Jehovah's Witnesses have come to be associated with door knocking, shunning holiday celebrations, and their refusal to pledge allegiance or involve themselves in politics in the United States. But in Russia, they have been characterized by the state as an extremist group, and on Thursday, April 20, were legally banned from operating in the country by a supreme court ruling.
The Christian organization has been ordered to immediately shut down its headquarters and all of its local chapters or face revocation of its properties by Russia's justice ministry. There are a reported 170,000 converts and 395 locations that facilitate the group's practices and administration throughout the former USSR. According to justice ministry attorney Svetlana Borisova, Witnesses, “pose a threat to the rights of the citizens, public order and public security," and he points out that some of their practices, such as their refusal to receive blood transfusions, violates public health laws. The state has also banned the organization's literature, posing it as hateful propaganda.
The Jehovah's Witnesses have vowed to appeal the ruling tooth and nail, stating through a spokesperson that the group is “greatly disappointed by this development and deeply concerned about how this will affect our religious activity”. The Human Rights Watch organization has also spoken up on behalf of Jehovah's Witnesses, issuing a statement that, “The supreme court’s ruling to shut down the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia is a terrible blow to freedom of religion and association in Russia."
Source: theguardian.com
