Search the Community

RUSSIA, A Jehovah’s Witness deprived of his citizenship and deported to Turkmenistan After his release from the penal colony, Seidkuliev was kept in a deportation center and expelled from the country https://europeantimes.news/2023/10/russia-a-jehovahs-witness-deprived-of-his-citizenship-and-deported-to-turkmenistan/

Here how this may look like.... when the time comes.... https://www.euronews.com/2019/08/10/moscow-braces-for-more-weekend-protests-despite-police-detentions

On the evening of April 19, 2019 in Novosibirsk, Partizansk (Primorsky kr.), Sharypov and Minusinsk (Krasnoyarsk kr.), Law enforcement officers arrived with searches at apartments of citizens suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. 5 people were detained, two of them remain in the SIZO https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jw-russia.org%2Fnews%2F19042220-777.html

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jw-russia.org%2Fnews%2F19032018-675.html One more brother arrested in Crimea

Got this today from my friends. Sounds to me like a song.... We know how to not afraid of sickness Not losing courage if we have to die. Give up all we posses without sadness And face the death of friends without cry. We now learning how at home be fearless How keep the house empty for the "guests" Keep everything encrypted, sleep in dresses And how to be not speaking, but speachless. All our life is now a pure adventure Noone can tell what nearest future holds But this is love not mere infatuation The bigger pressure, faster water boils. Adrenaline is speeding up my moving Sometimes it seems like I'm in a trap But in the trials our faith improving Between my faith and deeds there is no gap. I won't give up, cause it's for my life racing It does not matter how this world behave. They give me names as so as I'm crazy... Not extremist, extremal faith i have! Excuse my amateur translation, please 😶

Russia is said to have built a new 100-megaton underwater nuclear doomsday device, and it has threatened the US with it. The device goes beyond traditional ideas of nuclear warfighting and poses a direct threat to the future of humanity or life on Earth. Nobody has ever built a weapon like this before, because there's almost no military utility in so badly destroying the world. But an expert on nuclear strategy told Business Insider the weapon might have a larger role in helping Russian President Vladimir Putin break down NATO with the threat of nuclear destruction. https://amp-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.businessinsider.com/the-real-purpose-of-russias-poseidon-nuclear-doomsday-device-2019-2?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s

Joint statement on the freedom to religion or belief in Russia 24.01.2019 Download pdf We, the members of the NGO coalition Civic Solidarity Platform, express our deep concern for the deprivation of the right to freedom of religion or belief towards Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and the persecution of the Community members. We urge the Russian authorities to stop deprivations, interrogations and criminal investigations for peaceful religious activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We ask the international organizations and governments of the democratic states to call on the Russian government to end the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses. {EDIT: To prevent copyright issues we can't accept whole articles being quoted. Please include only a snippet and a link. Thank you!}

Here we go again.... 😣 https://www.jw-russia.org/news/18112815-526.html

Article Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/china-russia-military-political-partnership-us-2018-4 China and Russia have forged a military 'partnership' — and they want the US to pay attention Daniel Brown Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe review an honour guard prior to their talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Associated Press China's defense minister met his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Tuesday to show that they have forged a "strategic partnership" to oppose the US. "The Chinese side has come [to Moscow] to show Americans the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia ... we've come to support you," Gen. Wei Fenghe, China's new defense minister, said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also met in Moscow on Thursday where they expressed the same sentiment of a forged "strategic partnership." China's defense minister met his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Tuesday to "let the Americans know about the close ties between the armed forces of China and Russia," according to the Associated Press. "I am visiting Russia as a new defense minister of China to show the world a high level of development of our bilateral relations and firm determination of our armed forces to strengthen strategic cooperation," China's new defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, said, according to CNN. I'm just sharing this because it fits in with our King of the North discussion.... https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/32244-the-king-of-the-north-hmmmm/?do=getNewComment

First off, I was always a passionate fan of football (no, not American Rugby, the actual sport where you kick the ball with your FEET, hence: football). Also known by some as "soccer" *shudders I think it's the best and most intense professional team sport in the world, and features a variety of interesting aspects, like techniques, skill, tactics, set-pieces and strategies. I also love the atmosphere in stadiums during an intense match. However, there were always a variety of reasons to want to "boycott" professional football world cups. From the patriotic fervour to all the corruption scandals, violent football hooligans, I still felt I always had plenty of reason to look forward to and be excited about the football world cup. This year, I will not be watching the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup hosted in Russia. I did a lot of thinking if this would compensate my political neutrality, but it feels different than simply making a political statement. With all the World Cups until now, I had the feeling that they were being hosted in a country that I don't have any particular relationship to, neither positive nor negative.. okay, maybe except for the 2006 one in my own country, which I still recall as the biggest and longest, most fun party I ever experienced. Back then I was still sporting the black, red and gold and wearing it with pride. For one thing, I wasn't particularly against a certain amount of national pride back then, for another, when the Cup is held in your own country, it's difficult not to be swept along with the euphoria even if you ignore the patriotic element. This time, it feels different. Let's say that the World Cup is a festival that is hosted at some other Gatsby's estate each time, every four years they take it in turns for someone else to host the festival. There are so many guests that it is impossible to make a statement about the festival's nature. Within the villa, the rich guests have a debauched orgy and get drunk. Outside on the pattio, there is drinking and dancing to the limits but not as bad. Further outside in the gardens, people are having a good time and talking and relaxing. For arguments sake, the brothers and friends enjoying the World Cup are among those in the garden. However, this year around, the festival is being held by someone who despises you and all your friends. In fact, he imprisons some of your friends in his basement. Would I even consider visiting his party? Absolutely not. When is too much simply too much. No way I can even watch a single match with a good conscience, watching all these proud Russian officials presenting their spectacle while our brothers are being persecuted. My true home nation is not being represented at the Russia 2018 Football World Cup. In fact, it is being viciously attacked by the host.

If I may take the liberty to post this ... Tom Harley has recently published an e-book entitled "Dear Mr. Putin - Jehovah's Witnesses Write Russia" . It is available for free at the following link: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Tomsheepandgoats

Trump, Russia and China media attacks 'threaten democracy' http://www.france24.com/en/20180425-trump-russia-china-media-attacks-threaten-democracy?ref=tw_i PARIS (AFP) - Press freedom around the world is under threat from a triple whammy of US President Donald Trump, Russia and China's bid to crush all dissent, a watchdog said Wednesday. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that a "climate of hatred and animosity" towards journalists combined with growing attempts to control the media pose a "threat to democracies". Its annual report said that reporters were the target of a growing wave of authoritarianism with leaders whipping up hostility against them. The group accused the world's three superpowers -- the US, China and Russia -- of leading the charge against press freedom, with Trump regularly launching personal attacks on reporters and Beijing exporting its "media control model" to strangle dissent elsewhere in Asia. The slide towards "strongman" and populist politics in Europe, stoked by Moscow, was threatening freedoms in the region where they were once safest, it added, with Hungary, Slovakia and Poland setting off alarm bells. Czech President Milos Zeman turned up at a press conference with a fake Kalashnikov inscribed with the words "for journalists" while Slovakia's former leader Robert Fico called journalists "filthy anti-Slovak prostitutes" and "idiotic hyenas". "The unleashing of hatred towards journalists is dangerous and a threat to democracy," RSF chief Christophe Deloire told AFP. "Political leaders who fuel loathing for reporters... undermine the concept of public debate based on facts instead of propaganda. To dispute the legitimacy of journalism today is to play with extremely dangerous political fire," he added. - China's 'oppressive' order - RSF said that hostility towards the media is "no longer confined to authoritarian countries such as Turkey and Egypt", but was poisoning the political atmosphere in some of the great democracies. "More and more democratically elected leaders no longer see the media as part of democracy's essential underpinning, but as an adversary to which they openly display their aversion," the report said, picking out Trump, India's Narendra Modi and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte for particular criticism. The US president had referred to reporters as "enemies of the people", a term once used by Stalin, it said. RSF accused Vladimir Putin?s Russia of "stifling independent voices at home? and extending its propaganda network by means of media outlets such as RT (Russian Today) and Sputnik." It had even harsher words for Beijing, saying "Xi Jinping's China is getting closer and closer to a contemporary version of totalitarianism. "Censorship and surveillance reached unprecedented levels thanks to the massive use of new technology" in his first term in office, the report said. Now the Chinese government "is trying to establish a 'new world media order' under its influence, by exporting its oppressive methods, information censorship system and Internet surveillance tools," it added. It continues see link

http://www.euronews.com/2018/04/23/russians-protest-moscow-s-telegram-ban-with-paper-planes Russians protest Moscow's Telegram ban with paper planes Telegram, a cloud-based communication service registered in the UK, depicts a paper plane in its logo. It was sanctioned after it refused to hand over encryption keys, which could be used to unscramble messages, to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Efforts to cut off access to Telegram in Russia have adversely affected other online services in the country. On Monday (April 23), technology giant Google confirmed to TechCrunch that Russian users have had problems accessing Google products, such as Gmail and Google search, which use net addresses that have been blocked by the Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor.

Russian state TV is telling viewers to stockpile food in preparation for war https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/d3553y/russian-state-tv-stockpile-food-war-syria?utm_source=vicenewstwitter Russian state TV told citizens Tuesday to stockpile food and water as the threat of nuclear war with the U.S. intensified over Syria. Standing in front of a mushroom cloud, a presenter on state-run broadcaster Vesti 24 warned viewers to stock up on “fewer sweets and more water.” The presenter listed off a number of food items that citizens should buy ahead of a possible war with Trump, including rice, oatmeal and sugar “for those who succumb to panic and decide to spend all their savings.”...........continues in link

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/26/europe/russia-nuclear-missile-satan-2/ (CNN)A Russian missile design company has unveiled the first image of a new weapon in Russia's arsenal: the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, nicknamed "Satan 2." The RS-28 Sarmat rocket "is capable of wiping out parts of the earth the size of Texas or France," Russian state news outlet Sputnik reported in May. The image was published by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau on its website. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borsiov said the Sarmat warhead was capable of destroying targets flying across both North and South Poles, Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/59kpp8/the-kremlin-is-clamping-down-on-internet-freedom-as-putin-gears-up-for-re-election The Russian government has been widely accused of using the internet to interfere in elections in the West. Now, with President Vladimir Putin’s own re-election looming in March, a new report spells out how far the Kremlin has gone to make sure Putin won’t face the same kind of online vulnerability. Russia blocked an average of 244 websites every day during 2017 as domestic internet censorship soars to new heights, according to a report released Monday by Agora, a Russian watchdog group composed of over 50 human rights lawyers. This bit is worrying for our brothers and sisters living there; This summer, a new law will take effect requiring cellular and internet providers to store all communications data in full for six months on behalf of the security services.

https://jw-russia.org/news/18020123-283.html SMH.

RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS Police raid Jehovah's Witnesses' picnic in south of Russia JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES RELAXING ON BEACH IN NEFTEKUMSK TAKEN TO POLICE STATION SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 29 August 2017 On 26 August 2017, 18 residents of Nevtekumsk [Stavropol territory]—members of the Jehovah's Witnesses congregation who were relaxing with their children on a lake bank—were arrested by police officers on suspicion of conducting illegal activity of a religious organization and were taken to the police department. The police said that the operation began after an anonymous phone call in which they were told that "Jehovah's Witnesses are gathered at a river and they are prohibited." The detainees—including children and retirees—were kept at the police department for more than three hours, answering questions about their attitude toward religion. Several noted in the record of the interrogation that "they experienced humiliating treatment on the part of the police." (tr. by PDS, posted 29 August 2017) Russia Religion News Current News Items 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/.

https://www.underminers.info/publications/2017/12/5/toxic-money-from-kremlin-where-is-the-red-line

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/07/russian-protesters-rally-vladimir-putins-birthday/ by Alec Luhn, St Petersburg 7 October 2017 • 4:10pm Police detained more than 100 supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Saturday as thousands rallied nationwide on President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday, calling for the leader to retire. Mr Putin, who has now reached the official retirement age of lower-ranking state employees, is widely expected to run again in next year's presidential election and enjoys a high approval rating. Mr Navalny has declared his intention to run in the election next March and was campaigning in provincial cities as part of his long-shot bid for the presidency. He was arrested late last month and a court last week sentenced him to 20 days in jail on charges of repeatedly violating a law on organising public meetings.

Court refuses to grant habeas corpus to Danish Jehovahs witness Article at link below in English http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/170622a.html Its a cruel cruel system......

Anton Chivchalov‏ @Chivchalov 4h4 hours ago More Kazakhstan site apologized for false report on JWs and disclosed its erroneous sources: all Russian and pro-ROC: http://goo.gl/F5ntTK From Anton f

From jw-russia.org: https://jw-russia.org/news/17082917-209.html The Most Unusual and Rare Mother is Awarded 29 August 2017 "The most unusual and rare mother is awarded" , - these words begin with the certificate of honor signed on June 1, 2017 by Leila Namazova-Baranova, Director of the Institute of Pediatrics , Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The diploma was handed to a resident of Ramenskoye (Moscow region) Melan Petrosyan. Together with her husband Suren, they raise 13-year-old beloved son David and for 9 years have been helping him to fight a grave illness. The award was handed to Melan, among other things, "... for the ability to heroically endure difficulties in the upbringing and treatment of not only his rare child, but also helping other families with the same children, giving love and hope for light and good, and calling never to give up What circumstances and life's difficulties . " According to family friends, Melan and Suren have always sought and achieved the best medical treatment, refuting the myth that Jehovah's Witnesses allegedly "refuse medical treatment." All these years in overcoming difficulties Melan and Suren helped by their faith, advice from the holy book of the Bible, the support of coreligionists. The ban imposed on the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses significantly complicated the life of David and his parents.

MOSCOW (AFP) - About 1,000 Russians braved pouring rain in Moscow on Saturday to demonstrate against the government's moves to tighten controls on internet use, with police arresting about a dozen protesters. Shouting slogans such as "Russia will be free" and "Russia without censorship", the protesters were escorted by several police officers, in a march authorised by local authorities. Several were also marching in support of Khudoberdi Nurmatov, a reporter for the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, who faces deportation back to Uzbekistan over allegedly violating immigration laws. http://www.france24.com/en/20170826-hundreds-russians-protest-tighter-internet-controls?ref=tw_i Some of those were arrested, according to OVD-Info, a rights group that monitors detentions of activists, while an AFP photographer saw two protesters carrying rainbow flags detained. In July, Russia's parliament voted to outlaw web tools that let internet users sidestep official bans of certain websites. It allows telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor to compile a list of so-called anonymiser services and prohibit any that fail to respect the bans, while also requiring users of online messaging services to identify themselves with a telephone number. "Innovation and technology will win! We will defend our freedoms!" one protester said, according to a broadcast of the march on YouTube. Russia's opposition groups rely heavily on the internet to make up for their lack of access to the mainstream media. But the Russian authorities have been clamping down on such online services, citing security concerns. In June, Russian officials threatened to ban the Telegram messaging app after the FSB security service said it had been used by the attackers responsible for the deadly Saint Petersburg metro bombing in April.

Two Jehovah's Witnesses leaders again win in court MOSCOW PROVINCIAL COURT CONFIRMS ACQUITTAL VERDICT IN CASE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ELDERS SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 24 August 2017 On 24 August 2017, the Moscow provincial court left in force the verdict of acquittal in the case of two elders of the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sergiev Posad. Viacheslav Stepanov and Andrei Sivak were accused of inciting religious hatred committed by an organized group (point "v" of part 2 of article 282 of the Criminal Code). The criminal case was opened in April 2013. The believers were accused of making statements during meetings that incited religious hatred, specifically, they quoted forbidden brochures of the Jehovah's Witnesses "What does the Bible really teach?" and "Draw neigh to Jehovah," which contain negative characterizations of other religions, including "traditional" Christianity and Christian clergy and which call for joining the Jehovah's Witnesses. A Sergiev Posad city court back in March 2016 came to the conclusion the Stepanov and Sivak were innocent, not finding in their statements indicators of inciting hatred and taking note of substantive violations in the expert analysis that was conducted at the stage of preliminary investigation. However, in May 2016, the Moscow provincial court issued an appellate order that annulled the verdict and remanded the case for a new review. In June 2017, the Sergiev Posad court again acquitted Stepanov and Sivak, but the prosecutor's office again appealed the verdict. We regard the prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses for extremism to be religious discrimination. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 August 2017) Background article: Years-long criminal case against Jehovah's Witnesses leaders ended July 4, 2017 Russia Religion News Current News Items