RUSSIAN WITNESSES FLEE FROM RUSSIA

[Bible Speaks]

RUSSIAN WITNESSES FLEE FROM RUSSIA

The plight of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is considered an asylum application. Representative of the Finnish Movement: "Some have been expelled from work and schools, their homes have been ruined and the meetings are blocked."
The Finnish Immigration Service has also taken note of the Russian decision to ban the business. Most Jehovah's Witnesses are still waiting for their asylum decision.

The plight of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is reflected in Finland as a request for asylum.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, last year, "several dozen" members of the movement arrived in Finland as asylum seekers, while in previous years the cases were mostly isolated.

The decision of the Russian Supreme Court last April to ban the movement as "extremist" is underlying. The result was the closure of the national headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in St. Petersburg, the official abolition of hundreds of local divisions and the confiscation of business ownership.

The consequences of the decision of Veikko Leinonen, the spokesperson of the witnesses of the Finnish Jehovah's Witness, have also been suffered by the members of the movement. "Some have been expelled from work and schools, their houses are smashed and spiritual activities and meetings are blocked," says Leinonen.

"It started last summer when the Jehovah's Witnesses started arriving to some extent in Finland, a big crowd here will hardly come, but I think there are still dozens."

According to LEINONEN, a total of around a thousand Jehovah's Witnesses left Russia. However, most of them went to Finland: Ukraine, Poland and Germany.

"One thousand is the number we mentioned, when the Finnish Immigration Service asked us what the total amount would be." Leinonen says that the witnesses of Finland Jehovah strive to demonstrate Russia arrivals family of faith and sisters in the hotel trade, but nothing organized apukampanjaa not in his opinion, has started.

For example, Russian Jehovah's Witnesses remain in reception centers. Previously, it was alleged that Vasili Kalin, the Russian leader of the Jehovah's Witnesses, had also moved to Finland. However, the information has not been confirmed.

THE FINLAND IMMIGRATION SERVICE remembers that, in this case, the requests are handled individually. "There is still much to be addressed in the applications currently submitted in 2017. There are individual Jehovah's Witnesses who have been positive in recent years, but also negative," says Esko Repo, Head of the Asylum Unit. However, Russia's actions have been observed in the Finnish Immigration Service. According to Revo, all asylum seekers are evaluating what would happen to him if he returned.

"It is known that there have been violations," says Repo. "Toky, all the time, our country is also receiving information from Russia, about this change of law with respect to Jehovah's Witnesses and jurisprudence, in addition to what Jehovah's Witnesses have done in practice since those legislative changes. "RELIGIOUS movements faced difficulties in Russia in 2016.

The new prohibitions of anti-terrorist laws contained articles that prohibited religious missions. The decision of the Supreme Court to prohibit the motion was continuous.

Russia is basically religious freedom, but religions have to register in the country. Why did Russia especially raise Jehovah's Witnesses to a stewardship? Among other things, the New York Times quoted the Russian Ministry of Justice from the logic so that the denomination has shown "evidence of extremist activity that constitutes a threat to the rights of citizens, public order and the safety of society".

https://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000005542494.html