RUSSIAN FEDERATION PRESENTS TO E.C.H.R. ITS RESPONSE TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' APPEAL OF BAN OF THEIR LEGAL ENTITIES
Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 10 April 2018
On 23 March 2018, the director of the office of the Russian commissioner at the European Court of Human Rights, Andrei Fedorov, sent to the Strasbourg court comments of the authorities of the Russian federation regarding appeal No 10188/17, "The Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and Kalin vs. the Russian Federation." The European court is considering this appeal on a priority basis.
Although on the whole the authors of the document try to justify the decision of the Russian Supreme Court liquidating and banning the activity of the "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia," the official response of the Russian authorities contains an assertion that should serve as a warning to all Russian governmental agencies against the illegal prosecution of believers. Thus, paragraph 91 of the aforementioned document declares: "The authorities of the Russian Federation emphasize that the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20 April 2017 and the appellate determination of the Appellate College of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 17 July 2017 do not give an assessment of the doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses and do not contain a limitation on or prohibition of individually confessing the aforementioned doctrine." And paragraph 90 separately explains that the said decision of the Russian Supreme Court does not restrict the constitutional right of believing citizens to association.
In their turn, the Jehovah's Witnesses have the right to prepare in the E.C.H.R. their response to the comments of the authorities of the Russian Federation by 7 May 2018. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 April 2018)
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