APPEAL NOT ACCEPTED IN ONE MOSCOW COURT : Jehovah's Witnesses Launch Appeal Against Russia Ban

[bruceq]

The Jehovah's Witnesses have launched an appeal against a court ruling banning the organization from Russia.

Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky Court will hear the appeal on Monday, a court spokesperson said.

Russia's Supreme Court ruled to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia last week after branding them an “extremist organization.”

The church's property is currently being seized by the government, and believers will face criminal charges if they continue to meet or distribute literature. 

Read More: Jehovah’s Witnesses Ban Spells End for Russia’s Religious Diversity (Op-Ed)

 

The Justice Ministry has defended its decision as being "in the interest of public safety," claiming that the organization "threatens human rights."

It particularly condemned believers' refusal to accept blood transfusions and publications which it claimed presented the Jehovah's Witnesses as a "superior" religion.

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/jehovahs-witnesses-launch-appeal-against-russia-ban-57797

[bruceq]

Tass is reporting that the appeal was not accepted so not sure about what is happening Monday???

 {MONDAY MEANS TODAY 24...IT WAS REJECTED BY COURT SEE BELOW]

Moscow, RIA "Orenburg" .  Russia and the World April 24, 2017, 9:35 "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES" APPEALED THE BAN TO WORK IN RUSSIA   Zamoskvoretskiy Moscow court on Monday will consider the complaint at the disposal of Russian Ministry of Justice to suspend the activities of the parent organization "Jehovah's Witnesses" in Russia, which in the last week, the Supreme Court acknowledged extremist and liquidated, said court spokesman Emilia Gil. - The Court will hold a hearing on the merits of the statement of claim "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses to the Ministry of Justice, - said the spokesman. The Ministry of Justice issued a decree suspended the "Jehovah's Witnesses" to complete the process in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, where the Ministry to seek recognition of the organization extremist, its elimination and prohibition. Meanwhile, the Russian Federation Supreme Court has already satisfied the requirements of the Ministry of Justice and Home banned organization "Jehovah's Witnesses" in Russia, recognizing it as the extremist. The court also decided to confiscate the property of the organization. Now the followers of "Jehovah's Witnesses" faces criminal responsibility for the continuation of its activities. As indicated by a lawyer agency work "Jehovah's Witnesses" generates threat protection of the rights and interests of the society and public safety. She referred to the court decisions that have recognized the 95 brochures "Jehovah's Witnesses" extremist, as well as the activities of eight organizations in the regions of Russia. company lawyers countered that the claims were brought to passages from the "Bible", in addition, the authorities did not reconsider the question of the presence of extremism in those leaflets after making changes to the law on such crimes. Ministry of Justice, in particular, imposes "Jehovah's Witnesses" to blame the refusal to accept blood transfusions. Meanwhile, the lawyers of the organization said that the refusal of blood transfusions is not extremism - of the act in the law on combating extremist activities there. He noted that the Ministry of Justice gave an example of only a single case where the doctors offered to parents are two alternative methods of treatment, one of which provided for a blood transfusion. But parents want to treat the child medication. "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" - an umbrella organization branch manager "Jehovah's Witnesses" in the Russian Federation. In this religious organization regularly have problems with the law in Russia - from the court decisions banning the activity and the elimination of departments to penalties for possession of extremist materials.

[bruceq]

FROM RUSSIA LEGAL INFORMATION AGENCY:

Moscow court dismisses lawsuit filed by Jehovah’s Witnesses over suspension of activities

CONTEXT

• Supreme Court orders liquidation of Jehovah's Witnesses organization in Russia
• Russian Supreme Court refuses to declare Jehovah's Witnesses victims of repressions
• Chair of Jehovah’s Witnesses branch fined for distributing extremist literature

© flickr.com/smthng else

Tags: lawsuit, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky District Court, Russia, Moscow

16:13 24/04/2017

MOSCOW, April 24 (RAPSI) – The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Jehovah's Witnesses against Russian Justice Ministry over suspension of the organization’s activities in Russia, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Monday.

On March 15, the Justice Ministry has suspended activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses until the Supreme Court’s review of a petition filed by authorities asking to declare religious organization extremist. On April 20, Russia’s Supreme Court banned the Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist organization. The Centre and all its 395 branches are to be liquidated.

Jehovah's Witnesses claim that such actions as the Ministry’s lawsuit over liquidation are perpetrated to limit religious freedoms and that 175,000 followers of the organization will be affected.

According to the Justice Ministry, violations of the law “On Combatting Extremism” were revealed during inspection conducted in the organization. The Prosecutor General’s Office’s notice concerning inadmissibility of carrying out extremist activities by Jehovah's Witnesses has taken effect, the Ministry said. Since 2009, 95 materials distributed by the organization in Russia have been declared extremist and 8 Jehovah's Witnesses’ branches have been liquidated.

Jehovah’s Witnesses organization has had many legal problems in Russia.

On January 25, chairman of the Jehovah’s Witnesses branch in the town of Dzerzhinsk was fined 4,000 rubles ($67) for keeping and distributing extremist literature banned in Russia.

On October 12, 2015, a court in the Jewish Autonomous Region ruled to ban a branch of “The Jehovah’s Witnesses” in Birobidzhan because of distributing extremist literature by the organization.

On June 16, 2015, Russia’s Supreme Court declared “The Jehovah’s Witnesses of Stary Oskol” in the Belgorod Region an extremist organization and ruled to liquidate it.

On June 9, 2015, the Jehovah’s Witnesses of Belgorod was banned as extremist organization.

In March 2015, a court in Tyumen fined the organization 50,000 rubles ($792) and seized prohibited literature.

In January 2014, a court in Kurgan ruled to ban the organization’s booklets as extremist. The books talk about how to have a happy life, what you can hope for, how to develop good relations with God and what you should know about God and its meaning.

In late December 2013, the leader of the organization’s group in Tobolsk, Siberia was charged with extremism and the prevention of a blood transfusion that nearly led to the death of a female member of the group.

In 2004, a court in Moscow dissolved and banned a Jehovah’s Witnesses group on charges of recruiting children, encouraging believers to break from their families, inciting suicide and preventing believers from accepting medical assistance.

Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Since 2004 several branches and chapters of the organization were banned and shut down in various regions of Russia.

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Appears this is an appeal from the Moscow District Court against Ministry of Justice and not an appeal to the Supreme Courts judgement. All this legal stuff is giving me a headache. But a witness is being given nevertheless!

As Jesus prophesied :"  And you will be brought before governors and kings+ for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations".+ MATT. 10:18

[Evacuated]

17 minutes ago, bruceq said:

MOSCOW, April 24 (RAPSI) – The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Jehovah's Witnesses against Russian Justice Ministry over suspension of the organization’s activities in Russia,

This confuses me. This cannot be the appeal against the Supreme Courts ruling issued on April 20 2017. Surely with one month to submit, the Society's legal team would spend more time on the submission. And submit to The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow? Clarity requested please.

[bruceq]

no it is not. it is confusing because we have multiple legal things going on at the same time in Russia and now they are all making the news

 this is an appeal from the Moscow District Court against Ministry of Justice and not an appeal to the Supreme Courts judgement.

The fact that this is now making more and more news is great for us as the JW Broadcast said about the "Witness" is is getting so every court ruling from anywhere in Russia is giving us all the more of a witness

As Jesus prophesied :"  And you will be brought before governors and kings+ for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations".+ MATT. 10:18

[bruceq]

Update:

ZAMOSKVORECHE COURT OF MOSCOW REFUSES TO CANCEL SUSPENSION OF ACTIVITY OF ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA

Portal-Credo.Ru, 24 April 2017

 

The decision of the Russian Ministry of Justice regarding the suspension of the activity in Russia of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) is legal, the Zamoskovoreche court of Moscow ruled on 24 April. The judicial proceedings were conducted against the background of the decision of the Russian Supreme Court to ban the activity of the Administrative Center of JW, which has still not taken effect.

 

A former employee of the press service of the Administrative Center of JW in Russia, Ivan Belenko, told the website of Kavkazskii Uzel that the Zamoskvoreche district court denied the Administrative Center. "This trial became less relevant inasmuch as it challenged the act of suspension of the activity of our organization back before the issuance of the decision of the Russian Supreme Court. The results of the review of our lawsuit in the Zamoskvoreche court could hardly have an impact on anything," Ivan Belenko noted.

 

Ivan Belenko recalled that on 5 April, on the first day of hearing the administrative case of the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice in the Russian Supreme Court, a lawyer for the Administrative Center filed a petition to postpone the hearing until the resolution of the lawsuit in the Zamoskvoreche district court. However the petition was denied. "The filing of the lawsuit and its consideration in the Zamoskvoreche court could have had an impact if the Russian Supreme Court could postpone the hearings," Ivan Belenko added.

 

"In all likelihood, the decision of the Supreme Court for liquidating the Administrative Center that was adopted earlier impacted the decision of the Zamoskvoreche district court. And this is evidence of a dangerous trend—following the Supreme Court, lower courts may take a course of subsequently denying Jehovah's Witnesses the protection of their constitutional rights," stated lawyer Anton Bogdanov, who represented the interests of the Administrative Center in the trial in the Zamoskvoreche district court.

 

"However the Administrative Center is continuing to appeal the justice ministry's order. Inasmuch as by this order, which still is in effect, organizations were caused substantial losses and also deprived of the right to freedom of religious confession," Anton Bogdanov added.

 

Bogdanov said that the decision of the Russian Supreme Court "has already led to consequences for the Jehovah's Witnesses. Law enforcement agencies are already making attempts to extend the action of the Supreme Court's decision for liquidation of a legal entity to simple believers, creating hindrances to their confessing their faith."

 

According to their organization's data, Jehovah's Witnesses are registered and conduct religious activity in 240 independent or partially independent countries of the world. The total number of Jehovah's Witnesses in the world is 8.3 million persons, including about 170 thousand in Russia. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 April 2017)

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NOTICE THIS POINT FROM OUR BROTHERS: ""This trial became less relevant inasmuch as it challenged the act of suspension of the activity of our organization back before the issuance of the decision of the Russian Supreme Court. The results of the review of our lawsuit in the Zamoskvoreche court could hardly have an impact on anything," Ivan Belenko noted.