Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, July 17, 2017
MOSCOW, Russia – The Appellate Chamber of Russia’s Supreme Court today threw out the appeal of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs)seeking to upturn the April 20, 2017 decision of the Supreme Court, which liquidated the administrative centre of JWs and in the process outlawed their activities in Russia.
“Today, the Appellate Chamber of Russia’s Supreme Court ruled against Jehovah’s Witnesses, upholding the April 20 decision to liquidate their Administrative Center and effectively ban their worship.
“Despite this outcome, we are confident that Jehovah will continue to support our brothers in Russia. (Hebrews 13:6) Please continue to “carry on prayer” for them.—2 Thessalonians 3:1”, the JWs said in a statement.
The JWS are now left with the option of approaching the European Court of Human Right, ECHR, which is likely to rule in favour of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In 2004, a Russian court ruled to liquidate the registered legal entity of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Moscow and ban its activities and in the process engendered a wave of persecution against the group.
The Witnesses filled a complain at the ECHR. In 2010, the ECHR held that religious intolerance was behind Russia’s ban on the JWs and ruled that there was no reason to uphold decision of the Russian court since there was no evidence of wrong doing on the part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The ECHR observed that the ban was designed to strip the JWs of their legal rights and upheld that Jehovah’s Witnesses have right to FREEDOM OF RELIGION.
