Rostov Region: court recognized publications of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist

In the city of Salsk of Rostov Region Judge Marina Fedyakova recognized a number of materials of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist and rejected the request of the defendant's lawyers to question a linguist witness and to make a repeated psycho-linguistic-religious examination.

At the court sessions on this case, which were held on June 21 and on June 24, the experts of the Southern Regional Forensic Centre were heard.

During the session on June 27 the judge rejected a number of the defence's applications and the lawyers' request for time to get prepared for the debate. On the same day the judge read out the decision: to add to the list of extremist materials at once nine publications, only three of which were examined by experts in this case, reports the press service of the Administrative Centre, Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

"To bring the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses into line with fascist and racial materials means a sophisticated mockery over the believers whose religion professed in our country for over 130 years," commented the Salsk Court's decision Lev Levinson, an expert at the Institute of Human Rights.

Mr Levinson also noted that "the state campaign of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses for the statements inherent in all religious texts means flagrant violation of the constitutional principle of freedom of conscience and equality of religious associations before the law."