Helsinki Commission Condemns Pending Legal Action against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia

WASHINGTON—Following the Russian government’s request for its Supreme Court to effectively ban Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia from worshipping, claiming that they are members of an “extremist organization,” Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (MS), Co-Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), and Commissioner Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-08), issued the following statements:

“It is wrong to apply flawed counterterrorism laws to those who seek to practice their faith,” said Chairman Wicker. “The Russian government is exploiting genuine threats of violent extremism to undermine what little religious freedom remains in that country. This distracts from real efforts to fight terrorism. I urge the Russian government to drop the case immediately.”

HELSINKI COMMISSION CONDEMNS PENDING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES IN RUSSIA

“At stake in the upcoming court case is the legality and perhaps the survival of the Jehovah’s Witnesses—and in fact basic religious freedom—throughout the Russian Federation,” said Co-Chairman Smith. “If the Supreme Court of Russia declares this faith group an extremist organization, it is an ominous sign for all believers and it marks a dark, sad day for all Russians.”

“As a staunch supporter of religious liberty, I am appalled by the Russian government treating an entire religious group as a threat to national security,” said Commissioner Hudson. “Religious affiliation should never be a justification for persecution.”


According to the Helsinki Final Act signed by all 57 participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – including Russia – “participating States will recognize and respect the freedom of the individual to profess and practice, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience.”

They are too extreme for Russia.

They are already banned in many other countries in the Middle East but we just ignore all of those countries and concentrate on the big bad Russians.

Go Russia. This is an extremist church as we are finding out right now in Australia.

P

originally posted by: pheonix358

Go Russia. This is an extremist church as we are finding out right now in Australia.

P

How?

I have friends who are JW. They are complety non violent. There teaching tell them to follow all the laws of the country they live in. How can you class them as extremist or dangrous?

I have never meet more honest and peacefull people.

a reply to: pheonix358

I believe there are four countries, that I know of on earth where there are no Jehovah's Witnesses. Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Saudia Arabia.

Like you said they are banned throughout these Muslim extremist countries and would die for practicing their faith. Jesus told his followers:

(Matthew 10:22, 23) . . .And you will be hated by all people on account of my name, but the one who has endured to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to you, you will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel until the Son of man arrives.

And persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses is nothing new. Hitler banned them, the United States banned them, Great Britain banned them, Japan banned them, Italy banned them, and 100's of other countries during WWII.

It is not because they are extremist. But because they are true Christians and refused to go to war for Hitler, or Stalin, or Japan, etc.

While the Churches of Christendom prostituted themselves as whores to the governments they were in, and willingly sent their followers to main and murder each other, Jehovah's Witnesses refused to do so, and that is why they are persecuted.

An excellent documentary of the decades of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the U. S. S. R. under Stalin:

An excellent documentary of the persecution of a girl in Nazi controlled Germany which one of the above posters seems to be happy about:

a reply to: RobertConrad

So JWs refused to "murder" anyone so they were persecuted?

I don't know why JWs refused. There's been plenty of them who have murdered other people.

I think Russia's on the right track by banning murderous cults. I think the rest of the world should follow suit.

originally posted by: RobertConrad
An excellent documentary of the decades of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the U. S. S. R. under Stalin:

Yeah but who didn't Stalin persecute?

Stalin would've persecuted Stalin himself if he had information that Stalin was involved in a conspiracy against Stalin.

Yeah.

originally posted by: Ohanka

originally posted by: RobertConrad
An excellent documentary of the decades of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the U. S. S. R. under Stalin:

Yeah but who didn't Stalin persecute?

Stalin would've persecuted Stalin himself if he had information that Stalin was involved in a conspiracy against Stalin.

Yeah.

Former President Dimitri Medvedev during the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression acknowledges this. He stated:

“Today is the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression. . . . It is impossible to grasp the scale of sheer terror that swept across the country . . . Whole sectors and classes of our nation were exterminated. . . . Followers of all religious confessions were persecuted. [This memorial is for the] millions of ruined lives—for people executed without trial or record; for people exiled and sent to concentration camps, deprived of civil rights for having the ‘wrong’ occupation or the ‘improper social origins.’ The label ‘enemies of the nation’ and their ‘abettors’ was applied to entire families. Let’s just think about it: Millions of people died as a result of terror and false accusations. They were deprived of all rights, even the right to a humane burial. For many years, their names were simply erased from history.

“There is no excuse for repression.”

Among the list of literature considered "extremist" is:

My Book of Bible Stories

I invite any all all to read it and try to find something extremist in it.

All the other publications listed as extremist can also be found online at

JW.ORG

a reply to: RobertConrad

Sorry, but I won't be going to any cult websites.

As long as your cult refuses to give dying children blood transfusions and organ transplants I think the states around the world should take action against it, as well as similar cults, as they seem detrimental to the health of their members.

Hopefully more states around the world take similar action.

originally posted by: Ohanka
As long as your cult refuses to give dying children blood transfusions and organ transplants I think the states around the world should take action against it, as well as similar cults, as they seem detrimental to the health of their members.

Hopefully more states around the world take similar action.

1) What is the diffrence between a cult and a religion?

2) Is not putting non violent members in prison with actual VIOLENT criminals detrimental to there health?

3) No one is forceing you to become and JW are not comminting terrorist acts so why the # is it any of your business who or what they worship?

a reply to: crazyewok

I have never meet more honest and peaceful people.

But I bet you don't go around with them selling god door to door. Do you invite them in to your house when they knock, adopt their ways, join their 'religious order?

Lip service.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: crazyewok

I have never meet more honest and peaceful people.

But I bet you don't go around with them selling god door to door. Do you invite them in to your house when they knock, adopt their ways, join their 'religious order?

Lip service.

Why should I care about them going door to door. It does not hurt anyone. They don’t force there way into homes with weapons and force conversation. Tell them to leave and they leave. If people knocking on your door threatens you I suggest getting counselling.

Wake me up when they start blowing people up or beheading people

My Mother-In-Love and Sister-In-Love are both JW....

They are the kindest, most polite, non violent people I know.

It's only ONCE been my experience that they are a dangerous people and really it was just one person who gave me this impression sadly....

My best friend in Highschool, I didn't even know she was JW until AFTER highschool when I met my sons father, and found out how he knew her, from his childhood church, the kingdom hall or w/e its called. Then it all made sense... When we were in HS she always wanted me to spend the night, but I couldn't most nights because it seemed she had church multiple times a week. I told her, fine I'll just go to church with you.

She made it pretty obvious that this would for some reason be a problem so I never pushed it. One day she wanted to hang out with me and said she was on her way. Hours passed and she never showed up. The next day at school I was pretty worried when she came in scraped and bruised up, all over her arms and legs and face......

Her mother allegedly came home while she was on her way to see me- to make sure my friend had cleaned the house before going out I guess. She hadn't done a good enough job, so according to her, her mother came back down the hill, saw her walking and just hit her with the car.

She Hit her with the car because I WAS TOO WORLDLY. She told her, I wasn't her spiritual friend, I was her worldly friend, and so she hit her with her freaking car for not cleaning the house before going to see me.......... I never put 2 and 2 together until I met my sons father and he explained to me how weird some of the people he had gone to church with were.

I've never heard of any of my other friends parents doing anything like that for any reason, part of me does not blame the church but I think her mom was a nut in the first place. Other than that, I can't think of anything I've seen that would lead me to believe the church as a whole is extremist or terrorist.


So even though my sons father's family is JW they are very kind to us despite our not believing in the same things they do. They never make me feel awkward for cussing around them, or talking about drinking or gambling or puffing or anything. They know our lifestyle and we know theirs and we respect each others choices. Very different from my HS best friends mother.

Have I missed something else somewhere? I'd be happy to read about it if I have, if anyone finds something cray cray feel free to shoot me a link.

-Alee

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: crazyewok

I have never meet more honest and peaceful people.

But I bet you don't go around with them selling god door to door. Do you invite them in to your house when they knock, adopt their ways, join their 'religious order?

Lip service.

Why should I care about them going door to door. It does not hurt anyone. They don’t force there way into homes with weapons and force conversation. Tell them to leave and they leave. If people knocking on your door threatens you I suggest getting counselling.

Wake me up when they start blowing people up or beheading people

Lol controlling your mind is worse than being 'blown up'.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: crazyewok

I have never meet more honest and peaceful people.

But I bet you don't go around with them selling god door to door. Do you invite them in to your house when they knock, adopt their ways, join their 'religious order?

Lip service.

Why should I care about them going door to door. It does not hurt anyone. They don’t force there way into homes with weapons and force conversation. Tell them to leave and they leave. If people knocking on your door threatens you I suggest getting counselling.

Wake me up when they start blowing people up or beheading people

Lol controlling your mind is worse than being 'blown up'.

That can be said of ALL religions. So why just single out JW's?

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: crazyewok

I have never meet more honest and peaceful people.

But I bet you don't go around with them selling god door to door. Do you invite them in to your house when they knock, adopt their ways, join their 'religious order?

Lip service.

Why should I care about them going door to door. It does not hurt anyone. They don’t force there way into homes with weapons and force conversation. Tell them to leave and they leave. If people knocking on your door threatens you I suggest getting counselling.

Wake me up when they start blowing people up or beheading people

Lol controlling your mind is worse than being 'blown up'.

That can be said of ALL religions. So why just single out JW's?

Your reference to Islam "beheading people" is disingenuous. Bombs behead people with concussion, I don't see you beating about that Bush.