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Jehovah's Witnesses forbidden to hand out magazines

"ROSKOMNADZOR" CANCELS PERMISSION FOR DISTRIBUTION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' PUBLICATIONS
Ministry of Communication and Mass Media of Russian Federation, 30 April 2010

By an order of 26 April 2010, the Federal Service on Oversight in the Sphere of Communications, Information Technologies, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) annulled the permission for distribution on the territory of Russia of foreign periodical printed publications "Awake" and "Watchtower," that was issued on 24 July 1997 by the State Committee of the Russian Federation for the Press.

The permission was rescinded on the basis of decisions of courts of the Russian federation that found a whole series of materials of the publications "Awake" and "Watchtower" to be extremist.

Courts of the Russian federation rules as extremist materials of the publication "Awake" from 08.04.1998, 08.12.1998, 22.02.1999, 22.02.2000, 22.10.2000, January, February, April 2007, April 2008, January 2009, and of the publication "Watchtower" from 15.05.1998, 01.10.1998, 15.10.1998, 15.02,1999, 15.12.1999, 01.03.2001, 01.11.2001, 15.02.2002, 01.03.2002, 15.01.2007, 01.03.2007, 15.03.2007, 01.04.2007, 01.01.2009, 15.01.2009, 01.02.2009. All these publications have been included by courts in the Federal List of Extremist Materials.

Permission for distribution on the territory of Russia of foreign periodical printed publication "Awake" and "Watchtower" was issued to the firm "Wachtturm BibelÑund Traktat-Gesellschaft, Deutscher Zqeig, e.V. (address: Niederselters, Am Steinfels, D-65618 Selters).  The applicant and distributor of the printed productions is the Administrative Center of the Regional Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.  (tr. by PDS, posted 3 May 2010)

[ed. note: this notice was posted on the Internet site of the above named ministry.]

"ROSKOMNADZOR" ANNULS PERMISSION FOR DISTRIBUTION OF MAGAZINES
Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses of Russia, 30 April 2010

On 30 April there was published on the official site of Roskomnadzor a report that this agency had annulled the permission for distribution on the territory of Russia of foreign periodical printed publications "Awake" and "Watchtower." This decision by Roskomnadzor once again confirmed the existence of a widespread campaign raised by state agencies against Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The Jehovah's Witnesses intend to appeal this decision by a state agency immediately after receipt of the official text of the order.  (tr. by PDS, posted 3 May 2010)

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Mormons win court case against officials trying to limit evangelism

SOUTH SAKHALIN COURT PERMITS MORMONS TO TEACH ENGLISH WITHOUT LICENSES
Portal-credo.ru, 30 April 2010

In connection with the posting on a number of sites of information about "prohibition of Mormons from teaching English language to Sakhalin residents without corresponding licenses," the centralized religious organization "Religious Association of Churches of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Russia" has found it necessary to inform the public about the results of judicial investigations that have been held on this matter, declared the Deputy Director of the Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Relations with the Public in Eastern Europe, Andrei Filimonov.

The local religious organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk maintains broad international ties and contacts with foreign fellow-believers and regularly invites foreign citizens for the purpose of conducting evangelistic activity.

However in the course of the past year a number of state agencies have raised obstacles to this activity in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Under pressure from them, in August 2009 the religious organization was forced to stop conducting classes for people wishing to improve their use of English by means of conversing with English-speakers who were missionaries, USA citizens legally resident in the Russian federation. This form of work, which is one of the varieties of charitable activity, enjoyed a certain popularity among residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, who took advantage of the opportunity given them for improving language skills. Nevertheless, the religious organization was presented with baseless demands of its licensing, in violation of existing legislation (article 33 of the federal law "On education"). A justice of the peace issued orders to the religious organization and its chairman regarding "illegal conduct of educational activity" and assessed an administrative penalty in the form of fines totaling 20,000 rubles.

According to a regulation on licensing of educational activity, approved by a resolution of the Russian government of 31 March 2009, occasional lectures, seminars, and other forms of education that do not include final certification and issuance of documents regarding education and (or) qualification do not require the obtaining of a license. A license for such activity cannot be issued at all.

Organs of the Federal Migration Service, in their turn, considered the indicated activity of foreign missionaries as the performance of labor activity by foreign citizens in the Russian federation without permission for work. In connection with this the religious organization was held administratively liable and subjected to fines totaling one million rubles.

In accordance with article 2 of the federal law of 25 July 202 "On the legal status of foreign citizens in Russia," labor activity by a foreign citizen is work of a foreign citizen in the Russian federation on the basis of a labor contract or civil and legal contract for conducting work (providing service). In accordance with church traditions (there is no professional clergy in this confession) the indicated foreign citizens, along with Russian believers, voluntarily and without charge performed evangelistic ministry without establishing labor or civil and legal relations with anybody. An ordinary humanitarian visa, on which they have entered the country, does not exclude providing charitable aid to citizens of the Russian federation.

The persons who were held administratively liable dissented from the decisions made and appealed them in accordance with established procedures. All appeals filed were satisfied by judicial instances. The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city court rescinded the orders of the justice of the peace and terminated the judicial decision regarding "illegal conduct of educational activity." The mediation court of Sakhalin province rescinded the resolution of the Administration of the Federal Migration Service for Sakhalin province concerning administrative violations of the law.

Organs of internal affairs and the migration service appealed these judicial decisions finding their actions illegal. Higher judicial instances left the appeals unsatisfied. The judicial decisions have taken legal effect.  (tr. by PDS, posted 30 April 2010)

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Use of "extremism" label to restrict religious activity in Russia

USA SQUEEZES RUSSIA FOR RESTRICTION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS
by Alena Miklashevskaia
Kommersant, 30 April 2010

Yesterday the governmental United States Commission on Religious Freedom in the world published its eleventh annual report in which it notes that with every year religious freedoms are being squeezed more and suppressed.

The major violators include Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, China, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, North Korea, and Sudan. In the list of countries that require observation that the situation not be allowed to deteriorate are Russia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Venezuela, India, Cuba, Laos, Turkey, and others.

"The situation in Russia continued to deteriorate in view of a number of negative tendencies, in particular, the use of governmental laws directed to the struggle with extremism against religious organization not known for the use of violence or calls for violence," the report notes. The commission points out that "bureaucrats ever more often are violating the religious freedom of Muslims or those believers whose views are considered nontraditional," and "they call several religious and other organizations alien to Russian culture and society, facilitating the intensification of an atmosphere of intolerance."  The authors propose that "the government of USA call Russia to reform its very broadly interpreted law on combating extremism and other laws that negatively affect human rights and freedom of religion and religious confession."

In addition the commission called the government to prohibit issuing visas and to freeze the American assets of Ramzan Kadyrov, since, as the authors of the report affirm, he directs armed forces on Chechnya, "which, as the European Court on Human Rights established, participate in serious violations of human rights."  (tr. by PDS, posted 30 April 2010)

Russian original posted on Portal-credo.ru site, 30 April 2010

"Russia" section of report available on this site.

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