May Day—What Does It Mean to You?

What comes to your mind when you hear of May Day? Parades and demonstrations? Maypole dancing? A day off work?DEPENDING on where you live, completely different views of May Day may come to mind. But...

Anti JW Billboard in Russia

 A huge bilboard in Russia as a one of a series of rejections of the Truth, inspired by clergy and government.    

Citizen of Russia criminalized for being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses

AKHTUBINSK, Russia—On February 17, 2012, the Akhtubinsk District Court, in the southern Volga region of Russia, began hearing a criminal case against Yelena Grigorieva, a 44-year-old mother and grandmother. During the first court session, the...

KYRGYZSTAN: “We have not been able to pray and worship together”

Since July 2011, "we have not been able to pray and worship together", an Ahmadi Muslim complained to Forum 18 News Service. Kyrgyzstan's State Commission for Religious Affairs (SCRA) has denied registration – or the...

Russian Witness forced to quit job and unjustly indicted as a target of religious harassment

AKHTUBINSK, Russia— Yelena Grigorieva is one of many individuals targeted in an official campaign against Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout Russia. On December 20, 2011, local investigator A. Gluschenko served 43-year-old Mrs. Grigorieva with an unjust indictment...

Court acquits Jehovah’s Witnesses leader charged with extremism

GORNO-ALTAYSK, December 22 - RAPSI. The Altai Republic Supreme Court revoked on Thursday the sentence of the head of a local branch of Jehovah's Witnesses who was earlier convicted of religious extremism, RIA Novosti reported...

Officials in Siberia target married couple with unjust criminal charges

CHITA, Russia—A married couple in the Siberian city of Chita is now the target of baseless criminal charges brought by Russian authorities.On December 22, 2011, court proceedings are due to begin in the city of...

Russian blocking Jehovah’s Witness websites

RUSSIA: "This isn't about freedom of conscience or censorship"Russian state censorship increasingly extended nationwide in November to cover Jehovah's Witness websites – and possibly also Hare Krishna sms announcements, Forum 18 News Service has learnt....

Criminal conviction in Russia seen as an “attack on freedom of expression and religion”

 GORNO-ALTAYSK, Russia—An appeal hearing contesting the criminal conviction of Aleksandr Kalistratov will be heard by the Supreme Court of the Altay Republic on December 22, 2011. Charged with inciting religious hatred, Kalistratov, one of Jehovah’s...

Religious publication promoting healthy living pronounced extremist

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—In a clandestine hearing, the Makarov District Court (Sakhalin region) found nine publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including a tract entitled Comfort for the Depressed, to be extremist. The copyright owner of the publications...