AndersonsInfo
JoinedPosts by AndersonsInfo
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Article - New Zealand: Jehovah's Witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/522908/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-last-ditch-court-case-over-abuse-in-care-report?fbclid=iwzxh0bgnhzw0cmteaar1g3qvzxlojo2szcm6xlsf2tsc_0rehd4dp4i6rda6zxafplc_v2hzvvf4_aem_pztghhvtf5to8qsjtv3m0g.
july 23, 2024. jehovah's witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report.
jehovah's witnesses have failed in an eleventh hour attempt to block part of a lengthy report about abuse in care that is about them.. .
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Article - New Zealand: Jehovah's Witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/522908/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-last-ditch-court-case-over-abuse-in-care-report?fbclid=iwzxh0bgnhzw0cmteaar1g3qvzxlojo2szcm6xlsf2tsc_0rehd4dp4i6rda6zxafplc_v2hzvvf4_aem_pztghhvtf5to8qsjtv3m0g.
july 23, 2024. jehovah's witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report.
jehovah's witnesses have failed in an eleventh hour attempt to block part of a lengthy report about abuse in care that is about them.. .
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AndersonsInfo
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/522908/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-last-ditch-court-case-over-abuse-in-care-report?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1g3qVZxlojO2SzcM6Xlsf2tsC_0REhD4dP4I6rDA6zxAFPLc_v2hZVvf4_aem_PztGhHVTf5To8QsJTv3m0g
JULY 23, 2024
Jehovah's Witnesses lose last ditch court case over abuse in care report
Jehovah's Witnesses have failed in an eleventh hour attempt to block part of a lengthy report about abuse in care that is about them.Recommendations from a report into abuse that occurred in state and faith-based care will be made public on Wednesday.
On Friday, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses Australasia filed for interim orders in the Court of Appeal to prevent part of the report about them from being published until their Supreme Court appeal is decided.
They filed to avoid scrutiny altogether.
They asked that part of the final report, a case study on Jehovah's Witnesses, not be published on the Royal Commission's website, that it be kept confidential and not reported on.
Justice Cooke declined the application in a judgement released on Tuesday, citing "considerable public interest" in the report and the fact they had waited till the "very last moment".
He also said the chances of their success in the Supreme Court "must be regarded as low".
Justice Cooke noted no affidavit evidence was filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses in support of the application.
"We nevertheless accept that the appellant has a position to preserve," he said.
"Publicising the section of the report dealing with the issue of abuse by members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith will likely have a reputational impact on the appellant, and the faith more generally."
He said any subsequent decision of the Supreme Court concluding that it was beyond the jurisdiction of the Royal Commission to make such findings may mitigate that impact, but would not eliminate it.
"Having said that, we do not understand there to be a dispute that the Royal Commission received evidence of abuse engaged in by members of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith," Cooke said.
"The appellant's argument in this proceeding has been limited to arguing that the Royal Commission does not have jurisdiction to investigate and report on that abuse because it did not take place in a relevant "care" setting.
"But we nevertheless accept that the proposed order can be seen as necessary to preserve the appellant's position."
A spokesperson for the Australasian Branch of Jehovah's Witnesses said in a statement: "We have serious concerns about the accuracy of the report regarding Jehovah's Witnesses and have no choice but to resort to court to address these issues. READ MORE
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Russia: Further Jail Term For Answering Fellow Prisoners’ Questions About Faith
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.eurasiareview.com/01072024-russia-further-jail-term-for-answering-fellow-prisoners-questions-about-faith/.
july 1, 2024. by f18news.
by victoria arnold.
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AndersonsInfo
July 1, 2024
By F18News
By Victoria Arnold
RUSSIA: Further Jail Term For Answering Fellow Prisoners’ Questions About Faith
Jehovah’s Witness prisoner of conscience Dmitry Terebilov, who has been serving a sentence in a strict-regime labour camp (penal colony) in Kostroma Region, is currently on trial again for having answered questions about his faith from a fellow prisoner. The camp administration has recordings of his conversations. If found guilty, he could receive a further sentence of several years, on top of his present 3-year term.
There have so far been seven hearings, all postponed or adjourned for a variety of reasons. Terebilov is next due to appear in court on 8 August.
Investigators charged 44-year-old Terebilov with “Inclination, recruitment or other involvement of a person in an extremist organisation” (Criminal Code Article 282.2, Part 1.1) and “Participating in a banned extremist organisation” (Article 282.2, Part 2) in December 2023 when he was already jailed (see below).
Although several other Jehovah’s Witnesses have been subject to multiple prosecutions, these investigations and trials have generally overlapped. Terebilov appears to be the first person to be prosecuted for an incident unrelated to the activity which led to his first conviction, and which took place well after the conclusion of his previous case, when he was already imprisoned (see below).
“The only reason for [the initiation of the case] was the fact that the believer answered his cellmate’s questions about Jehovah’s Witness beliefs”, the European Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses noted on 21 June 2023, shortly after it became known that Terebilov was under investigation.
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Article: Pennsylvania man sentenced amid JW sexual abuse investigation
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-man-sentenced-amid-jehovahs-witness-sexual-abuse-investigation/.
(whtm) – a reading man will serve up to 46 years in prison amid the pennsylvania attorney general‘s investigation into alleged sexual abuse of jehovah’s witnesses congregation members.. luis manuel ayala-velasquez, 56, was arrested last year after a grand jury investigation where sexual assault charges were recommended against more than a dozen members of the jehovah’s witnesses faith.. read more: https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-man-sentenced-amid-jehovahs-witness-sexual-abuse-investigation/.
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AndersonsInfo
(WHTM) – A Reading man will serve up to 46 years in prison amid the Pennsylvania Attorney General‘s investigation into alleged sexual abuse of Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation members.
Luis Manuel Ayala-Velasquez, 56, was arrested last year after a grand jury investigation where sexual assault charges were recommended against more than a dozen members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith.
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Jehovah’s Witnesses fail to get state recognition in Lithuania
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2290924/jehovah-s-witnesses-fail-to-get-state-recognition-in-lithuania#:~:text=lithuanian%20lawmakers%20on%20thursday%20denied,in%20favour%2c%20and%20three%20abstained.
jehovah’s witnesses fail to get state recognition in lithuania.
news2024.06.06 13:46. lithuanian lawmakers on thursday denied state recognition to the lithuanian jehovah’s witnesses religious community.. in total, 88 mps voted against granting jehovah’s witnesses state recognition, two were in favour, and three abstained.. according to the seimas, this community does not comply with the lithuanian constitution and its requirement that religious teachings and rituals be in accordance with the law and integrity.. the resolution says that the religious teaching of jehovah’s witnesses prohibiting blood transfusions is incompatible with the constitutional right to life of a human being and the right to state-guaranteed medical aid.. it also says that the community’s teaching prohibiting participation in the defence of the state with weapons or contribution to the defence of the state by non-military means encourages non-compliance with the constitution and its requirements to defend the state against a foreign armed attack.. read more: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2290924/jehovah-s-witnesses-fail-to-get-state-recognition-in-lithuania#:~:text=lithuanian%20lawmakers%20on%20thursday%20denied,in%20favour%2c%20and%20three%20abstained.
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AndersonsInfo
Jehovah’s Witnesses fail to get state recognition in Lithuania
News2024.06.06 13:46
Lithuanian lawmakers on Thursday denied state recognition to the Lithuanian Jehovah’s Witnesses Religious Community.
In total, 88 MPs voted against granting Jehovah’s Witnesses state recognition, two were in favour, and three abstained.
According to the Seimas, this community does not comply with the Lithuanian constitution and its requirement that religious teachings and rituals be in accordance with the law and integrity.
The resolution says that the religious teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses prohibiting blood transfusions is incompatible with the constitutional right to life of a human being and the right to state-guaranteed medical aid.
It also says that the community’s teaching prohibiting participation in the defence of the state with weapons or contribution to the defence of the state by non-military means encourages non-compliance with the constitution and its requirements to defend the state against a foreign armed attack.
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JW's lost their appeal to avoid investigation by a New Zealand Royal Commission
by AndersonsInfo inthe jehovah's witnesses have lost their appeal to avoid investigation by a new zealand royal commission.
"a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church challenging a ruling by the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the court of appeal.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/515102/abuse-in-care-inquiry-jehovah-s-witness-appeal-dismissed.
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AndersonsInfo
The Jehovah's Witnesses have lost their appeal to avoid investigation by a New Zealand Royal Commission. "A legal bid by the Jehovah's Witness church challenging a ruling by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal."
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Article: No more statute of limitations in civil child sex abuse cases in Washington
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_38a99c8e-ebad-11ee-bed3-63c88e943360.html .
mar 26, 2024. a bill that removes the statute of limitations for civil claims on child sexual abuse has been signed into law by gov.
jay inslee.. rep. darya farivar, d-seattle, sponsored house bill 1618.. “we all know that sexual abuse is underreported and that often, people don’t come forward for fear of retaliation or fear it won’t be taken seriously, or because of having to relive that incredible trauma,” he said.
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AndersonsInfo
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_38a99c8e-ebad-11ee-bed3-63c88e943360.html
- Mar 26, 2024
A bill that removes the statute of limitations for civil claims on child sexual abuse has been signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee.
Rep. Darya Farivar, D-Seattle, sponsored House Bill 1618.
“We all know that sexual abuse is underreported and that often, people don’t come forward for fear of retaliation or fear it won’t be taken seriously, or because of having to relive that incredible trauma,” he said. “We also know that trauma significantly impacts how our brains work and it can take time for someone to speak their truth and seek that justice."
Amid debate, Courtney Butler, a concerned citizen, told members of the Law and Justice Committee about the abuse she endured as a teen.
“At the age of sixteen, I was sadistically raped by a coach while I was playing soccer at a Thurston County club. After that happened, I replaced the love of a sport I had played since the age of 5, with shame, self-hatred and depression.”
She told lawmakers she began cutting herself and still looks at the scars on her hands from self-harm.
“Shortly after that, I discovered drugs and it was my outlet, it made me feel nothing, it made me not care about anyone or anything,” she said. “When my statute of limitations ran out, I was in deep addiction and after another woman came forward from the same soccer club but a different coach, I swore that day I would kill myself, rather than come forward and tell my story.”
“To this day I still scream in the middle of the night and have night terrors over what happened to me,” said Butler who settled her case in 2022.
Her attorney, Darrell Cochran with the Washington State Association for Justice told lawmakers when they initially filed suit against the soccer club, “Their insurance and attorneys immediately tried to have the case dismissed because of the statute of limitations.”
He explained how in 1991 Washington lawmakers passed a law removing the statute of limitations for child sex abuse, but he said that law has slowly been eroded because trial courts were given a great deal of opportunity for interpretation of the law.
Cary Silverman with the American Tort Reform Association testified against the bill.
“The bill’s complete abandonment of the statute of limitation is unprecedented and while some may see statutes of limitation as arbitrary, they are critical," he said.
Silverman said he was concerned about this bill opening the door for a flood of legal action going back decades.
“Never before to our knowledge has the state of Washington completely eliminated a statute of limitations for civil action,” Silverman said. “There may be no doubt that a plaintiff experienced horrific abuse, but the question may be difficult or impossible to answer when the perpetrator is dead, the staff at the time is gone, the records haven’t been saved.”
As signed into law, the measure is not retroactive.
Language in the bill reads in part: "There shall be no time limit for bringing any claims or causes of action based on intentional conduct brought by any person for recovery of damages for injury suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse when the act of childhood sexual abuse occurs on or after June 6, 2024."
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Article: Soeharto’s Australian whisperer
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://insidestory.org.au/soehartos-australian-whisperer/?fbclid=iwar0yzjr9b9yfj6i6jczgxaat7rbcdjli3c0_15zs5gylkdko0dutgjx4zeg.
soeharto’s australian whisperer.
how a former jehovah’s witness activist became a secret intermediary between the indonesian leader and the west.
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AndersonsInfo
Soeharto’s Australian whisperer
How a former Jehovah’s Witness activist became a secret intermediary between the Indonesian leader and the West
For decades the outside world tried to understand Soeharto, the little-known Indonesian army general who emerged from Jakarta’s shadowy putsch attempt of 30 September 1965, seized power from the ailing independence leader Sukarno and obliterated the army’s communist opponents by orchestrating mass slaughter.
It took a while for diplomats to realise they had a window into the mind of this reticent figure courtesy of a Westerner — an Australian, in fact —who had become part of Soeharto’s household a decade before these events and was to remain a key intermediary between the general and the West until Soeharto stepped down in 1998. In the words of an American diplomat in Jakarta at that time, Clive Williams was Soeharto’s “Australian whisperer.”
But as former Australian diplomat Shannon Smith writes in his intriguing biography, Occidental Preacher, Accidental Teacher, Williams’s role was kept largely secret from the public for more than fifty years. “Those who knew him in an official capacity are confined to several dozen international diplomats, journalists and politicians, and they had national interest, and sometimes self-interest, in keeping his name, his position and his role out of the public spotlight,” says Smith. The man himself would divulge only that he came from Geelong. “Beyond that, to every single person who ever came across Clive Williams, he was a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery, an enigma.”
So who was Clive Williams? How did this cashiered Jehovah’s Witness missionary and self-trained chiropodist become attached to Soeharto? How important was he in the power transition and Soeharto’s long presidency? And what did he know about the manoeuvrings around the night of 30 September 1965? Thanks to exhaustive research, Smith has answers to the first three of these questions, but only a hint about the fourth.
Williams was born in Geelong in 1921 to a family on the edge of survival, his father shattered by two years as a German prisoner of war. His mother died when he was sixteen, robbing him of close emotional support just as he was coming to the realisation that he was homosexual.
Feeling “hunted” in Geelong, Smith conjectures, Williams needed somewhere to “hide in plain sight.” He found it as a Jehovah’s Witness. Though the sect had only about 2000 followers in Australia, it was well known thanks to its early adoption of new technologies. Sound vans cruising the streets, radio broadcasts, pamphlets and foot-in-the-door house calls — all these were used pushed its millenarian belief that Christ would soon return to Earth and replace all worldly governments with a paradise populated only by Witnesses.
The group was unpopular, of course, and as Australia entered the second world war it was also suspect for its pacifism. Its eventual banning in 1941 added to the attraction for Williams. “An ardent, proselytising Jehovah’s Witness must have felt a real adrenalin rush pitting themself against community standards, breaking laws, and actively seeking pushback or confrontation,” Smith thinks. “Living in a society where one felt pressure for being ‘other’ or ‘less,’ such as a homosexual, it would have been an ideal outlet for barely twenty-year-old Williams to fight back, especially where the attention was on one’s religious beliefs not sexuality.”
Having started out as a self-supporting “pioneer” roaming the towns in a sound-van, Williams graduated to a central role in the Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in Sydney, got exempted from call-up as a religious minister even as the sect continued to operate semi-underground, and then, in 1950, gaining induction into the sect’s global training centre, Gilead, in upstate New York. The following year, when his class was dispatched as missionaries, he landed in Manado, the province in the north of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.
Williams lasted not quite three years in that role. Smith found a cryptic reference in the sect’s records for 1954 — “During the course of the year it became necessary to disfellowship a person from the congregation for unchristian conduct” — but Williams was otherwise expunged from the sect’s history books. He might have been expelled for attending more to charity than conversions, Smith generously observes, but his sexuality seems a more likely cause.
Aged thirty-six, Williams then moved to Semarang in Central Java, taking with him a younger Manadonese man. “It was also a good place to lose oneself or, indeed, hide from view. A place to shake off a religion and find some spirituality, to conceal sexuality, and to reset,” Smith writes. “Over the next few years, Williams delved into Javanese culture, became fluent in the local languages and established a series of lifelong friendships. Like many who enter witness protection, he emerged with a new identity.”
Despite his humble schooling, Williams had always been well spoken, had become a confident speaker from years as a missionary, and no longer had a mission to convert the local Muslims. He quickly tapped into the immense demand for English-language tuition in the new nation, particularly among upper-echelon Indonesians who could pay for classes and textbooks.
Word of Williams’s activities reached Tien Soeharto, wife of the rising army officer. The two struck up a rapport: “he delighted her with his demonstrations of Western etiquette and customs, he became the couples’ English tutor, and like most Australians, he was practical and handy at fixing things (including cutting her in-grown toenails).” Clive also followed international affairs: “he had travelled to London and New York! And his knowledge about the human condition, gained from travelling around the cities and isolated communities of Australia and his missionary work, was extremely broad. To the inward-looking Javanese couple, Williams was a revelation.” READ MORE: https://insidestory.org.au/soehartos-australian-whisperer/?fbclid=IwAR0YzJr9b9YFJ6i6jCzGXaat7RBcdJlI3C0_15ZS5Gylkdko0DutgJx4ZEg
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Article-New Zealand: JW's Church takes case over Abuse in Care ruling to Court of Appeal
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/512321/jehovah-s-witness-church-takes-case-over-abuse-in-care-ruling-to-court-of-appeal?fbclid=iwar0ipoxydannpkym0rbwj-0ffxcmauhknchpvhql2l0azq4-garjfiihsqa.
the court of appeal has reserved its decision in the jehovah's witness church's case challenging the abuse in care inquiry.. in wellington on thursday the church appealed a high court ruling that dismissed its claim to be excluded from the investigation.. the public gallery was packed with members of the church and abuse survivors.. lawyer sarah jerebine began the appeal by challenging the royal commission's decision to extend the inquiry's scope from institutional care to trust-based relationships between authority figures and children.. "it becomes a person with authority, not authority to care but just authority, can assume responsibility for a trust-based relationship.
we say that is something quite different to what was intended and understood by what this commission would be looking at.".
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AndersonsInfo
The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision in the Jehovah's Witness Church's case challenging the Abuse in Care inquiry.
In Wellington on Thursday the church appealed a High Court ruling that dismissed its claim to be excluded from the investigation.
The public gallery was packed with members of the church and abuse survivors.
Lawyer Sarah Jerebine began the appeal by challenging the Royal Commission's decision to extend the inquiry's scope from institutional care to trust-based relationships between authority figures and children.
"It becomes a person with authority, not authority to care but just authority, can assume responsibility for a trust-based relationship. We say that is something quite different to what was intended and understood by what this Commission would be looking at."
Jerebine argued the extension was unlawful because it went beyond the original purpose of the inquiry and the Commission's powers.
She said the appellant wanted the court to publicly declare that illegality.
But the legal team representing the government and the Commission argued extending the scope of the inquiry was not unusual.
Andrew Butler KC said government inquiries evolved over time.
"People look at the terms of inquiry as they're evolving dynamic beasts, for want of a phrase, where the scope does not always stay where it opened on day one."
He said expanding the scope had benefited the victims of many faith-based institutions.
The secondary argument by the Jehovah's Witnesses was that the official amendment order to extend the scope was made with improper motive by the government.
It said that motive was to target the church and interfere with their court proceedings.
Butler KC said that was not true.
He said the commission intended to clarify the scope to allow survivors from any faith to come forward and to serve the strong public interest in the inquiry.
"Particularly for the sake of survivors who continue to wait for the final report and progress on the government's redress work programme."
The appeal comes after the High Court decision in October 2023 to dismiss the Jehovah's Witnesses legal bid to get out of being included in the inquiry.
The church maintains it should be exempt because it did not run institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people.
In her judgement at the time Justice Ellis argued the church could not avoid scrutiny.
Jerebine said the faith was not avoiding being investigated, instead it was challenging errors of law.
Justices Cooper, Goddard and Cooke said the court would make a judgment as soon as possible.
Survivors react
Former Jehovah's Witness elder turned advocate Shayne Mechen was at the hearing and hoped the appeal would be quashed.
He said the faith was avoiding being looked into.
"Not only here, but every other country that is involved in court cases, they are trying to avoid having scrutiny on what they consider is their right and their organisation.
"Jehovah's Witnesses will nitpick the law and care very little about the abuse survivors, whether it's mentally, physically or sexually, they don't care."
Mechen said the appeal was frustrating for victims of abuse by the church and was a waste of time and money.
Another survivor Steve Winyard said when people chose to leave the Jehovah's Witnesses they were treated badly.
"I think it [the court case] needs to go ahead a bit more because other countries are coming down on the Jehovah's Witnesses for shunning families.
"Jehovah's Witness parents are kicking their kids out of home at a very young age as soon as they no longer want to be witnesses."
He wanted the court to take a strong stance against the church's treatment of former members.
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Petition against Ostracism Practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://peticaopublica.com.br/pview.aspx?pi=br137007.
petition against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.
public petition: against ostracism practiced by jehovah's witnesses.
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AndersonsInfo
Petition against Ostracism Practiced by Jehovah's WitnessesTo: All people who were disassociated from the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, all supporters of the cause and the Public Ministry and other competent authorities.We, citizens concerned about human rights and social inclusion, have through this public petition expressed our concern regarding the ostracism practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses. The purpose of this petition is to raise the voice in defense of individuals affected by this practice and demand its elimination.Ostracism is a form of social discrimination that occurs when a person is disassociated, ignored or isolated from their family, friends, co-workers and religious community. Unfortunately, this type of treatment has been reported by thousands of former members of Jehovah's Witnesses.We firmly believe that everyone should have the right to openly express their religious beliefs and that no one should be discriminated against, marginalized or isolated for exercising this freedom. The ostracism practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses goes against universal principles of human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, as well as equality.We demand that Jehovah's Witnesses review their policies and practices regarding ostracism to ensure that no individual is subjected to such inhumane and unfair treatment. We call for the creation of guidelines that promote dialogue, freedom and mutual respect among its members and former members, regardless of their religious choices.Furthermore, we demand that those who were subjected to ostracism be fully reintegrated into their families, communities and support networks, without any damage to their emotional and social bonds. Respect for human dignity must be the guiding principle of all actions and decisions of Jehovah's Witnesses.Through this petition, we ask the Public Prosecutor's Office and the competent authorities to investigate the practice of ostracism by Jehovah's Witnesses, in order to ensure compliance with national and international human rights laws. It is the State's duty to protect individuals, and individual rights are universal.Together, we can create a more inclusive, respectful and fair society for everyone. Sign this petition and help combat the ostracism practiced by Jehovah's Witnesses. Let's fight for equality and religious freedom.Sign this petition and make a difference!SUBSCRIBE UndersignedPetição contra o Ostracismo Praticado pelas Testemunhas de JeováO seu apoio é muito importante. Apoie esta causa. Assine o Abaixo-Assinado.
