The community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Cherkessk faces liquidation

The prosecutor's office of Karachay-Cherkessia demands recognition of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Cherkessk as extremist and its liquidation.

On June 3, 2015, it became known that the prosecutor's office of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic applied to the city court of Cherkessk with a demand to recognize extremist and liquidate the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses Cherkessk.

The reason was that two members of the organization and herself the community were recently fined under Art. 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (mass distribution of extremist materials and their possession for distribution purposes) for possession and distribution of two prohibited pamphlets. After that, the community received a warning about the inadmissibility of extremist activity, however, according to the prosecutor's office, continued to spread prohibited literature. In the event of a ban and liquidation of the community, its members will be under the threat of criminal prosecution under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code for the continuation of the activities of an organization recognized as extremist.

As a reminder, we consider the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and the prohibition of their texts for extremism is unlawful and we perceive them as religious discrimination.

Sources

• The prosecutor's office of the KChR demanded through the court to liquidate the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Cherkessk // RIA Karachay-Cherkessia. 2015. June 3.