Dear Friends,
An ex-JW, Jacques, entered an action against the Watch Tower.
Reason of such an action : discrimination after exclusion (we know that many among us were suffering (or are still suffering) because, after their excommunication, they were shunned by the WT members and by those of their family "in the truth").
The Court of Liège (a town in Belgium) delivered his jugement a few days ago.
For the moment, Jacques has lost his cause, but something has been gained !
Please read this article published yesterday in an important Belgian media :
FREE TRANSLATION OF AN ARTICLE IN NEWSPAPER "LA DERNIERE HEURE"
More Jehovah, more justice…
Jacques lost all contact with his family
BRUSSELS Qualified a religion by the ones, cult/sect by the others, Jehovah’s Witnesses and their practices remain surrounded by a halo of mystery. Jacques , who lives in Liège, about fifty years old, knows all about it. The man belonged to a congregation for 17 years. In 2002, he was excluded from it because his attitude with regard to the community was considered to be worrying by the hierarchy. This affair might have gone no further.
However, when a member is excluded, he is excluded from contact of any kind with those who are still part of the community. There may be no physical or even verbal contact with him. Undoubtedly a manner of evacuating any risk of subversion. Jacques from one day to the next could no longer see any member of his family who were all always part of the community.
This affair was brought before the courts by Jacques. He assigned the congregation for discrimination and attack on his private life. He was
not the first to attacke the Jehovah’s Witnesses thus. The consequence of exit is always to the advantage of the Witnesses in the name of freedom of worship.
Jacques claimed that he had obtained his personal data file in which the congregation publicly recognized the discriminatory character of his exclusion but especially of its consequences. He obtained a non suit in first instance because, for the Court, discrimination was not established since the rule was the same for everyone.
The man was furious and appealed. The Court of Appeal of Liege has now made its judgement public. It once more decided on a non suit of Jacques’ request by estimating that it was up to him to prove discrimination but for the first time, in its considerations, the Court of Appeal of Liege considered that the instructions with regard to excluded members and followers who wish to leave the community constitute a discrimination.
The Court also noted that moral pressures placed on members to isolate someone excluded could be considered as likely to be a breach of freedom of worship.
Even if Jacques did not obtain direct profit in his lawsuit, this judgement of the Court of Appeal is all the same a victory because it is the first time that the doubtful practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are thus approached by a Court. A door has thus been half-opened for all those who as Jacques were victims of the manoeuvres of Jehovah who count all the same more than 25.000 members in Belgium. --------------------------------------------
Greetings,
Jacques
Don't confuse, my fist name is Jacques as well, but I am not the one who sues the Watch Tower :-)
