Jehovah's Witnesses News

For Immediate Release
June 25, 2010

Two are held in jail for weeks on false charges of burglary

LOBNYA, Russia—More than six weeks after two female Jehovah’s Witnesses were arrested while preaching, they are still being held in jail on the false charges of burglarizing homes in the Moscow area. It has not been possible to secure their release despite intense effort put forth by their attorneys and by their religious community. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12%

For Immediate Release
June 25, 2010

CHEREPOVETS, Russia—All 25 administrative cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Cherepovets, Vologda Region, were dismissed as of May 24, 2010. Attempts to initiate criminal proceedings against the chairman of the Local Religious Organization under Article 282 of the Criminal Code, “Incitement of Hatred or Enmity,” were rejected twice. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 9%

For Immediate Release
June 24, 2010

LOUVIERS, France—More than 210,000 persons in metropolitan France attended Jehovah’s Witnesses’ annual event marking the anniversary of the death of Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 9%

For Immediate Release
June 21, 2010

GOMEL, Belarus—Dmitri Smyk wanted to exercise his constitutional right to choose civilian service instead of military service. While this young citizen of Belarus had previously been found guilty of having broken the law and was heavily fined, the Court of Tsentralniy District of Gomel considered the case at length and on May 31, 2010, found him innocent. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7%

Church members and religious groups complain that the state does not authorise them to operate on the basis of pretexts or by silently ignoring them. Without a permit, even meeting to pray can be punished. After many years, the Central Protestant Church is still fighting for its rights.

Tashkent (AsiaNews/F18) – “For more than a year our Church has been trying to establish” that the decision to strip us of our permit was illegal; however, “All the courts either say it is not within their competence or remain silent” on the matter, a member of Samarkand’s Central Protestant Church told the Forum 18 news agency. This illustrates how Uzbek authorities pursue a systematic strategy to deny religious groups the permit they need to exist, and then use it as a pretext to crack down on believers. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6%

For Immediate Release
June 17, 2010

KHUJAND, Tajikistan—The Khujand City Prosecutor has revived a criminal case against 17 Jehovah’s Witnesses and interested persons who were attending a peaceful religious meeting in a private home on June 4, 2009, in the northern city of Khujand. The new case was filed on May 6, 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7%

By Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service , and Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

Human rights defenders and religious communities remain highly concerned about a school religious studies textbook which, in the words of one local specialist, contains “aggressive, sometimes insulting and even offensive” language about some Kazakh religious communities. Among those who have expressed concern to Forum 18 News Service are Ahmadi Muslims, Protestant Christians, Hare Krishna devotees, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the state Religious Affairs Committee. Human rights defenders have also expressed concern about the textbook’s echoing of officials’ rhetoric against freedom of religion or belief. The lead author of the textbook, Senator Garifolla Esim, claimed to Forum 18 that “I have not said anything negative about any of the officially registered religious groups”. Numerous criticisms have been made of the textbook, ‘Introduction to Religious Studies’, one Kazakh expert bluntly stating that “the book propagandises intolerance, so it should be banned for use in schools”. Senator Esim also told Forum 18 that he and fellow law-makers are working on a draft law similar to a previous draft severely restricting freedom of religion or belief. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 6%

For Immediate Release
June 15, 2010

KRICHEV, Belarus—On a Saturday afternoon in the Mogilev district, six Jehovah’s Witnesses were at the home of a 75-year-old friend and fellow believer. They had gathered there to visit and to discuss thoughts from the Bible. But they didn’t know that on this day they had already been targeted for a search and seizure. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 8%

For Immediate Release
June 10, 2010

STRASBOURG—On Thursday, June 10, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) moved further to protect religious freedom in Russia. The seven judges were unanimous in declaring the liquidation and ban on the activities of the Moscow Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses as unlawful and in violation of the fundamental human rights of freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

In rejecting all the government’s allegations, the judges emphasized that today’s ruling is binding upon Russia and that Russia should take steps to “put an end to the violation found by the Court and to redress so far as possible the effects.” Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12%

Members of AFSCME Local 3145 in Connecticut demonstrate for a fair contract with the Red Cross last October.

by James Parks

The federal government must step up enforcement of rules protecting the nation’s blood supply and force the Red Cross to drastically improve its blood safety practices, several groups said today.

During a press conference in Washington, D.C., this morning, leaders of the AFL-CIO, the Workers Committee for Blood Safety, the National Consumers League, the Committee of Ten Thousand and the Hemophilia Federation of America called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase enforcement action with the Red Cross and ensure the safety of the nation’s blood supply. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 10%