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Jehovah's Witnesses in struggle over church building

EVERYTHING IS JEHOVAH'S
by Viacheslav Antonov
Vremia novostei, 29 September 2008

Residents of Dzerzhinsk of Nizhny Novgorod province are unhappy about a religious sect in the neighborhood.

Conscientious residents of the city of Dzerzhinsk became suspicious that in the guise of an ordinary residence representatives of an organization that is "alien" to them, the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect, have built a house of worship without permission from the authorities. And the residents wrote a complaint. The authorities supported the city's citizens and now they are seeking an occasion for purging the city of the "fifth column." Meanwhile experts say that from a judicial point of view the construction of the house of worship for the Jehovists is completely legal.

In 2004 representatives of this religious organization applied to the city hall of Dzerzhinsk requesting the allocation to them of premises for conducting ritual events. At the time the city authorities rejected the believers' request without giving an explanation of their decision. In 2006 the Jehovists switched tactics and submitted a request for allocation to them of a parcel of land for construction of a house of worship. Local authorities held public hearings for which activists of the religious organization began preparing a month in advance; they canvassed apartments of Dzerzhinskites, distributing their literature and explaining the tenets of their faith. In the course of the discussion the topic of construction quickly moved to the background and the subjects of the dispute became the very fact of the presence of a "sect" in Dzerzhinsk and of the "harm" which it could cause.

Orthodox priests entered the argument with the Jehovah's Witnesses and on the basis of the hearings a resolution was signed calling for refusing them permission to build the house of worship, which was then supported by the head of Dzerzhinsk, Viktor Portnov. However the Jehovists did not relent. They began building a residential building. With a very suspicious appearance. According to the director of the press service department of the administration of Dzerzhinsk, Alexander Markov, all the interior construction of the house was made from light materials which could be rather quickly disassembled and the building be turned into a worship area. However, at Dzerzhinsk city hall apparently they think that it would be easier to drink vodka like the ordinary local population.

"In August 2008 we requested of the law enforcement agencies that they conduct an investigation of the case of construction of a private cottage on Shchors street," Alexander Markov explained. The investigation showed that on the site of a burned out residence a Jehovah's Witnesses house of worship had been built and the person who bought the parcel of land "has direct connections with the Jehovists." City hall does not have the size of the parcel, but they evaluate the worth of the construction at approximately 3 million rubles.

Dzerzhinsk city hall intends to request in court a prohibition on the Jehovists' construction of a house of worship under the guise of a private cottage. "At the present the investigation is gathering evidence which is needed for the appeal in court," Mr. Markov reported.

At the same time experts in law say that from a judicial point of view the construction underway of a house of worship appears to be legal. For example, article 28 of the constitution of the Russian federation provides for freedom of conscience and religious confession, including the right of individual and communal performance of religious rituals. "In developing the provisions of this article the federal law 'On freedom of conscience and religious associations" was adopted, which provides for an association of citizens to profess any doctrines without registration as a legal entity. The law also says that premises for a religious group and everything necessary for conducting worship may be granted to regular members of this association or group," the experts declare.

Meanwhile the schools of the city of Dzerzhinsk have, since 1 September, included in the curriculum a new required subject, "Spiritual and moral culture." In 32 Dzerzhinsk public schools pupils of the eighth and ninth grades have begun studying the academic subject "Religions of Russia." In the course of 2007-2008 teachers of all Dzerzhinsk schools which include in their curriculum the "Religions of Russia" subject underwent special training "at the expense of the Dzerzhinsk Deanery." That is, the Russian Orthodox church. The mayor of the city, Viktor Portnov, actively supports the RPTs initiative. On 1 September the city chief even took part in a class on the "Religions of Russia" in one of the schools.

Isn't the mayor of the city of chemists afraid of assuming the character of persecutor of religious confessions the RPTs doesn't like but which have influence in America? "We do not need to be afraid that someone will misunderstand us," Viktor Portnov told "Vremia novostei." "The West has not understood us for a long time now. This sect denies the need to serve in the army, although we have universal military service. They have a bunch of asinine beliefs which place the life and health of people in danger. We are not against worship of God, but they submitted an application for construction of a residence and not a worship facility. If they were simply to assemble quietly, that is one thing. But these people engage in active missionary activity. They go from house to house and offer literature and conduct conversations. Our Orthodox leaders do not even do this. Thus we think that Jehovah's Witnesses are to some degree a 'fifth column.'"

As the mayor's press secretary, Alexander Markov, told "Vremia novostei," at the present time the situation of the construction of a suspicion building is at an impasse. "We cannot tear down this building because it is formally a residence, although it is under construction. But we also cannot reclassify this building as a nonresidence. The city hall attorneys have the task of finding a basis for prohibiting the transformation of the building into a nonresidence.

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INFORMATION

"Jehovah's Witnesses" are a protestant religious association founded in USA in 1872. Jehovists reject basic Christian beliefs (the triune God, immortality of the soul, etc.). They acknowledge a single creator God Jehovah and Jesus Christ, his son, who was not God on earth but a perfect man. According to Jehovah's Witnesses' views, the earth is the kingdom of Satan. In the decisive battle (Armageddon) between the forces of Satan and the forces of Jehovah (the armies of Christ's angels) all of humanity will perish with the exception of the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves and the kingdom of God will be established on earth.

In the Russian federation, the Jehovah's Witnesses organization was officially registered in 1991. The congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses are led by elders or deacons and they maintain ties with the Brooklyn center of Jehovah's Witnesses in USA.

The most serious concern for the public is evoked by the prohibition that the Jehovah's Witnesses have against blood transfusion, the rejection of "earthly" government and all that is connected with it: service in the army, oaths, state holidays, pledging allegiance to the flag, and the like. All Jehovists think themselves citizens of a single theocratic state, the Watchtower Society. In Nizhny Novgorod there are around 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, and in the province there are more than 3,000. In December 2005 the Nizhny Novgorod Duma prohibited the conduct of Jehovah's Witnesses meetings in the premises of the Lenin House of Culture, of Lenin district of Nizhny Novgorod on the basis that "the sect is banned in a majority of the countries of the world." (tr. by PDS, posted October 16)


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Moscow Pentecostals harassed by officials

OFFICIALS OF SOLNTSEVO COUNCIL TRY TO FORBID "EMMANUEL" PROTESTANT CHURCH OF MOSCOW TO CONDUCT SERVICES IN A TENT AND OUT OF DOORS
Slavic Legal Center, 26 September 2008

Officials of the Solntsevo district executive council are trying to prevent the "Emmanuel" Pentecostal church of Moscow (the Russian Assembly of God) from conducting worship services, the press service of the Slavic Legal Center reports.

On Sunday, 21 September, believers gathered in a tent near the House of Culture, which burned more than a year ago and is located on the church's property. However police officers tried to prevent the meeting and to forbid not only pitching the tent but the service itself, too. At the time, policemen cited a letter of the vice chairman of the Solntsevo district council, D.S. Shalaev, stating that an event that is unsanctioned by authorities was going to be conducted at the address, which should be stopped.

As a result of negotiations with the police, as "Emmanuel" church administrator Bakur Azarian noted, the congregation managed to demonstrate that the authorities could forbid the tent, but not the conduct of a service. Thus the believers held the service out of doors under the open sky, thanking God for good weather.

According to Azarian, the church has no other place to conduct worship services, since it had been evicted from the premises that the congregation rented, by telephone order from one of the officials. Beginning on 3 May of this year, the church held services in a tent near the House of Culture, until the local executive council suddenly wanted to forbid it. In the opinion of local officials, we cannot conduct services without permission even on our own land.

On 24 August the "Emmanuel" church held a festival worship service in which well known Christian musicians from Canada and Finland participated. Before the service the church distributed leaflets inviting all who wished to attend. After the service, police officers of the Solntsevo department of internal affairs approached the pastor and issued a protocol for violation of article 3.1 of the Administrative Code of the city of Moscow. The violation carries a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 rubles. On 25 August the protocol had already been delivered to municipal court, but the prosecutor requested materials of the case. On 26 August Pastor Bakur Azarian was summoned to the Solntsevo district prosecutor's office where a statement was taken from him in the presence of Attorney Anatoly Pchelintsev, who represents him. In the end the prosecutor took a time out in order to investigate the legality of the claims presented to the pastor. Representatives of the prosecutor's office insisted that the church had held a concert, since the performers played a guitar and other instruments, and that the lively songs of a protestant service are inappropriate for performance in an Orthodox service with icons. The believers held the service on their own property at their legal address.

The House of Culture near which the parishioners assembled has no roof, which was burned up. In order to fix the roof and remodel the building legal title to the land must be issued, but local authorities have still not issued the title to "Emmanuel" church and will not give permission for reconstruction of the House of Culture in Solntsevo. The documents for title to the land which were submitted again after the House of Culture burned have sat in the department of land resources for more than a year now. Numerous attempts over years by the church to get justice have been unsuccessful and officials continue to put pressure on the congregation by all means.

As Bakur Azarian noted, we will try to get permission to worship in the tent, in view of the approaching winter. The church has sent corresponding letters to the prefecture, city hall, and the executive council.

We recall that in the summer of 2005 believers of the "Emmanuel" church initiated and conducted protests, pickets, and demonstrations against the violations of freedom of conscience and the rights of protestant Christians on the part of representatives of the government. Since the church's problems were not resolved, believers have conducted a demonstration every Sunday on New Pushkin Square from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 September 2008)

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Jehovah's Witnesses convicted in Uzbekistan

ACTIVITY OF UNDERGOUND SECT IN UZBEKISTAN INTERRUPTED.
Interfax, 15 September 2008

In south-west Uzbekistan a court put an end to the activity of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect that was operating illegally in the city of Karshi.

At the same time five of its activists were sentenced to money fines, the prosecutor's office of Kashkadarin district told Interfax.

"In the course of the judicial investigation it was established that Idil Abdullaev, Natalia Kliuch, Ramil Gareev, Irina Savisorova and Mukhabbat Umarova engaged in illegal religious activity. They violated the requirements of existing legislation, specifically regarding the conducting of mass meetings and also of religious propaganda among minors," the prosecutor's office said.

The news agency's source called attention to the fact that recently the lower organizations of the Jehovah's Witnesses have been more active not only in the provincial center, Karshi, but also in outlying regions. Thus, earlier in this same province seven Jehovah's Witnesses activists were convicted. They all were relatives to one degree or another and engaged in distribution of religious ideas, violated existing Uzbekistan legislation. The court also fined them. (tr. by PDS, posted 15 September 2008)


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Moscow patriarchate fights American position on Georgia

RUSSIAN CHURCH CRITICIZES CHRISTIAN ENI NEWS AGENCY FOR PREJUDICED REPORTING OF CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA
Interfax, 12 September 2008

The Moscow patriarchate expressed criticism against the Christian news agency "Ecumenical News International" (ENI), accusing it of double standards in reporting the topic of the armed conflict in South Ossetia.

"I am extremely surprised by Stephen Brown's note that was published on the news ticker of the Ecumenical News International agency and devoted to the visit by a delegation of the World Council of Churches to Georgia, South Ossetia, and Moscow," the deputy head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, told "Interfax-Religiia" on Friday.

As the priest said, a recently distributed press release of the World Council of Churches (WCC) itself spoke of the damage suffered by the capital of South Ossetia and of people living in a hotel after their homes were destroyed in that city. The press release also spoke about an Ossetian family that was driven out of central Georgia.

In addition, according to the priest, speaking in Moscow to a meeting with reporters on 7 September, a member of this delegation, Jonathan Fredrichs, noted especially that he saw evidence of direct attacks on places "which have symbolic significance for the Ossetian people and for their feeling of autonomy: a government building, university, and hospital."

"At the same time, naturally, the delegation spoke also about the Georgian villages destroyed in South Ossetia and about the many Georgians who were forced to flee from it. Thus, attention was directed to all of the victims," Fr Vsevolod noted.

In the ENI note, he continued, "Nothing at all was said about the suffering of residents of South Ossetia, about the Ossetian victims, and about the destruction in Tskhinvali; it spoke only about Georgian refugees and about the destruction of Georgian villages."

"The actions of the Georgian side were mentioned only once in the following words:  'The Georgian army, as is said, began the attack in order to restore control over the region,'" the priest said.

In connection with this he declared that the writer of the article and "Ecumenical News International" "desecrated the memory of many hundreds of victims and the feelings of those who lost loved ones, health, blood, and dignity." He said "any unprejudiced person today knows who started the broad-based military actions and that the civilian city of Tskhinvali was subjected to heavy artillery, including 'Grad' rockets that destroy everything in a certain area."

"Without shame and without doubts, supporting one side of the conflict and trying to establish the WCC delegation on this same side, "Ecumenical News International" has not simply acted in accordance with double standards but has shown that it is being more and more turned into a mouthpiece of western cultural and political imperialism," the priest said.

This agency, he continued, "has been transformed into some kind of mouthpiece that has for a long time been rather prejudiced with respect to Zimbabwe and China and now also with regard to Russia."

As Fr Vsevolod noted, it shows a "lack of respect for the model of relations of church, state, and society which is distinctive for ours and other Orthodox countries."

"If this agency really wants to be acceptable for Christians of the whole world and to act in their interests, it must, finally, understand that in the world, including the Christian world, there are various political systems and different value systems and that the western version of democracy is not at all commonly accepted, and to go along the path of expansion of this version means to be completely in solidarity with those governments and elites that today are constructing the 'Pax Americana' (a world structure of an American varietyÑIF")," the priest is convinced.

He reported that as a member of the central committees of WCC and the Conference of European Churches he plans to place before these bodies the question of "to what extent can the church support such a prejudiced news medium."

The founding bodies of the "Ecumenical News International" are the WCC, Conference of European Churches, the World Lutheran Federation, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 September 2008)

ORTHODOX CHURCH SUPPORTS MILITARY BUILDUP
Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations made a scathing verbal attack on the West and called for a strong military "to repel any invasion against our way of life and interests."
by Jonathan Luxmoore
Spero News, 10 September 2008

A senior official of the Russian Orthodox Church has made a scathing attack on Western countries and has said they should not impose their standards on other nations. "We should have a strong State and a strong military, for we would then have the will and ability to repel any invasion against our way of life and interests, and our ability to influence events developing in the world," said the Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations.

In an interview broadcast on Russia's Soyuz television channel, the church official urged his country to defend "its free, original political choice" and reject Western models, "setting its laws and rules the way which is natural for our nation, its destiny, mentality and historical ways".

Speaking of Western countries, Chaplin said, "In spite of all their talk of adhering to international law and respecting self-determination, these countries have always acted solely in their own interests and applied quite contrary principles."

Chaplin is a member of the central committees, or main governing bodies, of both the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, and is a member of an expert panel on freedom of religion of the Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe.

His interview was also carried by the Interfax news agency on 31 August, ahead of an emergency meeting of European Union leaders the following day to discuss responses to Russia's recent military action in Georgia.

He added, "Why does the West believe, as [U.S. President George W.] Bush has clearly stated, that only one form of democracy and of people's participation in decisions, the Western form, is compulsory and should be set out for all nations and countries?"

Chaplin asserted, "Survival is impossible for a society deprived of faith as a foundation of public life and of any purpose except consumption, and which embraces the ideal of imposing a particular form of democracy around the globe simply because it is expedient for American banks, Western governments, and the world economic and media elite."

In his Soyuz interview, Chaplin said Western governments had "omitted and rejected the idea of territorial integrity" by recognising the independence of Kosovo in February, and had said nothing about Georgian violence in South Ossetia. He noted, "We need to remain strong, and be determined to say 'no' to everyone who tries to spread their influence in the world at our expense, by infringing our interests."

WCC DELEGATION FINDS DEEP WOUNDS IN SOUTH OSSETIA, HEARS HEALING WORDS IN MOSCOW
Press Release
World Council of Churches, 10 September 2008

The destruction of ethnic Georgian communities in South Ossetia, the deep wounds to local society and war damage to the capital city confronted a delegation from the World Council of Churches on the second half of a 3-7 September pastoral visit to Georgia and Russia. The findings added urgency to concerns raised by government and church officials during a stop in Moscow.

Villages - destroyed house by house - were the first sight the delegation saw as it reached South Ossetia by road from North Ossetia. Entire neighbourhoods are razed, mostly by demolition, by fire, or both. The delegates also saw instances of looting and arson, as well as carloads of people who appeared to be vigilantes. The day of the visit was nearly a month after the end of the war.

South Ossetian representatives vowed to the delegation that they would never return the ethnically shared enclave to its status before the recent war. "We searched for contacts with Georgia," said Alan Pliev, deputy foreign minister, "but we were sent troops." The officials made sweeping condemnations of Georgia's leaders and its policies toward the enclave. The "Georgia for the Georgians" campaign of the early 1990s came in for special criticism, as it did in most meetings there and in Russia.

Earlier, deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin of Russia had stressed the need for peace between ethnic groups "so that South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not be turning their status into uni-ethnic states". Karasin said the leaders of the two regions understand Moscow's concern, but that the Georgian attack on South Ossetia was a blow to inter-ethnic relations in the region.

Satellite photos show the widespread post-war destruction of the villages near Tskhinvali that were mostly ethnic Georgian. The delegation raised the issue with Karasin. He said his government has a team in The Hague to see the facts presented by the government of Georgia. The Russian army had strict instructions to stop the looting, he said.

"Refugees have the right to return. They should come back if they want," Karasin said, adding that the international community "has to create the right conditions for them." He said Georgian behaviour caused Russia's military action in Georgia.

Also in Moscow, an aid official of the Russian church told the WCC delegation, "A joint witness of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church is critical in this crisis." Margarita Nelyubova a veteran of church aid work in the Caucasus, said "We are not able to work in Georgia because of political constraints, but we want to know how to assist". Nelyubovais a member of the WCC Central Committee.

The delegation, like aid agencies, had not been able to enter South Ossetia from within Georgia, so members also expressed concern to Karasin about the lack of the humanitarian access promised by Russia in the ceasefire agreement.

The itinerary prepared for the delegation in South Ossetia included meetings with local leaders and visits to war-damaged areas of the city including a hotel where 184 people are staying because their homes were lost during the battle for the city in August.

"We are here to show the solidarity of the world church and to inform our churches of the situation," Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, a French Protestant and president of the Conference of European Churches, told the local officials. Other members of the WCC delegation were Metropolitan Nifon of Targoviste (Romanian Orthodox Church; not in this meeting), Rev. László Lehel (director of Hungarian Interchurch Aid and representing ACT International), and Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory and Jonathan Frerichs (WCC executives).

The group mentioned that a Baptist leader in Tbilisi had asked the WCC to "pray for repentance on all sides -- for what we have all done wrong. Pray for confession and for reconciliation."

"What do we have to repent of?" replied Sonia Hubaeva, a presidential advisor, adding that her family had suffered abuse and expulsion from central Georgia. The bishop of a locally declared Orthodox diocese, who was also present at the meeting, said that he had witnessed 20 years of violence against Ossetians and that three members of his family had been killed.

On the outskirts of Tskhinvali, the delegation made another attempt to enter the buffer zone around South Ossetia to visit the local metropolitan of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who remains nearby with a few priests and nuns. Russian peacekeepers said they were not able to grant the request. It was the group's second unsuccessful effort to cross the ceasefire line. Thousands of residents reportedly remain in the zone under uncertain conditions.

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Jehovah's Witnesses face continuing problems in CIS

NUMBER OF ARMENIAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES PREFERRING PRISON TO ALTERNATIVE SERVICE GROWING
Portal-credo.ru, 9 September 2008

Eighty-six Armenian citizens who have refused alternative service are confined to prison. This was reported to Blagovest-info by the press secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Lana Mshetsian.

The number of adherents of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" religious movement who prefer a prison cell to alternative military service is increasing from year to year. In the first year when the law "On alternative service," which was adopted in November 2004 by the parliament of Armenia, was in effect, twenty representatives of this religious group performed alternative seervice. According to information of the Ministry of Labor and Social Questions of Armenia, they "worked off" their years of military service as medics, particularly in homes for the elderly. However after two months theses young people refused to perform the service. In the four years of the law's effect, nobody else has agreed to alternative service. In the understanding of those who refused military service, civilian service also offends their religious sensibilities.

According to the law, substitution of alternative service is permitted for those persons of draft age who refused to service in the armed forces for religious reasons.

There are two types of alternative military service in Armenia. There is special state service in the armed forces of Armenia, which the Molokans choose, and alternative work service, that is, special state service, which is not conducted in the armed forces of Armenia, which Jehovah's Witnesses or adherents of other religious organizations have chosen. While the term of service in the armed forces of Armenia is 24 months, the term for alternative service is 36 months and for alternative work service is 42 months. In performing alterative military service, according to the law citizens may not bear arms or be appointed to high governmental posts. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 September 2008)

SERVICE WITH MORE THAN 1,000 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES PARTICIPANTS FORBIDDEN BY PROSECUTOR OF UFA.
Portal-credo.ru, 8 September 2008

Jehovah's Witnesses were prohibited from conducting a mass worship service in Ufa in which around 1300 persons were supposed to take part, Interfax-religiia reports, citing local news media.

For this purpose they intended to rent the "Akbuzat" hippodrome and "Priozernyi" athletic center. However the prosecutor's office forbade these places to rent to the Jehovah's Witnesses.

A similar incident occurred earlier in Murmansk. The Prosecutor of the October ditrict of this city acted against the use of the central stadium as a place for a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses.  (tr. by PDS, posted 12 September 2008)

Ed. note:  Within the past three weeks, Forum 18 News Service reported problems for Jehovah's Witnesses in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan.  Summaries and links to full stories follow:

KAZAKHSTAN: MASS RAIDS, FINES AND BANS IN SOUTH KAZAKHSTAN REGION
Forum 18, 9 September 2008

 A mass campaign against Jehovah's Witnesses in South Kazakhstan Region was unleashed on 27 July, with raids by police, Anti-Terrorist police, the KNB secret police and other officials on nine congregations. Court documents seen by Forum 18 News Service show that two of the three that had state registration have been closed down and leaders fined for holding religious meetings outside registered religious premises. One private home has been confiscated. "The South Kazakhstan regional authorities organised a massive campaign against our communities with the purpose of putting an end to their activity," Jehovah's Witness lawyer Yuri Toporov complained to Forum 18. Prosecutors refused to discuss the cases with Forum 18. "It is absolute nonsense to demand religious organisations to hold meetings only in one building where they are registered," human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis told Forum 18. Baptists and others have similarly been fined.
(posted 12 September 2008)

TAJIKISTAN: CONFISCATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RELIGIOUS PROPERTY "WITH UNDUE CAUSE"?
Forum 18,  1 September 2008
 
Worship for religious communities is becoming more difficult in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe, Forum 18 News Service has learned. Several mosques were demolished in 2007 and a synagogue and a Protestant church were demolished with no compensation in summer 2008 amid city rebuilding plans. Two other Protestant churches and the Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned. Now the High Economic Court ruled on 29 August in the long-running dispute over the property of a further Protestant church, Grace Sunmin. But Judge Zulfiyya Yusupova - who had barred international observers from the courtroom - refused to tell Forum 18 what the decision was. The authorities want to seize the building back, despite the fact that the church bought it legally ten years ago. "For nine years we have been working on this place and renovation still continues," one church member told Forum 18. "But now the authorities think the time has come for them to take a ready building away from us." The OSCE office in Tajikistan is concerned about the confiscations and destruction, especially over the lack of transparency and the failure to ensure adequate compensation. "If the City of Dushanbe truly needs the said compounds for its civic and public plans, it should compensate the said religious groups accordingly," it told Forum 18. "Sheer confiscation and destruction of property, if done outside of national and international laws and with undue cause, would be contrary to the OSCE commitments of Tajikistan."  (posted 12 September 2008)

AZERBAIJAN: THREATS AND DEPORTATION "TO STOP US TALKING ABOUT GOD"
Forum 18, 27 August 2008

On 22 August Russian citizen Imamzade Mamedova was deported from Azerbaijan to Russia for talking to nearby residents in the north-western town of Zakatala about her faith as a Jehovah's Witness. She is the ninth Jehovah's Witness to be deported from Azerbaijan for religious reasons in the last two years. Detained with her was Gamar Alieva, who had been "forbidden" by a local police officer back in 2000 from speaking about her faith. The same officer threatened the two women that the police "would punish us in such a way that we would stop talking about God," Alieva complained. Vali Aslanov of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations in Baku dismissed complaints over the treatment of the two women. "What the Jehovah's Witnesses did was wrong, but then they blame the authorities," he told Forum 18 News Service. Zakatala is also where Baptist pastor Hamid Shabanov is in the police cell awaiting the resumption of his trial on charges of possessing a weapon, which his congregation insists was planted by police. However, the regional official of the State Committee rejects any suggestion that religious rights are violated in north-western Azerbaijan. "Here we have freedom of conscience and tolerance at the highest level throughout the world," Nizami Mamedov claimed to Forum 18.  (posted 12 September 2008)

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Pentecostals attacked in press

"2X2" TELEVISION STATION PROMISES TO PROTECT "SOUTH PARK" FROM PENTECOSTALS
Lenta.ru, 4 September 2008

The "2x2" television station will not change its program policy and remove the TV serial "South Park" from the air. This statement was made live on the "Echo of Moscow" radio station by the general director of the television station, Roman Sarkisov, commenting upon a new appeal to the prosecutor general by Christian Pentecostals.

Representatives of the Associated Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith-Pentecostals (ROSKhVE) demanded that a criminal case be opened with respect to "2x2" and that the "South Park" series be found to be extremist and its broadcast on the territory of Russia be forbidden. In addition, according to a report in the "Novye izvestiia" newspaper, they called all Russians to boycott the TV station.

In an appeal to employees of "2x2" distributed by the organization, they recommended "to refuse further work for the TV spokesperson of satanism and universal abomination," and they requested that the leadership of the station "voluntarily emigrate as a whole somewhere to an uninhabited island and indulge yourselves in your evil desires there." Otherwise the authors of the appeal demanded that people working for the TV station be exiled to hard labor.

On his part, Sarkisov noted that the organization of Pentecostals is not competent to make a valid evaluation. "If one gives them the right to judge all cultural events, then you and I will live entirely in the sixteenth century and without enlightenment," the general director of "2x2" said.

In March 2008 the TV station removed from the air the serials "Small Forest Friends" and "Adventures of Big Jeff" after receiving a warning from Rosokhrankultura [Guardian of Russian Culture]. The bureaucrats came to the conclusion that these serials "promote a cult of violence and brutality and cause harm to the health and moral and spiritual development of children." However independent experts disagreed with the conclusions of Rosokhrankultura. In their opinion, the forbidden serials contained no calls for violence.

The leadership of the Russian Christian Pentcostals issued a sharp criticism of the program policy of the station back in August 2007. In the spring of 2008 the heads of protestant churches of Russia and several Muslim clerics issued calls for prohibition of the TV station. The Russian Orthodox church took a more cautious position; its representatives noted that closing down "2x2" would not be a solution to the problem of morality in television broadcasting.

In the opinion of Ekaterina Dolgosheeva, director of public relations of the "ProfMedia" holding company that includes the TV station, the attempt of the Pentecostals to drag law enforcement agencies into the moral discussion is "intended to divert attention from their own numerous conflicts with the law." "Congregations and organizations of Christians of Evangelical Faith have frequently been closed and at a recent conference of RPTs, conducted in Saratov, it was recognized that their activity provokes religious and political extremism, causes harm to physical and spiritual health, and creates a threat to the family, society, and the state," the representative of "ProfMedia" stressed.  (tr. by PDS, posted 5 September 2008)

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