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Loved this point.

SIMPLIFIED VERSION (for anyone that might be interested) ... End of the Morning - 12th April 11"12 Our 2nd Lawyer speakes: He wants to go back to a document the MoJ (Ministry of Justice) tried unsuccessfully to make the jugde accept. It was about the blood Issue. He (our Lawyer) points out the MoJ said it was an example of how we don't let people have their Human rights. - firstly, how come you have Medical confidential (secret) documents that only the patient and doctors have the right to see? - secondly, this wasn't a case of not being allowed their rights in fact its the opposite, the Witness had the RIGHT to refuse a treatment (s)he didn't want, that's the law. - Further, the Ministry of Health says blood transfusions have dangers and it is the law you must ask the patient if they want one or not. How come some religious people are allowed to say what treatement they want and some (like us) are told we cannot? 11"30 NOW THE JUDGE ASKS OUR LAWYERS QUESTIONS: - Does the Russian Branch decide on the interpretation of scripture? No, that comes from the Headquarters in America (Faithful Slave) - How does the Russian Branch "organize" the activities of the congregations? They give recommendations. For example, when it comes to building Kingdom Halls the Bethel will recommend the style but the congregations make the final decisions. - Regarding congregations that are "TC" (registered charities ??) does the Bethel decide what procedures are followed then? The Bethel will approve their guidelines so that the members are all Jehovah's Witnesses that will respect bible principles. 12"05 The Judged continues to question the brothers: - Are Presiding overseers of the Congregations ever part of the financial department of the Branch? The Brothers respond: No, they are kept seperate. - Are there any circumstances when there is a connection between the Branch Finance Dept and the Congregations? The Brothers respond: Yes, when they ask the Branch for a loan or donations for example to build a hall or to help with disaster relief. - Do the congregations ever get money from you to produce literature? The Brothers respond: No (?) the congregation do not produce the literature. - Does the Russian branch oversee the distribution of literature? The Brothers respond: No, the Branch simply produces and sends the literature to the local congregations, the congregations are responsible for its "distribution". - What about a book [unnamed in the transcript] that was declared illegal just after it was imported, but was still spread amongst your believers? The Brothers respond: Yes, but we immediately informed the congregations that it was illegal and told them not to distribute the book. - What do you DO with the banned books? The Brothers respond: Brothers respond: We do not tell the congregations what to do with the books, we tell them to obey the law [the law only says don't distrube them it doesn't say to burn them] 12"30 Now THEIR Lawyers ask our brothers questions: - What role does the Branch play in the individual charter (legal guidelines) of the congregation "founders" ? The Brothers respond: They check that congregations guidelines respect bible standards, just like a court checks that organizations respect the law. - How much influence does the Branch have on who are the founding members of congregations? [Judge intervenes that this is relevant to legal representatives of an organization] Question goes unanswered. - Who are the Travelling Overseers and Special Pioneers? They are Ministers appointed by the Branch not the congregation. 12"50 JUDGE intervenes: Do you have any proof these special full time Ministers are involved in choosing the congregation overseers or are involved in any illegal activities? Their Lawyer answers: Er... no not really. The JUDGE asks their lawyer, do you have any reason to ask us to consider the activities of these individuals? Their Lawyer responds: Yes, because the Bethel know what they do. The Judge reminds their Lawyer that knowing about something is not a crime, we are here to discuss the law so please stick to legal matters. Their Lawyer continues to try and establish that the congregations and the Branch are all one legal organization (so if they ban one they ban them all) because they sometimes give money to the congreations but .... The brothes point out that just because you give someone money doesn't mean you support them financially . Their Lawyer asks, Do you check what the congregations do with their money? The brothers answer, yes, but so does the Ministry of Justice, does that make you a branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses too? Anyway, none of our check revealed anything against (legal) guidelines.

How wise that years ago the Governing Body decided that in Russia(and possibly other countries) the local congregations are "legally" separate and independent from the Branch or Headquarters. This way the government cannot just lump together all of the congregations in Russia into 1 easy lawsuit. The government has to file suit against each congregation. Such wisdom years ago is going to help greatly today! "The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself" (Proverbs 22:3)  

Further to what Lance said, it reminded me of the fabricated evidence and lies they used to "convict" Jesus at the Sanhedrin trial. That was both religious, and political. All to do with keeping their power over people, and them not wanting the truth to be known by the populace. Have we seen this repeated throughout history - banning vernacular versions of the Bible lest the "peasants" read the truth? So, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if, despite their seemingly incongruous witnesses and so-called evidence of extremism, Jehovah's Witnesses are still convicted. The Russian government may just thumb their noses at the world media and decide to pursue their agenda openly (KON agenda, perhaps?). Such a long adjournment is possibly for the Justice ministry to 'get their act together'. Now the chief priests and the entire Sanʹhe·drin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death.+ 60 But they found none, although many false witnesses came forward.+ Later two came forward 61 and said: “This man said, ‘I am able to throw down the temple of God and build it up in three days.’” Matt 26:59-61

True. Brothers do use Russian Synodal Bible. This Bible contains the Divine name JEHOVAH in 9 times. Brothers also use other Bible translations such as Makarios Bible where you can find Jehovah's name thousands of times. I guess the representatives of The Ministry of Justice soon will learn many good things about Jehovah and his People and will get baptized right in the Court Room :DDD

AFTERNOON SESSION (Simplified) 14"30 The MoJ (their lawyers) continues to ask our Brothers question: - what did you do after the authorities declared you dangerous to prevent your members becoming extremists. THE JUGDE intevenes: If they did nothing, would that justify banning them? I mean are you a terrorist because you DIDN'T do something or because you did something? MoJ: No, that's not what I'm saying THE JUDGE : Then why are you blaming them for "not acting"? 14"45 The MoJ wants to present an internal letter that proves the congregations are "branches" of the Bethel Headquarters. The document wasn't sent to the congregations nor was it written BY the congregation and nobody has confirmed whether it's fake or not so that is put aside for the moment. 14"58 MoJ asks to interview ex-Witnesses. Judge says OK. But first we hear from Active WITNESSES - First active Witness confirms that they never studied banned literature and that the names of the banned books were posted in the Kingdom Halls. They also checked that there were no banned books around before the meetings. - Next Jehovah's Witness (a college professor) says he had been attracted to the JWs by our peaceful message and that absolutely nothing he learned was "extremist". - The Next active Jehovah's Witness (a Professor and scientist) is asked if he is currently using reading banned literature, he explains no he destroyed all banned literature. He explains that Witnesses are not "anti-education" but have a balanced view of education. The Brothers continue to question active Witnesses 15"50 The Next Active Witness is Dr Kremneva. Interestingly Dr. K does research on child abuse and extremist literature amongst young people. She answers the brother's questions making it clear her faith is against hatred and extremism. And that her religion as a Jehovah's Witness helps her raise her child who is doing well in school. She treats her non-witness colleagues well with no hatred or discrimination.

I really like our lawyers strategy as they are now going to show the Supreme Court how this attempted ban & liquidation by the Ministry of Justice is illegal and unethical, as not only does this go against the foundation of Russian beliefs, the Constitution of Russia, but also this goes against international laws and signed treaties! Now the Supreme Court will have to consider if it is worth it to criminalize Jehovah's Witnesses, because if they do so, they will be making a ruling against their own constitution as well as causing friction and problems with the international community!

Here is a combination of Sunshine's simplified translation with my own translation adjustments according to context. The short recap is that the judge and MOJ questioned the JW lawyers and could not find any fault. Then 8 witnesses were brought in and most of the favored that we aren't extremists. DAY 4 April 12, 2017 The JW’s lawyer Omelchenko proves loudly and convincingly that the suit of the Ministry of Justice contradicts articles 9, 10, 11 of the European Convention, articles 28, 29, 30 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He quotes from the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in which the authoritative court establishes the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to freedom of religion. What the Ministry of Justice requires is not justified and proportionate. It is noteworthy that in a memorandum, which the Russian Federation sent to the ECHR, it was the Ministry of Justice that recognized that there are no open calls for violence in the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. Omelchenko notes that the communities of Jehovah's Witnesses, which the Ministry of Justice requests to liquidate, received many letters of commendation from local authorities, but they did not receive warnings about extremist activity. Omelchenko lists the steps taken by the Jehovah's Witnesses Center: 1) notified all LROs about entering books in the FLEM, 2) created a commission to prevent the appearance of extremist materials, 3) reported ineffectively to authorities about planted literature in Kingdom Halls, 4) unsuccessfully asked the Prosecutor General's Office what other measures could be expected from Jehovah's Witnesses to prevent "extremist activity". International law prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment. The Ministry of Justice's lawsuit on the prohibition of Jehovah's Witnesses breaks the moral and physical resistance of the individual, forcing them to fear openly professing their faith. Omelchenko lists domestic and international appeals to the Russian Federation to stop the politically motivated persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses, the misuse of anti-extremist legislation in relation to Jehovah's Witnesses. The Ministry of Justice, while ignoring all incoming signals, continues to act as a repressive body. The JW’s lawyer Zhenkov provides an explanation for "Example of violations of the rights of citizens on the part of the religious organization" the Ministry of Justice submitted to the Court on Day 2. Firstly, the lawyer is puzzled why the Ministry of Justice has not explained where they got the document containing medical secrecy. Secondly, this wasn't a case of not being allowed their rights in fact it’s the opposite, the Witness had the RIGHT to refuse a treatment she didn't want, that's the law. Lastly, Zhenkov read excerpts from the law of the Ministry of Health concerning the dangers of blood transfusions and the need to first obtain from the patient written consent for the operation. Zhenkov notes that the law does not make exceptions such as that one religion is allowed to exercise the right to informed consent and another is not allowed. The judge begins to ask questions to the JW Lawyers: Q: Does the Russian Branch decide on the interpretation of scripture? A: No, that comes from the Faithful Slave at the World Headquarters. Q: How does the Russian Branch "organize" the activities of the congregations? A: They give recommendations. For example, when it comes to building Kingdom Halls the Administrative Center will recommend the style, but the congregations make the final decisions. Q: Regarding congregations that are part of the LRO, does the Administrative Center decide what procedures are followed then? A: The Administrative Center will approve their guidelines so that the members are all Jehovah's Witnesses that will respect bible principles. Q: Are Presiding overseers of the Congregations ever part of the financial department of the Branch? A: No, they are kept separate. Q: Are there any circumstances when there is a connection between the Administrative Center and the LROs? A: Yes, when they ask the Administrative Center for a loan or donations for example to build a hall or to help with disaster relief. Q: Do the congregations ever get money from you to produce literature? A: No the congregations do not produce the literature. Q: Does the Administrative Center oversee the distribution of literature? A: No, the Branch simply produces and sends the literature to the local congregations, the congregations are responsible for its "distribution". Q: What about a book [unnamed in the transcript] that was declared illegal just after it was imported, but was still spread amongst your believers? A: Yes, but we immediately informed the congregations that it was illegal and told them not to distribute the book. Q: What do you DO with the banned books? We do not tell the congregations what to do with the books, we tell them to obey the law [the law only says don't distribute them it doesn't say to burn them]. Now the Ministry of Justice’s Lawyers ask our brothers questions: Q: What role does the Administrative Center play in the individual charter (legal guidelines) of the congregation "founders"? A: They check that congregations guidelines respect bible standards, just like a court checks that organizations respect the law. Q: How much influence does the Administrative Center have on who are the founding members of congregations? [Judge intervenes that this is relevant to legal representatives of an organization] Question goes unanswered. Q: Who are the Traveling Overseers and Special Pioneers? A: They are Ministers appointed by the Administrative Center not the congregation. [JUDGE intervenes: Do you have any proof these special full time ministers are involved in choosing the congregation overseers or are involved in any illegal activities?] Their Lawyer answers: no not really. The JUDGE asks their lawyer, do you have any reason to ask us to consider the activities of these individuals? Their Lawyer responds: Yes, because the Administrative Center know what they do. The Judge reminds their Lawyer that knowing about something is not a crime, we are here to discuss the law so please stick to legal matters. Their Lawyer continues to try and establish that the congregations and the Branch are all one legal organization (so if they ban one they ban them all) because they sometimes give money to the congregation but the brothers point out that just because you give someone money doesn't mean you support them financially. Q: Do you check what the congregations do with their money? A: Yes, but so does the Ministry of Justice, does that make you a branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses too? Anyway, none of our checks revealed anything illegals. Q: Why did you send a letter saying to the congregations not to distribute a book AFTER the ban had appeared on the Court website. A: Because it is difficult to keep up with everything on that site and the way the ban was put it wasn't clear they were talking about one of our books. Q: What do you use today to spread your teachings. A: The bible - we mainly use the Russian Orthodox Translation. ALL the Watchtowers were not banned, only a few and no literature has been imported into Russia since 2015 The JW lawyers bring in 4 active Jehovah’s Witnesses and questions them: The first witness, Zavyalov Valentin Mikhailovich, has been a Jehovah’s Witness for more than 20 years. He reported that at the meetings of his religious group the literature introduced in the FLEM is NEVER used. The names of this literature are posted on the wall of the room where religious services are held. Believers carefully inspect the premises before the start of worship, to exclude the possibility of finding such literature in worship services. Next Evgeny Skladchikov, Doctor of Technical Sciences became a Witness of Jehovah in 1998. He says that in the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses he was attracted by the unconditional peacefulness of the biblical teaching, it is completely incompatible with extremism. No extremist publications are used at worship services. Next, Vilen Kantere, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Worker of Science and Technology The JW’s lawyer Toporov asks: "When you became a Jehovah Witness 25 years ago, did you pursue extremist goals?" Witness: "God forbid! No, of course not!” "The witness explains that this is incompatible with the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toporov: "Do you use the materials included in the FLEM?" The witness explains that, as a law-abiding citizen, he destroyed these publications. The last witness Tatiana Kremneva, doctor of pedagogical sciences. As part of his scientific work, he is involved in the prevention of child abuse and extremist materials in the youth environment. The JW’s lawyer Toporov asks: “When you became a Witness of Jehovah, did you become motivated to commit extremist acts?” Answer: “No, the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is incompatible with extremism. The court asks: “Do you initiate discord in other religions?” Witness: “No.” The JW’s Lawyer Zhenkov asks: “Did the Teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses help you raise a child?” The witness tells that he is proud of his child, his success in studies and work. Zhenkov asks: “How do you feel about colleagues and students who do not share your religion?” Witness’ response: “Positively. Without hatred, disrespect, contempt, discrimination.” The Ministry of Justice solicits interrogation of 4 ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses: The first witness Koretsky drew attention to the fact that she uses personal records while giving evidence. The JW’s Lawyer Omelchenko asked how she explains the similarity of the formulations from her notes with texts from the site of the well-known anti-sectarian center. The court decided to read Koretsky's notes later. The next witness Pavel Zverev, says that he was harmed by his involvement with the Jehovah’s Witneses. The court asks: "If you were harmed, did you contact the competent authorities on this matter?" The witness did not apply. The witness said that under the influence of the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses he personally felt hatred for the clergy of the Orthodox religion. The witness denies that he is in anti-cult organizations, although he met and photographed with a famous "sectologist". The next witness Petrova, says that when she became Jehovah's Witness, she left her work connected with the propaganda of military heroism, because this does not correspond to the belief of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 2009, she left the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. As an example of the extremist activities of the Management Center, the witness cites the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses exclude those who commit sins from their ranks. [The court asked the representative of the Ministry of Justice what are the arguments of the Justice Ministry, confirmed in the testimony of this witness?) The Ministry of Justice again speaks about a possible threat to an uncertain circle of persons.] On the question of the court, whether witness Petrov saw that someone spread extremist literature, the witness replies that she did not see. In 2009, V.Koretsky left the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses. The judge asks if his knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses is limited since 2009. Witness: “Yes.” The Ministry of Justice asks the witness to explain that he knows about the attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses to higher education, to state symbols. The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice: "If you do not specify these points in the grounds of the claim, why do we need to find out?" The representative of the Ministry of Justice: "The question is removed." On the question of the court whether Koretsky is interested in the outcome of the case, he answers briefly: "Yes." The court announces a break until April 19, 2017 10:00.

Interesting letter from Camaroon.. Camaroon.rtf

Thank you Brother Chuks, but this is being done by even someone better. If you go back a few more posts, you will see that Sister Rosie did an excellent job of doing what you said, she compiled all of them together and gave an excellent simplified translation. We are paying Sister Rosie a lot of money, so we hope she will continue with her expert translation!

From Anton Chivchalov facebook page : The Memorial was OK almost everywhere in Russia. Only in one city (Snezhinsk) police interrupted the meeting to record passport data, but nothing too serious. So it was a great achievement itself that the hearings were postponed after the Memorial.

It took the 'beard' thread more than two years to reach 90 pages, this thread did it in less than a month...

You don't need to taste, or imagine the taste of poop to know that it will stink and be bad for your health.

The first one doesn't seem so bad- besides I can't see what they can say without incriminting themselves... what are they going to say, "Yes, I was a dangerous terrorist that was pushed to commit many autrocities?"

BREAKDOWN OF THE MORNING SOFAR (Simplified rundown) 9"58 Our Lawye explains how he will be showing that this ban it totally illegal. - The Russian law, and even the European Court (Highest court in Europe) show that banning Jehovah's Witnesses is wrong. - The European court has already said that nothing in the JWs literature encourages violence. - And it's a fact, JWs get many awards for good work but never any warnings that our work makes people violent extremists. 10"31 They want to close the Bethel because we distribute "extremist" literature but - as soon as the books were banned we sent a letter to all the congregations telling them which books were banned. - we set up a special group to make sure nothing dangerous ever appeared in our books - we told the authorities when we saw that other people planted (put) banned books in our kingdom halls - we ASKED the authorities if there was anything else we could do to please them on this matter. They didn't tell us. 10"43 International law says you cannot oppress people making them afraid to worship , but if you ban JWs they will be afraid to worship openly. It's already happened in Taganrog, some have even had to leave the country and have been welcomed in other European countries as victims of persecution. Of course most Witnesses cannot flee the country, they will be forced to say and be persecuted. 10"50 Our Lawyer continues: Now think about it - these same authorities that said Jehovah's Witnesss were victims of State persecution and were sorry for their suffering are now trying to use the State to persecute them, again. Lots of other people are saying do not ban the Witnesses, international organizations (the Helsinki Commission, even the United Nations) A famous Russian Human Rights activist say its "harassment". The MoJ (Ministry of Justice ) is pretty much ignoring the entire international community of Human rights. 11"04 Furthermore, when the MoJ says "experts" said our books cause "extremism" , remember they had the opinion of many people, some said our literature was perfectly fine others said it was dangerous.... how come the MoJ ALWAYS only accepted the opinion of experts that were against the Witnesses and never listened to any that were for us? This proves this ban more about politics than justice.

So its one thing to defend your self by saying, "I haven't committed any violent or extremist actions". But it is a much bigger defense when you can provide as evidence the prosecution's own words and show the court that, "in a memo by the Russian Ministry of Justice to the European Court of Human Rights they admitted that in none of Jehovah's Witnesses literature were there found any calls for violence!" As Jesus would say, "You yourself have said it"

9:58 "I ask you all to stand!" The court announces the continuation of the hearing and to give explanations to speak lawyer Anton Omelchenko. Omelchenko said that his explanation will concern how the claim of Justice violated the provisions of the Constitution and international treaties.

We had an excellent Memorial, the brother mentioned our Russian friends in his prayer, whatever the outcome of this case, we know the Russian authorities will like Satan, simply withdraw for another occassion but we also know that the sheep will continue to come in, Jehovah's name will be vindicated and the world will take note. This case has already achieved grand things. Let us stand still and see what Jehovah has chosen to do.

First of all sorry for my English. My native language is Russian, but I will try to do my best. On the 9th of April Brother Kenneth Flodin with his wife visited Moldova on behalf of the Governing Body and an encouraging meeting for the witnesses from Transnistria was organized. 2181 witnesses from Transnistria were present. Me too, as I live in Tiraspol – the capital of Transnistria. Short information about Transnistria to give you an idea what is going on here. PMR - the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (or Transnistria) is unrecognised autonomous part of Moldova. Moldova and Transnistria have different capitals (Chisinau and Tiraspol), currency (lei and rubles), government and main language (Romanian and Russian). Bethel is located in Chisinau. Russia is backing Transnistria. Laws in PMR are based on Russian legislation. That is why we here also face certain difficulties in our ministry. There is no anti extremist law here yet, but recently a law restricting missionary activity has been adopted in Transnistria. So we can’t offer any publications in our public ministry, use carts or invite people to our meetings anymore. Russian Supreme Court Case will definitely affect witnesses in PMR. So we were very happy to know about Brother Kenneth Flodin visit to Moldova. I want to share my impressions of his visit. Brother Flodin mentioned that average number of hours we spend in ministry and number of return visits and Bible studies after restriction of our activity has risen. Of course number of publications has dropped. Brother Flodin for the first time heard how circuit overseer praised publishers for the fact they didn’t distributed Memorial Invitations. Yes, we simply can’t do this in our circumstances. As for the court case in Russia, you all know that Mark Sanderson was in the court last Wednesday. In an e-mail to brother Flodin he wrote it was one of the proudest moments in his life. As for court result brother Flodin reminded that Jehovah knows issues we can’t know, as it was with Job. So we may pray for our brothers in Russia and should respect any Jehovah’s reaction to this situation. Then a recent letter from one Russian congregation to the Governing Body was read. Russian brothers are thankful to the Governing Body and all brothers and sisters in the world for their love, prayers and active support in letter-writing campaign. They are deeply touched, even to tears, by the efforts we all made to help them. They feel our love and love of Jehovah. Especially they thank our children, many of which can’t even write well but they still participated in the campaign. The campaign is already noticed by some Media in Russia. Russian brothers feel we are very close to them. No other organization in the world can show such love, they wrote. In any case they are sure that finally Jehovah will win. Not every letter will be read by Russian officials, noticed brother Flodin after that, but they will have to open our envelopes not to miss important correspondence from other people. So this is for sure will be great witnessing. Then an inspiring Bible talk “Make your mind over” was held. But it is for another topic Visit of Brother Flodin and his wife was really a precious gift from Jehovah.

Other paperwork? Yah mean, like opening their mail?

It looks like the judge is keeping things on topic ... that is great ... if we loose it is not because of a lack of truth or the following of Caesars law.. if we loose it will be purely a political decision.

Good move, we don't need to hear their lies.

END OF THE MORNING (Simplified if anyone is interested) 13"25 Their Lawyer asks: Why did you send a letter saying to the congregations not to distribute a book AFTER the ban had appeared on the Court website. The Brothers Respond: Because it is difficult to keep up with everything on that site and the way the ban was put it wasn't clear they were talking about one of our books. Their Lawyer points out that the main way to spread the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses is THE WATCHTOWER which has been banned. What do you use today to spread your teachings. The Brothers respond: The bible - we mainly use the Russian Orthodox Translation (touché) The Brothers go on to point out, ALL the Watchtowers were not banned, only a few and no literature has been imported into Russia since 2015 13"40 Break for Lunch until 14"30

Now is the perfect time for the Ministry of Justice to apologise and go home! This court case needs to be closed in our favour.

You watch. Our lawyers With the help of Holy Spirit will expose them for what they are. Our lawyers are very clever and will probably tie them in all sorts of knots. They will be exposed in front of the judges. It won't be pretty.

yes, the court is acting much like Pontius Pilate in that they do not see anything deserving of punishment. The third ex-witness said that because we do not allow sinful people into our ranks, that made us extremist. Haha. The court had to ask what they were trying to prove. By not allowing sinners to infiltrate our organization, that is threatening the well being of citizens. It doesn't get much dumber than that. Then with the last ex-witness the MOJ tries to sneak in 2 additional arguments (Higher education and state symbols) that weren't part of the claim, and the court says, "No, No, No...stick to your original bogus claim." So the court is definitely very reasonable. I think this trial has been postponed for a week only due to the Easter Holiday coming up. Apparently they do not hold court on Mondays and Tuesdays because that is when they review cases or do other paperwork.

That was a great point made really well Lucy. I was thinking the very same thing but you said it so much better. (and you got to use the word incongruous! )

Dear, 15:05 Starts the witness by the defendant. These people are our dear brothers.

Well it is 4AM here in the middle of the U.S. and I am sooooo tired. So I have to go but please keep sending money to Sister Samira and Sister Rosie. They accept any kind of money, they are not picky.

Chuks, your post made me laugh, but seriously its good to get serveral different breakdowns as this catches things I've missed. Also the language isnt always easy to understand and I may well have gotten something wrong. I will be willing to share some of my enormous commission with Brother Neil. He may also get the keys to the company car I have been given... (ps: I am NOT translating (google is) I'm only simplifying the translation)

I took this at very early walk at sunrise.

Next session next Wednesday. This should allow any late letters to arrive and for further prayers in support of Jehovah's interests.

I'm just wondering if they interviewed members of Al Qaeda and ISIS, if they'd find college Professors, Doctors, Scientists and Researchers... Can anyone really believe we really belong on the same list as such organizations? Just a thought.

LRO does not refer to congregations but to Kingdom Halls, or rather to all the congregations meeting in a KH. There are well over 2000 congregations in Russia, but only 395 LROs.

It seems it will keep on beeing adjourned untill all letters that were sent reach them.

Trying again..... Pic from assembly hall and tonight's flowers

Thanks to Jehovah we were able to attend the Memorial in peace.

The Sanhedrin was going to act the way it did. Jesus death was predetermined. The false accusers were prophesied. This court hearing is not in the scriptures. That gives us hope the outcome isn't already set in stone.

I would like to know how the current political situation is affecting these court hearings. Are they separate enough that everything is business as usual or are the court officials feeling any amount of pressure and distraction due to the Syria crisis (and the terrorist bombing)?

I thought Lawyer Master Lew was a rap artist...

I get the feeling this is going to be a drawn out court case. But i think, that maybe a good thing in retrospect, because if you get everything out in the open now proving we aren't extremest, then what grounds in any future cases would there be. ( of course Satan will try hard) Maybe that is Jehovah's Purpose. At any rate, May we continue to support our friends in Russia who have to continue to deal with this stress. And may We all continue to Rely on Jehovha for a Great outcome.

I guess The Ministry of Justice acted in rush. "Do not rush into a legal dispute" - says the proverbs. "For what will you do later if your neighbor humiliates you?"

12:30 The queue to ask questions passes to the plaintiff. What is the role of the CA in approving the charters of the LROs and their members? Omelchenko gives the following example. The role of the CA in approving the MPO statutes is similar to the role of the Ministry of Justice itself: the Ministry of Justice verifies the statutes for compliance with the law, and the UC checks the statutes for canonical compliance. New questions from the representative of the Ministry of Justice are devoted to clarifying how independent the LROs are in their activities, how important is the influence of the CA on the LROs, including in the approval of the governing bodies and charters of the LROs. The court asks the representative of the Ministry of Justice a counter clarifying question: "From the point of view of legality, how does this affect the legal capacity and legal personality of legal entities?" The question turns into a rhetorical question. Ministry of Justice: Who are the traveling ministers? Who are the special preachers? Representatives of the defendant explain that these ministers cooperate with religious groups, and not with the MPO. 12:50 Judge (addressing the representative of the Ministry of Justice): Does the plaintiff have evidence that the traveling ministers and special preachers are somehow involved in the decisions of the competent authorities that came into force on the recognition of individuals or LROs as guilty of extremist activities? No, the Justice Ministry does not have such facts. The court (referring to the representative of the Ministry of Justice): Does the Ministry of Justice still believe that judicial acts against natural persons and MPOs have a pre-judicial force for our case? Yes, the Justice Ministry still thinks so, because the UC was aware of these cases. The Court recalls that in this process it is necessary to verify the legality of the requirements of the Ministry of Justice, so please continue to bring the norms of the laws.

FYI We just sent Sister Rosie $1000 in "Bitcoins" for her translation services. So now she is putting together another professional summary of today's proceedings. And the only reason I was given the keys to the company car is because I was assigned as Sister Rosie's chauffeur.

Hi all...thank you for the updates. I'm working today at a branch relocation so can catch up on the updates provided by you! So thank you. Let's keep our Russian brothers in our prayers today........

27 of us here.... Hi to all! here's the link from a few pages back https://jw-russia.org/pages/17040614-132.html#0412

yes...I can....

Our Memorial Flowers.

These are the flowers at our Memorial. The sister who did the arranging is a special sister. She was supposed to have died 15 years ago and is living each day as a special gift from Jehovah. Last memorial she went into diabetic coma right in her seat and had to be taken by ambulance from the Hall. Tonight she looked beautiful. She was given so many compliments on her arrangement, it was simple and beautiful.