Jehovah's Witnesses prevented from meeting even before court hears case

[Guest Kurt]

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' ACTIVITY SUSPENDED IN OREL
by Anton Kalinin
Orelgrad, 13 May 2016
 
The Ministry of Justice is trying by the court to recognize the religious organization as extremist.
 
The territorial department of the Russian Ministry of Justice reported that the activity "of the local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses 'Orel' was suspended as of 12 May." The restriction will continue in effect right up to the consideration of the lawsuit by a court. The department of the Ministry of Justice requested to find the Orel Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization. If the lawsuit is granted, the court will finally prohibit its activity and will issue a decision about its liquidation and removal from the Universal State Register of Legal Entities. At the present time, the rights of the organization as a founder of a news medium are suspended. In addition, it is not permitted to use governmental and municipal news media. The organization is also prohibited to conduct mass actions, including meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches, and pickets. The Jehovah's Witnesses are temporarily prohibited from using bank deposits "with the exception of use for settling accounts connected with economic activity and compensation of losses and damages incurred by its actions."
 
The Ministry of Justice explained its decision as the requirements of federal laws "On freedom of conscience and religious associations" and "On combating extremist activity." We add that the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses "Orel" was registered by the department of the Ministry of Justice for Orel province in June 2001. 
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OREL CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES MAY BE LIQUIDATED AS EXTREMIST

SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 13 May 2016
 
The territorial administration of the Ministry of Justice has asked a court to find the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Orel to be extremist.
 
On 12 May 2016 the department of the Russian Ministry of Justice for Orel province filed in provincial court a petition for the liquidation of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses "Orel" for conducting extremist activity. On the same day it suspended the activity of the congregation until consideration by the court of the question of its liquidation.
 
At the present time, organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia have been ruled extremist in Taganrog, Samara, and Abinsk of Krasnodar territory, while in Taganrog 16 of its members were convicted for continuation of activity of the congregation. A provincial court issued decisions for the liquidation of congregations in Belgorod and Stary Oskol, and a petition for finding the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Arkhangelsk extremist is being considered. The prosecutor's office of Cherkessk also intended to seek the liquidation of the local organization in 2015. The attempt to close the congregation in Gorno-Altaisk ended unsuccessfully for the prosecutor's office and the decision to liquidate the Tiumen organization of Jehovah's Witnesses was quashed by the Supreme Court. The first to be liquidated was the Moscow congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in 2004, where the process began back before the adoption of the law "On combating extremist activity." The congregation managed to register again only in 2015.
 
We view attempts to liquidate organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses for extremism and the prosecution of members of their congregations and prohibition of texts as religious discrimination.
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Jehovah's Witness fined for inviting neighbors to meeting

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS RECRUITED DEAF PERSONS IN URALSK

by Yulia Multilova
Moi gorod, 12 May 2016
 
A specialized administrative court of the city of Uralsk fined one of the members of the Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses of the West Kazakhstan province, a correspondent of the portal Moi Gorod reports.
 
Thus, on 25 April 2016 the administrative court imposed on a resident of Uralsk, Dina Sarsebekova, a fine of 100 times the monthly calculated index [MRP] for illegal conduct of missionary activity on the territory of the West Kazakhstan province.
 
According to the director of the administrative department for Administration of Religious Affairs of the West Kazakhstan province, Adil Nurmukhanov, Dina Sarsebekova arrived at the homes of deaf persons, introduced herself in sign language, and invited them to some activity that was supposed to occur on 23 March at the address Prospect Abulkhair Khan 73 (it is at this address that the religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses is registered—author's note), and then showed a video tape with religious contents on her tablet.
 
"Introducing herself as a sign language interpreter, Sarsebekova visited several families in which there are deaf persons. However after another visit to one of the families of the city, the parents of a deaf daughter sent to us in the administration a statement about propaganda of a certain religious movement. We collected the necessary materials, interrogated the suspect, and send the case to court," Adil Nurmukhanov explained. On 25 April sentencing occurred, where Sarsebekova did not admit her guilt. She maintained that she was not engaged in missionary activity in the name of the religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses but simply was sharing her opinion with neighbors.
 
However the court found 26-year-old Dina Sarsebekova guilty on the basis of article 490, part 3, of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law of the republic of Kazakhstan, "Violation of the legislation of the republic of Kazakhstan concerning religious activity and religious associations," and set a fine of 212,100 tenge.
 
It should be noted that for conducting missionary activity it is necessary to be registered in the Administration for Religious Affairs of the West Kazakhstan province. In 2016, six missionaries are officially active on the territory of the province.