In the Krasnodar Territory, the prosecutor's office demands the liquidation of the Jehovah's Witnesses community as extremist

The prosecutor's office of the Krasnodar Territory filed a lawsuit in which it demands that the community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Abinsk be recognized as extremist and liquidated.

December 16, 2014 Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnodar Territory reported that it had filed a claim with the Krasnodar Regional Court declaration of recognition as extremist and liquidation of the local religious organization of the Witnesses Jehovah in Abinsk.

The prosecutor's office bases the claim on the fact that a certain member of the Abinsk community of Jehovah's Witnesses was brought to administrative responsible for distributing the books Mankind's Search for God and What Does the Bible Really Teach? The Bible: God's or Man's Word?, included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials, the organizations were issued a warning against extremist activity, but members of the organization continued to distribute religious literature.

This is already the third attempt known to us to ban the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist. In 2009 Rostov the regional court recognized the Taganrog community of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist and liquidated it, with from our point of view, is wrong. In 2014, 16 members of the community, not recognized the decision of the court, were sentenced under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization activities of an extremist organization) to various penalties for continued holding prayer meetings and studying religious texts. Sentence was appealed by both parties, and on 12 December 2014 the Rostov Regional Court canceled it and sent case for retrial.

In 2008, an attempt was made to liquidate the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Gorno-Altaisk, but on January 18, 2008, the Supreme Court of the Altai Republic rejected the claim to liquidate the organization as extremist.

Recall we consider the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and the banning of their texts as extremism unlawful and perceive them as religious discrimination.

Sources

• The Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnodar Territory applied to the court to liquidate the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Abinsk in connection with the implementation of extremist activities // Website of the Prosecutor's Office of the Krasnodar Territory. 2014. December 16.