BILLIONS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES' RUBLES FELL INTO THE HANDS OF THE KREMLIN. LEGALLY.
Why does Putin persecute Jehovah's Witnesses?
by Marta Tomaszkiewicz
IMOSMI.RU 8 May 2018
Jehovah's Witnesses (an organization forbidden in RF—ed. note) in Russia were recently entered into the list of extremist organizations, which includes, for example, Al Qaeda and ISIS (both organizations banned in RF—ed. note). Followers of this religious movement, for whom the Bible forbids killing, looked with amazement at how the Kremlin seized their property. The other day a St. Petersburg city court ruled that this procedure was legal.
The value of the confiscated property in St. Petersburg alone may exceed 13.9 million dollars, that is, several billion rubles. The city court confirmed the decision of a court of lower instance, which late last year ruled that 16 objects of immoveable property (land and buildings) in an elite district, which belonged to the Watchtower Society (another name for the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, banned in the RF—ed. note), will be transferred to state ownership, radio station Echo of Moscow explains.
Court: Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists
Andrei Sivak, a member of a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and a convinced pacifist, learned that he is an "extremist" back before the Supreme Court issued its verdict. He decided to exchange money, but when the bank employee looked into her data base, she saw, along with such people in one and the same list, her customer and she turned pale and burst into tears from horror. However, the only organization of which Andrei is a member is a religious association that considers that the Bible should be taken literally. And in it is written: "Do not kill."
Witnesses remember soviet times, when the K.G.B. considered them spies and saboteurs. Now they are again under the gun, and only the context has changed. This time the Kremlin is conducting a struggle for the souls of Russians hand in hand with the Russian Orthodox Church. Society must be consolidated around traditional Orthodox and patriotic values with a certain admixture of militarism. You are not Orthodox? That means, you are not Russian. You are not Russian? That means, you may manifest disobedience, for example, being a pacifist you may refuse to support a military operation against enemies of the motherland.
Such logic was followed by the Russian minister of justice, who a year ago included Jehovah's Witnesses in a list of organizations "that are conducting extremist activity." The verdict was issued, the property was confiscated, and now the court in St. Petersburg finally has legalized this robbery.
God or Tsar?
In Russia, every person can be called an extremist who is a oppositionist who speaks out against corruption or an Internet user who does not like the annexation of Crimea. The more so, the Kremlin does not trust Jehovah's Witnesses, who, for example, criticize Russian bombardments in Syria. In addition, followers of this movement, that was born in the 19th century in the U.S.A. (this makes it in the eyes of Russian authorities obviously suspicious and alien from a cultural point of view), refuse to serve in the army and participate in elections, do not celebrate anniversaries of victory in the Great Patriotic War, and, horrors, think that only God rules over them. And after all, according to the "only true" conception of the Kremlin, between God and humanity there also is Vladimir Putin. However, from time immemorial Orthodoxy has supported the idea that the tsar (now the president has acquired similar status) is the link between two worlds and obedience to him and the patriarch leads to salvation.
Not along the way with the state
In an interview with the New York Times newspaper, Sivak described how he has been deprived of work because of his faith (he was a physical education teacher). It is curious that before he joined the Witnesses, in 2000 he voted for Putin, and subsequently he has not been engaged in any oppositional activity, although he ceased voting. "I do not engage in politics at all," he emphasized.
"Jehovah's Witnesses exist parallel to the state," explains the author of a book Faith in Russia: Religious Politics after Communism," Geraldine Fagan. "They do not interfere in politics and this in and of itself seems suspicious," she said in conversation with the New York Times. Since the Russian subdivision is subordinate to American structures, and its members occupy such a cautious position, they are more difficult for the Russian Orthodox Church and intelligence services to control. Besides, various rumors have appeared around the Witnesses that inflame the imagination of authorities and the F.S.B.
During last year's trial of Sivak, the prosecutor worded it like this: "They display disrespect to the state, dissolve social ties, and undermine the foundations of national and state security." In the end, Sivak and another indicted member of the Witnesses were acquitted, but afterward it turned out that they have not been removed from the list of terrorists. It was also explained that the Ministry of Justice for many years now has followed the Jehovah's Witnesses and thinks that they violate the law on combating extremism. In the end, all structures of the movement, including 400 congregations uniting about 175,000 followers, were ordered to cease their activity. The authorities' decision received propagandistic support and Russians joined the persecution of the Witnesses. All of this recalls stalinist times, when members of the movement were exiled to Siberia. They describe how now congregations throughout Russia are being subjected to pressure and their property is being stolen. Courts cannot help them in any way.
Why does Putin persecute Jehovah's Witnesses?
Although the Witnesses often evoke in Russians indignation because they preach from house to house, it is difficult to accuse them of inciting to riot. Followers of this movement do not use alcohol, do not smoke, and do not accept bloodshed to such a degree that they even refuse blood transfusions. Social "passivity" has turned them into an easy target. "They can be used to send society a signal," say Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA analytical center, which studies manifestations of extremism in Russia.
The message sounds like this: "Everyone should support Putin." Anyone who refuses to do this is a saboteur, who prevents Russia from getting off its knees, and any violation of rules established by the government falls under the purview of anti-terrorism legislation. Until recently, the concept of "extremism" in Russian laws was closely linked with the use of force, but they have been changed so that an article has been found for every "abnormal person," that is, for practically anybody who is inconvenient to the authorities.
And as to the presumption of innocence? These are empty words in Russia. Sivak himself must prove that he is not an extremist but is a law-abiding citizen. "They call me a terrorist, but I only want for people to read the Bible more attentively," he explained. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 May 2018)
Posted on Portal.Credo.ru, 10 May 2018
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