RUSSIAN M.I.D. CONFIRMS THAT JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES HAVE
THE RIGHT TO
PROFESS THEIR RELIGION
Jehovah's
Witnesses, Monitoring news media, 26 February 2021
Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Smolensk
Square, building 32/34
Moscow
119200
Response to communication
20
February 2021
To:
Irina Vladimirovna Yakku
Arkhangelsk
Oblast
Primorskii
District
[remainder
of address illegible]
Esteemed
Irina Vladimirovna
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has
reviewed your appeal
regarding compliance with domestic legislation and international
obligations of
our country, in view of the decision finding the religious
organization
“Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” to be
extremist and,
consequently, liquidating it.
The
aforesaid measure was taken on 20 April 2017 and it was
confirmed by an
appellate determination on 17 July 2017 and left in effect by
the Supreme Court
of the Russian Federation, in response to a lawsuit by the
Ministry of Justice
of the Russian Federation, based on the results of necessary
investigations in
full compliance with the norms of domestic and international
law. At the same
time, the text of the decision maintains that during the
consideration of the
case there was no assessment either of the legality of the
religious convictions
of Jehovah’s Witnesses or of means of their expression, but only
of specific
illegal activities of the aforesaid organization.
In
addition, the step taken did not restrict the right of citizens
to freedom of
religious confession, inasmuch as according to article 7 of the
federal law “On
freedom of conscience and religious associations,” the
possibility of
exercising such a right exists both through registered religious
associations
and also through groups of adherents of one or another religion
that do not
require registration. In other words, members of the liquidated
organization
may independently practice their religion, including within
religious groups
that do not require registration, provided that this is not
connected with the
conduct of extremist activity.
The
aforementioned decisions involving the Administrative Center of
Jehovah’s
Witnesses were taken in complete accordance with the
international obligations
of the Russian Federation in the sphere of civil rights.
[signed]
R. Aliautdinov,
Director
of the Department
for Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights
(tr. by PDS, posted 26 February
2021)
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