Russian Supreme Court bans Jehovah’s Witnesses branch

MOSCOW, June 9 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses of Belgorod as extremist organization, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.In February 2016, the Belgorod Regional Court has granted a lawsuit...

Uzbekistan – Large fines for “illegal” religious literature

Uzbekistan continues raids, large fines and confiscation of "illegal" religious literature, at least 18 Protestants and 11 Jehovah's Witnesses being fined up to 60 times the minimum monthly salary. Asked whether people have freedom of...

Russia – Jehovah’s Witnesses face possible liquidation

If prosecutors proceed with their threat to liquidate the Jehovah's Witness headquarters near St Petersburg, thousands of local congregations across Russia could also face prohibition of their activities and individuals could be vulnerable to criminal...

RUSSIA: 2015 prosecutions for publicly sharing beliefs

Unapproved sharing of beliefs were a quarter of 2015 prosecutions for public events in Russia. Forum 18 found 119 individuals and 3 religious organisations prosecuted, a sharp rise on 2014. Initial punishments were 80 fines,...

RUSSIA: Jehovah’s Witness Bible to be “extremist”?

Russian prosecutors are trying to ban the Jehovah's Witness New World Bible as "extremist", Forum 18 notes. However, a Pervouralsk court refused to ban two Islamic texts citing the Koran as "extremist", in the first...

RUSSIA: In 2015, 89 known individuals and communities prosecuted for religious literature

Unemployed Jehovah's Witness A. Bokov served six days in prison for possessing Jehovah's Witness literature the Russian authorities deem "extremist". Yevgeny Menshenin served five days in prison for sharing an Islamic video on a social...

Russian Authorities Move Toward Unprecedented Shutdown of Witnesses’ National Headquarters

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—In an unprecedented move, Russian authorities have threatened to close the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation issued a formal warning letter dated March 2,...

Kazakhstan Religious Book banned as extremist

On 15 February a court in Kazakhstan's capital Astana upheld the Prosecutor's suit to ban four further Christian books as "extremist", according to the decision seen by Forum 18. The books were among 47 items...

Russia: Freedom of assembly and expression of Jehovah’s Witnesses curtailed

In Krymsk, police officers broke up a Jehovah’s Witnesses congress. Cossacks who arrived with them cut off the electricity to the stadium at which the event was being conducted, and then they pelted believers with...

Jewish School Probed for Extremism While Jehovah’s Witnesses Win Rare Russian Victory

It has been a week of ups and downs for religious freedom in Russia, with a Jewish school having become the target of an extremism investigation, and the beleaguered Jehovah's Witnesses having gained an improbable boost at the Justice Ministry's hand.Prosecutors in the city of Yekaterinburg have removed...