For Immediate Release
February 12, 2002
Trial to ban Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow resumes again
MOSCOW—Today the Moscow City Court resumes a retrial in which the prosecutor continues seeking to ban the religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow.
After six years of criminal and civil proceedings, in February 2001 the Moscow prosecutor failed to liquidate Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow. Nevertheless, on May 30, 2001, the appellate Moscow City Court ordered a retrial. The aim of this civil case in Moscow is not only to liquidate the religious community of Jehovah's Witnesses but to ban it as well. Should the prosecution win, Jehovah's Witnesses will be denied fundamental constitutional rights, including the right to hold religious gatherings (even in private homes) and the right to import religious literature. During both trials the prosecutor even expressed the hope that a ban in Moscow would set a precedent throughout Russia.
Last year, over 275,000 persons throughout Russia attended the most important event recognized by Jehovah's Witnesses, the annual commemoration of Christ's death.
Contacts: Russian-speaking, Jaroslav Sivulskii, mobile telephone: + (7) 8 902 682 8197
English-speaking, mobile telephone: + (7) 812 936 61 04