RUSSIA: Jehovah’s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia

[Queen Esther]

MARCH 21, 2017
RUSSIA,
Jehovah’s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia !

Make your participation a matter of prayer.—1 Tim. 2:1-4.
Personal letters should be mailed no later than April 1, 2017.
Send a personal letter to one or more of the officials listed  at  the  end of these instructions.   You may send more than one letter to the same official:      scroll  down  to  the  ADDRESSES....

NEW YORK—Threatened with an imminent ban on their worship in Russia, Jehovah’s Witnesses are responding with a direct appeal to Kremlin and Supreme Court officials for relief through a global letter-writing campaign. The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is inviting the over 8,000,000 Witnesses worldwide to participate.

On March 15, 2017, Russia’s Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia as extremist and liquidate it. The claim also seeks to ban the activities of the Administrative Center. If the Supreme Court upholds this claim, the Witnesses’ national headquarters near St. Petersburg will be shut down. Subsequently, some 400 registered Local Religious Organizations would be liquidated, outlawing the services of over 2,300 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The branch property, as well as places of worship used by Witnesses throughout the country, could be seized by the State. Additionally, individual Jehovah’s Witnesses would become subject to criminal prosecution for merely carrying out their worship activities. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the claim on April 5.

“The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses wants to heighten attention to this critical situation,” states David A. Semonian, a spokesman at the Witnesses’ world headquarters. “Prosecuting non-violent, law-abiding citizens as if they were terrorists is clearly a misapplication of anti-extremist laws. Such prosecution is based on completely false grounds.”

The Witnesses’ global campaign is not without precedent. Nearly 20 years ago, Witnesses wrote to defend their fellow worshippers in Russia in response to a smear campaign by some members of the government in power at the time. Additionally, Witnesses have initiated past letter-writing campaigns to motivate government officials to end persecution of Witnesses in other countries, including Jordan, Korea, and Malawi.

“Reading the Bible, singing, and praying with fellow worshippers is clearly not criminal,” adds Mr. Semonian. “We hope that our global letter-writing campaign will motivate Russian officials to stop this unjustifiable action against our fellow worshippers.”

Letter-Writing Campaign Supporting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
Instruction Sheet March 20, 2017

Format
 If you own a personal business, you may use business letterhead.
 Use your own language. There is no need to have letters translated into Russian. If you are fluent in Russian, you may write letters in Russian.

 Letters should be one page in length and should be typewritten or neatly handwritten.
 Give attention to proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.—be pp. 71-73.

 Add your personal signature to the letter.

 No copies of letters need to be sent to the elders, to the branch office, or to anyone else.

 Literature should not be included.

 Use your personal return address on the envelope. Be sure that the address of the official you are writing to matches that listed at the end of these instructions.

 Send by postal mail with sufficient international postage. Do not use e-mail.
Content.

 You are writing to the official to request his intervention. Express the hope that the Russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in Russia so that our brothers and sisters can continue to gather peacefully for Christian meetings without interference. You could express appreciation for the laws of the Russian government that guarantee freedom of religion to all citizens.

 Letters should be candid but respectful. Summarize key facts in your own words. Letters may refer to one or two facts listed below or more recent information published on jw.org. Keep in mind that “a mild answer turns away rage,” and “a gentle tongue can break a bone.”—Prov. 15:1; 25:15.

 You could briefly mention how our meetings and publications have benefited you personally and your family. Do not mention the names of individuals in Russia who are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Facts

 On March 15, 2017, the Ministry of Justice in Russia filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking “to declare the religious organization, the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, extremist, ban its activity, and liquidate it.” A decision by the Supreme Court in favor of this claim will have dire consequences for all of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The Administrative Center and 400 local legal entities used to own or rent Kingdom Halls would be dissolved. This means that the branch
Instruction Sheet
March 20, 2017

Page 2
property in St. Petersburg and Kingdom Halls throughout the country could be seized by the State. In addition, each of the more than 170,000 Witnesses could be criminally prosecuted merely for meeting for worship, reading the Bible together, or talking to others about their faith.

 Russia’s “Federal Law on Extremist Activity” is being misapplied to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to be good citizens. We are known worldwide for our peaceful activities, and under no circumstances would we ever resort to any activity that could legitimately be construed as “extremist” or criminal in nature.

 The activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the publications that we produce encourage love of God and neighbor, love for family, and respect for government. There is absolutely nothing “extremist” or criminal in such Bible-based publications.

Addresses:
 President of Russia
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin 23 Ilyinka Str.   -  Moscow Russian Federation 103132

 Prime Minister of Russia
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev 2 Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya Moscow Russian Federation 103274

 Prosecutor General
Yury Yakovlevich Chayka Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation 15A Bolshaya Dmitrovka Str. Moscow Russian Federation GSP-3 125993

 Minister of Justice
Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation 14 Zhitnaya Str. Moscow Russian Federation GSP-1 119991

 Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square Moscow Russian Federation 119200

 The Chairman of the Supreme Court
Viacheslav Mikhailovich Lebedev
Supreme Court of Russian Federation 15 Povarskaya Str. Moscow Russian Federation 121069

 

[ARchiv@L]

702017108_E_cnt_1.pdf

[ARchiv@L]

Срочное видеообращение Василия Калина в связи с иском о запрете Свидетелей Иеговы
https://www.jw-russia.org/news/17032113-108.html

Urgent video message Vasily Kalin in connection with a lawsuit to ban Jehovah's Witnesses
DOWNLOAD: 

 

[Queen Esther]

@ARchiv@L  Thanks  for  your  special  details,  always !

[Queen Esther]

Please, Brothers and Sisters,  lets all write one or more letters to President Putin, very fast, for perhaps rescue our Brothers in Russia❤️  They not have the chance, living their belief like you and me...  Lets pray to Jehovah for them all ! Thank you so much?

[Queen Esther]

The  letters  ca. 2 weeks  on  the  way !  So  we  must  send  it / them,  per  EXPRESS,  the  elder  said  today,  otherwise  its  too  late  coming  to  Putin    The  post - office  in  Russia  have  many  to  work  next  days...    I  hope,  our  letters  and  prayers  have  success...  otherwise,  Jehovah  will  have  another  plan !  HE  always  GOT  IT !!!!   AMEN ❤

[Queen Esther]

Please,   prove  the  EXPRESS  stamps  before  by  your  post - office !

IT  MUST  BE  THERE  LATEST  ON  1. APRIL !!

 

[ARchiv@L]

 

[Queen Esther]

1 hour ago, ARchiv@L said:

 

Thanks again for your link, dear ARchiv@L 

[Queen Esther]

The  Letter-Writing Campaign Supporting Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia....

OUR  kids  made  it  very  good   Handwriting  or  nice  drawings  by  younger  ones !

LIA  is  4 years,

Puco  is  7 years,

and  this  Sweetie  is  also  4 years,

All  Brothers  &  Sisters  helping  by  this  huge  especially  campaign ❤

THANK  YOU  SO  MUCH  ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

[Queen Esther]

A SPECIAL FILM FOR THE BROTHERS & SISTERS IN RUSSIA !  in  many  languages....

https://tv.jw.org/#en/video/VODOurOrganization/pub-jwb_201703_14_VIDEO

Our Organization
Russian Authorities Move to Ban Jehovah’s Witnesses

Length 9:03

[ARchiv@L]

very nice images and exciting !! thank you brothers & sisters for sending to us these pictures !!

thank you @Queen Esther for posting ... !!