{"id":2836,"date":"2017-03-22T15:30:53","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T15:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/news\/2017\/03\/22\/jehovahs-witnesses-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban-in-russia\/"},"modified":"2021-08-18T10:39:16","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T07:39:16","slug":"jehovahs-witnesses-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban-in-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/jehovahs-witnesses-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban-in-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses Mobilize Global Response to Threat of Ban in Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK\u00e2\u20ac\u201dThreatened with an imminent ban on their worship in Russia, Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses are responding with a direct appeal to Kremlin and Supreme Court officials for relief through a global letter-writing campaign. The Governing Body of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses is inviting the over 8,000,000 Witnesses worldwide to participate.<\/p>\n

On March\u00c2\u00a015, 2017, Russia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label the Administrative Center of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses in Russia as extremist and liquidate it. The claim also seeks to ban the activities of the Administrative Center. If the Supreme Court upholds this claim, the Witnesses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 national headquarters near St.\u00c2\u00a0Petersburg will be shut down. Subsequently, some 400 registered Local Religious Organizations would be liquidated, outlawing the services of over 2,300 congregations of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses in Russia. The branch property, as well as\u00c2\u00a0places of worship<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0used by Witnesses throughout the country, could be seized by the State. Additionally, individual Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses would become subject to criminal prosecution for merely carrying out their worship activities. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the claim on April\u00c2\u00a05.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Governing Body of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses wants to heighten attention to this critical situation,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d states David\u00c2\u00a0A. Semonian, a spokesman at the Witnesses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 world headquarters. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Prosecuting non-violent, law-abiding citizens as if they were terrorists is clearly a misapplication of anti-extremist laws. Such prosecution is based on completely false grounds.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Witnesses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 global campaign is not without precedent. Nearly 20 years ago, Witnesses wrote to defend their fellow worshippers in Russia in response to a smear campaign by some members of the government in power at the time. Additionally, Witnesses have initiated past letter-writing campaigns to motivate government officials to end persecution of Witnesses in other countries, including Jordan, Korea, and Malawi.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Reading the Bible, singing, and praying with fellow worshippers is clearly not criminal,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d adds Mr.\u00c2\u00a0Semonian. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We hope that our global letter-writing campaign will motivate Russian officials to stop this unjustifiable action against our fellow worshippers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\n

Instructions for Letter-Writing Campaign<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\u00c2<\/div>\n
Letter-Writing Campaign Supporting Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses in Russia Instruction Sheet<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Make your participation a matter of prayer.\u00e2\u20ac\u201d1 Tim. 2:1-4.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Personal letters should be mailed no later than April 1, 2017.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Send a personal letter to one or more of the officials listed at the end of these instructions. You may send more than one letter to the same official.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Format<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 If you own a personal business, you may use business letterhead.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Use your own language. There is no need to have letters translated into Russian. If you are fluent in Russian, you may write letters in Russian.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Letters should be one page in length and should be typewritten or neatly handwritten.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Give attention to proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbe pp. 71-73.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Add your personal signature to the letter.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 No copies of letters need to be sent to the elders, to the branch office, or to anyone else.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Literature should not be included.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Use your personal return address on the envelope. Be sure that the address of the official you are writing to matches that listed at the end of these instructions.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Send by postal mail with sufficient international postage. Do not use e-mail.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Content<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 You are writing to the official to request his intervention. Express the hope that the Russian authorities will stop the legal action being taken against the branch office and the congregations in Russia so that our brothers and sisters can continue to gather peacefully for Christian meetings without interference. You could express appreciation for the laws of the Russian government that guarantee freedom of religion to all citizens.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Letters should be candid but respectful. Summarize key facts in your own words. Letters may refer to one or two facts listed below or more recent information published on jw.org. Keep in mind that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a mild answer turns away rage,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a gentle tongue can break a bone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dProv. 15:1; 25:15.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 You could briefly mention how our meetings and publications have benefited you personally and your family. Do not mention the names of individuals in Russia who are Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Facts<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 On March 15, 2017, the Ministry of Justice in Russia filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking \u00e2\u20ac\u0153to declare the religious organization, the Administrative Center of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses, extremist, ban its activity, and liquidate it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span>A decision by the Supreme Court in favor of this claim will have dire consequences for all of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses in Russia. The Administrative Center and 400 local legal entities used to own or rent Kingdom Halls would be dissolved. This means that the branch \u00c2\u00a0property in St. Petersburg and Kingdom Halls throughout the country could be seized by the State. In addition, each of the more than 170,000 Witnesses could be criminally prosecuted merely for meeting for worship, reading the Bible together, or talking to others about their faith.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 Russia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Federal Law on Extremist Activity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is being misapplied to Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses in Russia. Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses strive to be good citizens. We are known worldwide for our peaceful activities, and under no circumstances would we ever resort to any activity that could legitimately be construed as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153extremist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or criminal in nature.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 The activity of Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses and the publications that we produce encourage love of God and neighbor, love for family, and respect for government. There is absolutely nothing \u00e2\u20ac\u0153extremist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or criminal in such Bible-based publications.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00c2<\/div>\n
\u00c2<\/div>\n

Addresses
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>President of Russia
\n<\/span>Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
\n23 Ilyinka Str.
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\n103132<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>Prime Minister of Russia
\n<\/span>Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
\n2 Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\n103274<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>Prosecutor General
\n<\/span>Yury Yakovlevich Chayka
\nProsecutor General\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Office of the
\nRussian Federation
\n15A Bolshaya Dmitrovka Str.
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\nGSP-3
\n125993<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>Minister of Justice
\n<\/span>Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov
\nMinistry of Justice of the Russian
\nFederation
\n14 Zhitnaya Str.
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\nGSP-1
\n119991<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>Minister of Foreign Affairs
\n<\/span>Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov
\nMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the
\nRussian Federation
\n32\/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\n119200<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>\u00ef\u201a\u00b7 <\/span>The Chairman of the Supreme
\nCourt
\n<\/span>Viacheslav Mikhailovich Lebedev
\nSupreme Court of Russian Federation
\n15 Povarskaya Str.
\nMoscow
\nRussian Federation
\n121069<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2<\/div>\n

https:\/\/www.jw.org\/en\/news\/releases\/by-region\/russia\/jw-mobilize-global-response-to-threat-of-ban\/<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK\u00e2\u20ac\u201dThreatened with an imminent ban on their worship in Russia, Jehovah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Witnesses are responding with a direct appeal to Kremlin and Supreme Court officials for relief through a global letter-writing campaign. The Governing Body…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-russia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2836"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5805,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836\/revisions\/5805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jwforum.net\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}