16 January 2010, 21:00
Human rights defenders urge Russia's authorities to stop oppressing Jehovah's Witnesses
Activists of civil society made a statement calling the Russian authorities to stop the practice of persecuting the religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses and other "non-title" religious communities in Russia and protect believers against illegal oppressions.
"Today, violations of rights of Jehovah's Witnesses (same as of some other 'non-title' religious communities) are committed not only in Russia, but also in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, other countries of the region, down to prohibition of activities and criminal prosecution for belonging to this allegedly destructive 'sect' in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan," says the statement "Prosecutions of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia: Rehabilitated Ones Are Repressed Again", the text of which was prepared by human rights defender Lev Levinson, an expert of Institute of Human Rights.
The statement notes that protection of believers against illegal prosecutions is actual everywhere, where such prosecutions occur. "But today we find it vitally crucial to draw special attention to the status of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, where we see a transition from the stage of numerous violations of believers' constitutional rights and freedoms to the stage of persecutions," the authors explain.
Human rights defenders also address Russian Ombudsman, Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and Council at the President of the Russian Federation for Promoting Civil Society Development and Human Rights with an appeal "to make efforts towards eradication of state-initiated chase of religious minorities."
See earlier reports: "Jehovah's Witnesses prepare complaint to Strasbourg against judicial bans in SFD", "FIDH: Russia's anti-extremist laws give grounds to persecute dissidents", "Jehovah's Witnesses win the case against Georgia in Strasbourg".
