Defence of Jehovah's Witnesses fears for believers' fate after Russia's SC judgement

The decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to liquidate the Russian Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses, can be perceived by power agents and local authorities to persecute believers, said lawyers of the religious organization interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". However, according to their stories, so far, there are no grounds to talk about any large-scale repressions.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 20 the SC of the Russian Federation satisfied the request of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to liquidate 396 religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist.

In the opinion of Victor Zhenkov, an advocate for the Administrative Centre, the SC's judgement fails to specify the grounds for the liquidation of local religious organizations.

He believes that now the future of individual believers in Russia depends on decisions of law enforcement bodies, and fears that in regions the SC's judgement may be interpreted as a ban on the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine.

Yaroslav Sivulsky, the spokesman of the liquidated Administrative Centre, said that there is no accounting for the number of believers, who left Russia and became political refugees.

After the SC's judgement, there were hooligans' attacks.

"For example, they stoned the windows in the inactive congress hall in Saint Petersburg," Mr Sivulsky said.

In Russian regions, at least four similar cases have been recorded.

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