Experts see no extremism in statements of Jehovah's Witnesses about truth of their religion

Members of many religious movements express their conviction of the uniqueness of their doctrines. This opinion was voiced by members of human rights organizations and religious scholars questioned by the "Caucasian Knot". They have questioned the validity of the claim under the consideration at the Supreme Court (SC) of Russia concerning the liquidation of the management centre of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses threaten the rights of citizens and public security. Representatives of the defendant called an attempt to ban their activities the political repression.

The prohibition of the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the basis of their conviction of the truth of their doctrines is doubtful. This opinion was expressed by Mikhail Roschin, Senior Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Ural-Volga Region of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

Mikhail Roschin has also noted that religious scholars are not involved in the trial.

According to Lev Levinson, an expert at the Human Rights Institute, the head of the library of human rights literature, Yuri Ivanenko, Judge of the Russian SC, is conducting the trial without bias.

"However, there is a feeling that the trial will be finished not in favour of Jehovah's Witnesses. I believe that in case if the SC pronounces the decision unsatisfactory for the religious organization, it will be challenged at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). However, that fact will not stop repressive measures," concluded Lev Levinson.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.