China Crisis | 18 members of Jehovah's Witnesses arrested and indicted (page 3)

smiddy3

Will the gb now send funds or a lawyer to defend them?

good luck with that one zeb.

Corney

cofty,

You're right - certain expressions in my comment were inappropriate.

jwleaks,

I want to apologize to you for the offensive language in my comment. I don't retract other parts of the comment and still think you were wrong, but it doesn't excuse name-calling. I'm sorry.

yalbmert99,

Bitter Winter is one of the most informative resources about religious freedom in China. And their translation is better than ChinaAid's one.

smiddy3,

Those JWs couldn't know the consequences. Wording of Article 300 is extremely vague, and the same applies to interpretation provided by the Supreme People's Court. And JW religion never has been placed on any xie jiao list.

They knew, or should have known they could be prosecuted for administrative "offence" of violating Religious Affairs Regulations, not for "crime". That prosecution violates not only freedom of religion but also fundamental rule of law values including the well-established principle of nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege certa (the prohibition of determining criminal offences and penalties by means of void, undefined, or unclear concepts).

DATA-DOG

The specific consequences are irrelevant as the JWs knew they were breaking the law. They willingly volunteer to enter China with the intent of conducting what they know to be illegal activities.

They just don’t think they will ever get caught.

We may disagree with the Chinese government but the fact remains; the GB, their lawyers, and those “witnessing” knew they were breaking the law in China.

DD

Dmitry

Article 300 of the Criminal Code of China has sanctions from 3 to 7 years in prison. Aggravating circumstances suggest 7 or more years.

So, 18 people will be guaranteed to sit, but GB is silent. Goats! Does anyone else have doubts that their priority is the US state interests?

eyeuse2badub

What could possibly be a greater honor for a jw than to be 'thrown into prison" for the sake of the ~~fake~~ good news? Didn't jesus say his followers would be persecuted? And only jw's are persecuted---right?

just saying!

Corney

DD The specific consequences are irrelevant as the JWs knew they were breaking the law.

No, they aren't irrelevant. Nulla poena sine lege. Just because a person has broken a legal rule, doesn't mean government is authorized to break the law, and its fundamental principles. The opposite contradicts the very idea of law. Or do you think that it would be OK for authorities to suddenly, arbitrarily and retroactively declare some copyright violations, say, "acts of cyberterrorism" and punish them accordingly?

DD They willingly volunteer to enter China

All the defendants are Chinese citizens born in China. Did you read the indictment?

Dmitriy So, 18 people will be guaranteed to sit, but GB is silent. Goats! Does anyone else have doubts that their priority is the US state interests?

Can you explain your "logic"? Now, when the confrontation between the US and China is escalating, and the US Government repeatedly accuses China of human rights violations, Watchtower's silence about those Witnesses proves... What does it prove? And can you provide a single fact really supporting your claim?

Jehalapeno

The specific consequences are irrelevant as the JWs knew they were breaking the law.

Imagine this: "Yeah, it sucks those apostates had to be flogged, but they should've known blasphemy was against the law to begin with." - Saudi Arabia

BluesBrother

These Witnesses have my sympathy .As individuals they are just folk who know what they are taught and did what they thought was right.

The news reports from Hong Kong last week should show us that over there, things are not the same as here.

I can remember when JW missionaries Harold King and Stanley Jones were released after many years imprisonment in China. Times don't change much

Hairtrigger

Where the fcuk were those “ angels” that JWs so proudly tout around- the ones that guard and protect them when they are out on service in dangerous territory.

One angel - according to the god jah-can slaughter 180000 in one night, but in China, a whole army of them is rendered shitless, abandon their posts in protecting the spreaders of their god’s “ good news of the kingdom”, and allow their God’s people to be arrested and whatever else ! One wonders at what excuse they are presenting their god with? “ Fools venture where angels...” !

DATA-DOG

If you don’t want to be arrested in China, then don’t do something illegal. Those Chinese people arrested were associated with people who were knowingly breaking the law, and they knew good and well that by becoming witnesses they were breaking the law as well.

When you break the law there are consequences. When you break the law in a communist country the consequences may be more severe, and the government may not play by the rules.

Everyone involved knowingly participated in breaking the law. You may not like it, and the Chinese government may be in the wrong, but the witnesses broke the law. End of story.

Expecting a different outcome reflects a staggering level of hubris, but that should be no surprise when it comes to JW leaders and congregants.

DD

China Crisis | 18 members of Jehovah's Witnesses arrested and indicted

Share this