difficulties in cooperation.\nThe only \"extremist activity\" I have seen from Jehovah's Witnesses is their extreme kindness and politeness. In Spain, their legal status was established many years ago, they are recognized as a well-known religion. This gave them great legal powers. For example, now they have the right to register marriages. In other words, the state has a lot of trust in this religious group. And, of course, as far as I know, in our country there have never been any occasions for lawsuits, complaints or accusations against this group because of any of its activities that could be considered extremist or illegal.\n[Russia should take into account] the norms of international law, as well as the rulings of courts, primarily the European Court of Human Rights in cases of freedom of religion, including Jehovah's Witnesses, especially in Russia. For example, the rulings in the case of Kuznetsov in 2007 and Krupko in 2014, as well as in the case of 2010 on the illegal denial of the right of Moscow Jehovah's Witnesses to have a registered community. In its decision, the European Court emphasized at least two principles that should serve as a guide when deciding in such cases imposing a ban on religious activity.\nFirst of all, the state must be neutral and impartial in relation to religious beliefs. And secondly, and most importantly, citizens as a group professing their faith in community with others must be guaranteed that the State will not illegally and arbitrarily interfere with their activities. In other words, the right to separate the state from religion, that is, from views or their expression. This implies autonomy for religious associations, freedom from interference by the state in internal organization and activities.\nI think that the reaction should be the same as we are already seeing in some forums. A statement was issued by the International Helsinki Group, an organization affiliated with the OSCE, which considers the application of anti-extremist legislation (and it was not intended to apply to religious organizations as such) as arbitrary. The dangers associated with the overly broad application of this law may lead to the fact that it will be applied to any creed that for some reason is considered extremist. In fact, in 2010, when the European Court of Human Rights expressed its opinion in the case of the Moscow Jehovah's Witnesses community, it had already considered the arguments that led to the ban of this organization to be arbitrary and baseless. And now they again intend to go beyond the law, to misuse the law. Therefore, international organizations and democratic states must respond to protect the right to freedom of religion of all citizens, in this case, citizens of Russia.\"\nMercedes Murillo Muñoz is a professor of ecclesiastical law at the University of King Juan Carlos (Spain).\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-04-18T13:36:58+03:00","duration":"5:17","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/04/144/photo_mercedes_murillo_hu_9c2a9241628e3.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/04/144/photo_mercedes_murillo.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/04/144/photo_mercedes_murillo_hu_dbcffafed24b90b8.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/04/144/photo_mercedes_murillo_hu_8dc402127078e71e.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/04/144.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","international-community","video"],"title":"Mercedes Murillo Muñoz: \"Our state has a lot of confidence in this religious group\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"In Spain, they [Jehovah's Witnesses] have been registered in the Register of Religious Organizations of the Ministry of Justice since 1970.\nFrom that day until now, this denomination encourages its members to live in harmony with their faith and views, which include obedience to the law, respect for the rights of others and cooperation with the authorities. Therefore, I do not consider them dangerous in any way. In fact, it's quite the opposite.\nFrom my professional point of view, they exercise their rights, or try to do it without going beyond the legal framework, and go to the courts when they believe that their rights have been violated.\nReligious freedom is a part of social well-being, the right of citizens, one and all, to adhere to certain religious views, to hold worship services, to profess or not to profess a particular religion. I believe that the peaceful exercise of this right actively and passively contributes to the social well-being of citizens and society as a whole. Thus, restricting religious freedom will have a negative impact on a society that thrives only when everyone's rights are respected.\nI believe that this is unacceptable, because the activities of this denomination in our country over the past more than 40 years have not led to anything that could be called extremism. The activities of this denomination, as well as others, are carried out by believers who, professing their religion, are guided by a personal conscience. By trying to share their faith with others, they remain within the framework of religious freedom.\nIn our country, they have never participated in activities that can be described as extremist, and their religious views have nothing to do with extremism — if by this term we mean propaganda of violence and enmity. On the contrary, Jehovah's Witnesses preach peace, and above all they apply their teachings in their lives. They try to exercise their legal rights, respecting the legitimate rights of others, peacefully and never resorting to violence.\"\nConsuelo Madrigal, lawyer, teacher, until 2016 Attorney General of Spain.\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-04-17T21:33:08+03:00","duration":"2:34","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/04/143/photo_consuelo_madrigal_hu_cc18f6e94f11dfdb.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/04/143/photo_consuelo_madrigal.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/04/143/photo_consuelo_madrigal_hu_16da032b8507335a.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/04/143/photo_consuelo_madrigal_hu_c3ca82bf2fe19138.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/04/143.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","video"],"title":"Consuelo Madrigal: \"I don't consider Jehovah's Witnesses dangerous in any way\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"I have experience with Jehovah's Witnesses, and quite extensive. I know them as gentle people and very convinced in their views, but this does not distinguish them from many others.\nTo call extremism the idea that your religion is true and someone else's false, or to call it terrorism, is, frankly, absurd. I can't imagine that at least some country agreed with this. I fully share the conviction that the Russian government is behaving in this situation in an extreme way.\nThere is nothing in the case evidence that I have read, on which the charges against Jehovah's Witnesses are based, that would in any way support the accusations of extremism.\nRecognizing Jehovah's Witnesses as extremists will do nothing to help Russia consolidate its reputation as a civilized country. Any decision against Jehovah's Witnesses will affect others. It will be a red flag for everyone - if you disagree with the Russian authorities, you are at risk. This is a direct signal: you need to do what you are told, you need to refrain from expressing your views and not have beliefs that are at odds with the state ideology. This application of the law forms an image of religious freedom in Russia as extremely negative: \"You can believe in anything, as long as you believe in what I tell you.\"\nIn my opinion, this is a shocking example of how a bad law is being used for an even worse purpose.\nOf course, Jehovah's Witnesses can appeal to the Strasbourg Court. This, of course, will take time and a lot. But such draconian, extraordinary measures, as well as the irreparable consequences of confiscation of property, should prompt the Strasbourg Court to maintain their status quo until the case is heard. Of course, it will be a very difficult time, and they will be persecuted even more than before.\nHaving worked with them, I find the idea that Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists or dangerous to society to be extremely strange. Perhaps someone is irritated by them. But irritation is not a reason to close them or deprive them of their rights.\nRichard Clayton, Queen's Counsel, UK Representative to the Venice Commission.\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-03-31T11:02:58+03:00","duration":"2:55","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/03/123/photo_clayton_hu_d3de5570ba49f98.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/03/123/photo_clayton.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/03/123/photo_clayton_hu_4518e956a91f1f29.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/03/123/photo_clayton_hu_f474dfd206a3c6aa.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/03/123.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","human-rights-defenders","expert-comments","video"],"title":"Richard Clayton: \"A shocking example of how a bad law is being used for an even worse purpose\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"I worked closely with Russia, which is an active member of the OSCE and which has done a lot in the interests of persecuted Christians around the world. Therefore, it seems to me somewhat paradoxical that the problems of religious freedom now exist within Russia itself. As I understand it, the law used against Jehovah's Witnesses is the law on countering extremism. And it is quite understandable that Russia is concerned about problems related to extremism because of its geopolitical position and the fight against terrorism. However, religious freedom is a fragile concept and the definition of extremism can easily be turned against groups that are not particularly popular, and it is usually a test of the quality of religious freedom in a country.\nI have been studying Jehovah's Witnesses for 40 years, and it is especially important that they are a \"peaceful community,\" to put it formally in the terminology of historians and sociologists. They are peaceful people who reject violence and have never used violence themselves. The only connection between Jehovah's Witnesses and violence is that they are victims of violence. The Nazi regime murdered more than 2,000 Jehovah's Witnesses. Here is a well-known fact that testifies to their peacefulness: when Jehovah's Witnesses were in concentration camps, they were the only prisoners whom the Nazis allowed to visit as barbers, because only they could be trusted with a dangerous razor, confident that they would not use the blade against Nazi guards. As can be seen, Jehovah's Witnesses are a supremely peaceful community.\nAnd now, as far as I know, they are sometimes accused of extremism under Russian law, because their publications claim that they are the only true religion. But there are two observations in this regard. First, a certain emphatic style of writing is characteristic of religious literature in general. This can be found in the Holy Quran of Muslims, and in the Old Testament in the Bible. Second, Jehovah's Witnesses are not in favor of being treated better by states or governments than by members of any other religion.\nTherefore, I believe that declaring Jehovah's Witnesses extremists is based on a misinterpretation of what is the typical literary style of their publications. Banning and discriminating against Jehovah's Witnesses in any way would be a mistake and a danger to the religious freedom of many other groups. This would tarnish the image of Russia, both as a government and as a country, which does a lot in an international forum, advocating for religious freedom for persecuted Christians in many countries of the world.\nDr. Massimo Introvigne, Founding Director of the International Centre for the Study of New Religions (Italy), has served as OSCE Commissioner for Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination since 2011. ","category":"opinion","date":"2017-03-30T17:06:47+03:00","duration":"3:39","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/03/122/photo_introvigne_hu_eba3e5243957c140.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/03/122/photo_introvigne.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/03/122/photo_introvigne_hu_7ed8f745b039233.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/03/122/photo_introvigne_hu_a5634848975d3499.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/03/122.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","video"],"title":"Massimo Introvigne: \"The only connection between Jehovah's Witnesses and violence is that they are victims of violence\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"During the years when I served as UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, I often came into contact with Jehovah's Witnesses in different countries during fact-finding missions, because Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the communities that is most threatened, while society as a whole ignores their situation. Therefore, it is especially important that we learn about the tragedy that is now unfolding there.\nIf we talk about legislation on extremism, everyone agrees that it is important to fight extremist tendencies, but the concept of \"extremism\" remains completely blurred. Which creates a kind of access for the authorities, a loophole, an excuse to do what they want. And Jehovah's Witnesses are the perfect scapegoat.\nAfter all, many people regard them with suspicion: Jehovah's Witnesses are active, engaged in missionary work. Not everyone likes it — even if they do it exclusively for peaceful purposes — but they exercise their right to freedom of religion and belief.\nIf Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists, then we are all extremists.\nThis is an example of legislation so vague that it gives the authorities carte blanche to prosecute anyone.\nAll this creates an atmosphere of fear, threat, and, of course, contradicts the letter and spirit of human rights. So the people of Russia and the entire international community should pay close attention to what is happening there.\nThis affects all Russians, because the more space is taken away from minorities, the more democracy itself is at risk.\nEither we have a space where freedom of religion or belief can be exercised without imposition, intimidation and absurd threats in the name of fighting extremism, or this space will shrink more and more. And we have already seen this in many countries. If the state makes a religious community a target, a scapegoat, it reduces the scope for all. Therefore, it is in the interest of all religious communities to have space for the free expression of their faith. Including the majority, because the freedom to talk about one's faith is freedom of religion. At the end of the day, it serves the interests of the majority, even if they don't understand it.\"\nDr. Heiner Bielefeldt, Professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Since 2010, he has served as UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-03-30T14:42:42+03:00","duration":"2:58","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/03/121/photo_bielefeldt_hu_8d136ed69f111c3b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/03/121/photo_bielefeldt.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/03/121/photo_bielefeldt_hu_779475c7a815a7f7.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/03/121/photo_bielefeldt_hu_cd700229e6e9aa41.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/03/121.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","video"],"title":"Heiner Bielefeldt: \"If Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists, then we are all extremists\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"I have been researching Jehovah's Witnesses for many years. I visited Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, in the USA, in England, in Copenhagen, in Denmark. I have talked with many of Jehovah's Witnesses. They are a religious minority, but a minority that coexists peacefully with the rest of society. They go to the same schools, work in regular jobs. They do not separate themselves from society, but adapt to it.\nThe law on extremism is rather vague, it was created with the specific purpose of preventing incitement to violence and hatred on racial or religious grounds. But the law does not say what types of actions are extremist.\nJehovah's Witnesses are a Christian organization, and Christianity by its nature claims to be exclusive. This means that Christian organizations claim to possess the absolute truth. If the extremists are Jehovah's Witnesses, then most Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant versions of Christianity can be called the same.\nJehovah's Witnesses are known for their opposition to violence, especially for their refusal to serve in the military and not to carry weapons. And yet there is a law accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of inciting violence, which in itself is ironic.\nState laws on religious movements are often problematic, especially with regard to the worldviews of religious movements. Because such laws often apply to some currents, and do not apply to others, although they have a very similar worldview.\nDr. Annika Hvithamar, religious scholar, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark).\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-03-29T14:41:43+03:00","duration":"1:58","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/03/117/foto_hvithamar_hu_592b1429f987ed5a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/03/117/foto_hvithamar.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/03/117/foto_hvithamar_hu_655cf842f017938c.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/03/117/foto_hvithamar_hu_ae56697ddd900640.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/03/117.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","international-community","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","video"],"title":"Annika Vitamar: \"If Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists, then most versions of Christianity can be called the same\"","type":"video"},{"body":"\"The religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany is quite famous. Largely due to their preaching activities. But there are also many prejudices against them. In particular, for this reason, the process of recognizing Jehovah's Witnesses as a public law corporation has been so delayed. On the other hand, in the course of all court proceedings, all arguments were exhausted and it was proved that prejudices against Jehovah's Witnesses were unfounded. So now—and I'm happy about that—Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany are recognized by both the court and the state authorities as the official religion, and thus equated with the big churches.\nI must say that in Germany there is no such legal concept as extremism. I can only guess what is meant by this in Russia. For example, in Germany, this may mean some acts of violence with political overtones, that a crime is committed for political reasons. If the term \"extremism\" is applied to Jehovah's Witnesses in this sense, then it is completely absurd.\nEveryone knows that Jehovah's Witnesses do not pursue political goals. By the way, I can say about Germany, here, I think, there are few groups whose crime rate is lower than that of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nOf course, Jehovah's Witnesses have their own ideas about morality, which seem strict in many respects compared to German ideas. For example, strict sexual morality or conservative, from the point of view of the majority, view of the family. However, I don't know what extremism has to do with it.\nI can't imagine that a court with enough information could come to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists or could be politically dangerous.\nIn addition, do not forget that in Russia there is also a Constitutional Court. I don't know if you can contact him. But what I do know is that it was absolutely right and legal of us to do everything possible to convey the information, as I am doing at the moment, that Jehovah's Witnesses, as far as we know, are in no way connected with politics.\nIn addition, it is worth recalling that Jehovah's Witnesses were banned only by dictatorial regimes, for example, Nazi Germany. And I don't think today's Russia is like that.\"\nDr. Hubert Seiwert, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religious Studies at the University of Leipzig (Germany).\n","category":"opinion","date":"2017-03-29T11:42:40+03:00","duration":"4:07","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/03/116/foto_seiwert_hu_5939c3b323ecc2bd.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/03/116/foto_seiwert.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/03/116/foto_seiwert_hu_2f5a1d76435a006d.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/03/116/foto_seiwert_hu_4f3b562208b00f9a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/03/116.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["video","international-community","expert-comments","human-rights-defenders","eu"],"title":"Hubert Seiwert: \"Prejudice against Jehovah's Witnesses is unfounded\"","type":"video"},{"body":"The Bulgarian television and radio company SKAT (National Television SKAT) was found guilty of spreading false information and threats against Jehovah's Witnesses. On January 25, 2016, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination found that as many as six programs aired on the company several years ago contained serious defamation, discrimination and violations of journalistic ethics that \"cannot be justified.\" As a result, a fine was imposed on the TV company and two journalists.\nBelievers are convinced that these programs, which were broadcast on the cable channel SKAT TV in 2010-11, caused a serious surge of aggression and violence against them. They accused civilians of heinous crimes that they did not actually commit. These materials received great publicity in the Bulgarian society.\nThe SKAT openly encouraged religious violence and extremism. In 2011, one report justified attacks on a worship building in the city of Burgas and other acts of violence. Then, we recall, the crowd severely beat some of those present at the service, they had to be hospitalized. But the broadcaster expressed approval of the attackers and said that Jehovah's Witnesses deserve such treatment. After such reports, acts of violence and vandalism throughout the country became sharply more frequent, and individual officials even began to issue discriminatory decrees.\nAs a result, believers filed a complaint with the Bulgarian Commission for Protection against Discrimination, and this complaint was fully satisfied. Stingray refused to admit its guilt, which is why the amount of the fine became significantly higher than usual.\nThe believers are grateful to the Commission for the fair decision and hope that it will help stem the flow of insults and attacks to which they are subjected by some biased or ill-informed journalists. \"It is important that people hear the truth about Jehovah's Witnesses,\" said a representative of a religious organization in Bulgaria.\n","category":"analytics","date":"2016-07-01T14:00:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2016/07/23/camera-01_hu_76f779a281dcf0c1.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2016/07/23/camera-01.jpg","webp":"/news/2016/07/23/camera-01_hu_ff901674e47aa1cb.webp","webp2x":"/news/2016/07/23/camera-01_hu_8f6efb2d9e1131dd.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2016/07/23.html","regions":["eu"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["eu","slander"],"title":"Bulgarian TV Channel Fined for Defamation of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"}]