Jehovah’s Witnesses turn to Council of Europe over Russia’s refusal to execute ECHR ruling

RAPSI
May 22, 2017

MOSCOW, May 22 (RAPSI) – The Jehovah's Witnesses organization banned in Russia as extremist has filed a complaint with the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe over Moscow's refusal to implement a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

A copy of the application has been published on the website of the Council of Europe.

In March 2004, the Golovinsky District Court has granted prosecutors motion seeking to liquidate Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow (Moscow LRO). Following that, the religious organization lodged a complaint with ECHR. In June 2010, ECHR ruled in favor of applicants and ordered Russia to pay them € 20,000 in compensation and €50,000 in respect of costs and expense.

The Russian government has refused "to implement the above-mentioned judgment," according to the application filed with the Council of Europe.

"The situation is now critical. On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia granted the application of the Ministry of Justice of Russia and banned Jehovah's Witnesses nationwide and ordered the liquidation of their national legal entity, the Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (Administrative Centre), and 395 local religious organizations (LROs) of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the Moscow LRO. This is now the second time the applicant organization has been liquidated", the complaint signed by lawyer John M. Burns reads.

The Supreme Court of Russia banned Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist organization in April 2017.

The Justice Ministry said that violations of the law "On Combatting Extremism" had been revealed during inspection conducted in the organization. The Prosecutor General's Office's notice concerning inadmissibility of carrying out extremist activities by Jehovah's Witnesses has taken effect, the Ministry said.

Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization has had many legal problems in Russia. Since 2009, 95 materials distributed by the organization in the country have been declared extremist and 8 Jehovah's Witnesses' branches have been liquidated.

Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Since 2004 several branches and chapters of the organization were banned and shut down in various regions of Russia.

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20170522/278673058.html

Armenian government to pay out 112,000 euro to Jehovah's Witnesses

YEREVAN, May 8, 2013 (RAPSI) - The Armenian government allocated €112,000 to the Justice Ministry during its meeting on Wednesday to be paid out to Jehovah’s Witnesses in accordance with a judgment rendered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in November 2012, according to an official statement.

In 2004, the claimants were assigned service positions in such institutions as hospitals and nursing homes as an alternative to military service based on their religious views. The following year, they informed their institutions that they would no longer be willing to serve due to the fact that their alternative service positions were controlled by the military. Criminal proceedings were brought against the applicants based on the refusal to serve, and they were placed in detention. Based on these issues, they filed complaints with the ECHR, alleging violations of their rights under the European Convention of Human Rights (Convention).

The ECHR held that with regards to most of the applicants, there had been violations of the right to liberty and security and the right to compensation for unlawful detention, in violation of Article 5 of the Convention. Accordingly, the Court held that each claimant whose rights were found to have been violated should receive €6,000 in non-pecuniary damages, and that the lot of them should be awarded €10,000 for costs and expenses.

http://rapsinews.com/judicial_information/20130508/267305169.html

Russia violated Jehovah’s Witnesses rights by disclosing medical records - ECHR

STRASBOURG, June 6, 2013 (RAPSI, Ingrid Burke) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) held Thursday that the rights of two Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia had been violated when their medical records were disclosed to prosecution authorities as a consequence of their refusal to accept blood transfusions.

According to the website of the international Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization, adherents do not categorically reject all forms of medical treatment. The organization does, however, reject certain specific treatments, including blood transfusions. As explained by the website: “Some treatments conflict with Bible principles… and we reject these. For example, we don’t accept blood transfusions because the Bible forbids taking in blood to sustain the body. (Acts 15:20) Likewise, the Bible prohibits health treatments or procedures that include occult practices.—Galatians 5:19-21.”

According to the ECHR judgment, in light of a pending prosecutorial inquiry into the religious organization, a St. Petersburg Deputy City Prosecutor had asked the local health authorities to instruct all of the city’s medical institutions to report each instance of the refusal by Jehovah’s Witnesses to accept the transfusion of blood or blood components. The prosecutor had written a letter in June 2007 explaining: “the city prosecutor’s office is investigating the lawfulness of the activity of the religious organisation known as the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The ideology of the said organisation forbids its adherents to accept transfusions of blood or blood components. An investigation has established that in a series of cases refusals of blood transfusions hindered the administration of qualified medical care and aggravated the illness. In view of the above, I request that you instruct all medical institutions in St Petersburg to inform the committee, without delay, of any incidents of refusal of transfusion of blood or its components by individuals who are members of the said religious organisation.”

ECHR looks into Russia’s treatment of Jehovah’s Witness

MOSCOW, March 25, 2014 (RAPSI) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) communicated a vast collection of complaints this month to Russia in connection with the treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the country.

Russia and the applicants were asked earlier this month to consider a plethora of questions related to treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their congregations in light of the European Convention on Human Rights’ (Convention) guarantees of religious freedom and free expression, as well as its prohibition of discrimination.

According to court documents, in 2007, a Russian Deputy Prosecutor General notified the country’s prosecutors’ offices that the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other foreign religious and charitable organizations may have constituted a public threat.

The letter stated: “There are various branches of foreign religious and charitable organizations within the territory of Russia whose activities do not formally violate the provisions of Russian legislation but quite often promote the growth of tension in society.”

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) looks into Russia’s treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses

MOSCOW, March 25 (RAPSI) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) communicated a vast collection of complaints this month to Russia in connection with the treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the country.

Russia and the applicants were asked earlier this month to consider a plethora of questions related to treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their congregations in light of the European Convention on Human Rights’ (Convention) guarantees of religious freedom and free expression, as well as its prohibition of discrimination.

According to court documents, in 2007, a Russian Deputy Prosecutor General notified the country’s prosecutors’ offices that the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other foreign religious and charitable organizations may have constituted a public threat.