The ECHR demanded that Russia stop persecuting Jehovah's Witnesses

The European Court of Human Rights has found the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses organizations and the criminal prosecution of believers to be in violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). The corresponding information is posted on the court’s website.

decision The Court issued a ruling in the case “MRO Taganrog and others v. Russia”, in which it concluded that by banning the activities of communities of Jehovah’s Witnesses and prosecuting them for extremism, Russia violated four articles of the ECHR:

— on the right to personal freedom and integrity (Article 5); — about the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 9); — on the rights to freedom of expression (Article 10) and freedom of assembly and association (Article 11).

In addition, the court noted that during the persecution of believers, Russia violates the first article of Protocol No. 1 (the right to respect for private property).

In a press release, that, from the point of view of the ECHR, the ban on the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses became possible due to the fact that the definition of the term “extremism” in Russian legislation is too broad and “can be applied to absolutely peaceful forms of speech.” The court also noted that the criminal prosecution of believers was based on “unacceptably vague formulations and enforcement of anti-extremist legislation.”

indicated In the case “MRO Taganrog and others v. Russia,” the ECHR consolidated 20 complaints that Jehovah’s Witnesses filed from 2010 to 2019. In total, 1,444 applicants participated in the case, of which 1,014 were believers themselves, 430 were legal entities established by them. The court estimated the total amount of compensation for non-material damage at 3,447,250 euros, also demanding that all confiscated property be returned to the believers or reimbursed for its value.

• On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” as an extremist organization, liquidated it and banned its activities in Russia. In August, all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations were added to the list of prohibited organizations. After this, a stream of criminal cases began against Jehovah's Witnesses throughout Russia.