PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE DEMANDS DEPRIVING JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN SWEDEN* OF BUILDING WITH LAND
The prosecutor's office of Saratov oblast has demanded through a court to deprive the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden* of a residential building with a plot of land in the city of Engels, the Engels district court of Saratov oblast told RIA Novosti.
By a decision of the Russian Supreme Court of 20 April 2017, the activity of the organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia"* and local religious organizations that are members of its structure was halted. The Russian Ministry of Justice included the Jehovah's Witnesses* in a list of organizations that have been liquidated for extremism. The Russian Supreme court decided to turn the property of the liquidated organization (what remains after satisfaction of creditors' claims) over to the ownership of Russia.
"In the period of conducting inspections and considering the case, the local organization of Krasnoarmeisk Jehovah's Witnesses of Saratov oblast donated its property, a residential building and plot of land at the address: Engels, 91 Zolotov Street, to the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden*. In the opinion of the prosecutor's office of Saratov oblast, this transaction is a sham," the news agency's source said.
She said that the deputy prosecutor of the oblast filed a lawsuit in the interests of the state against the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden* and demanded that the donation agreements be ruled to be invalid and to confirm the right of Russia to ownership of the residence with the land in Engels.
"The judicial session is scheduled for 14 May," a representative of the court noted.
*An extremist organization that is prohibited in Russia
(tr. by PDS, posted 23 March 2018)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.