JW.org - LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS | Oryol Court Again Extends Imprisonment of Dennis Christensen

[GeordieGirl]

Even if he couldn't understand every word, surely just receiving the letters from his brothers and sisters around the world, that they are aware of his situation and are there for him, would be encouragement. 

Although sometime people can speak or understand a language without being able to read it, as said earlier, one would expect a brother in a Russian cong to have a certain knowledge of all aspects of communication in a language.

 

I would love to write to him and I'm sure Google translate would be sufficient enough to get the spirit of our thoughts across to him even if the letter of the translation wasn't exact. 

[Sheep]

On 2/2/2018 at 8:50 PM, Tortuga said:

Does Brother Christensen read Russian?

Some of the earlier news reports said his trial was delayed because they needed a translator..

 

On June 7, the Oryol Oblast Court was to consider the appeal of Jehovah's Witness, Danish citizen Dennis Christensen, on the decision to take two months in custody. This measure of restraint was chosen for him by the Soviet District Court of the city of Orel on May 26, 2017.

The regional court postponed the hearing due to the fact that the accused could not find an interpreter from the Danish language. The date of the new meeting has not yet been announced.

-JW-Russia.org

 

On 2/2/2018 at 9:03 PM, Sheep said:

Good question. I'm going to ask the brother who sent me the address.

 

I got a response from the brother who gave me the address. He commented on Brother Christensen's abilities with Russian, and the need for a translator.

 

Quote

So straight after MTS (in Stockholm, Sweden), poor Dennis was sent to Russia. The brothers told him, there will be people waiting for you there who speak English and it will all go little by little. What actually happened was that he turned up, knew no more Russian than the few phrases you teach yourself as you are waiting for the plane, and found a congregation devoid of brothers where he pretty much had to do all the talks in Russian that he didn't know. He told me, the beginning was hard! This was all back in 2002. Today, he has a Russian wife and has lived in Russia for well over a decade. So don't worry about his Russian abilities. He is fluent now. But if the authorities cannot easily read the letters for censure, they will just discard them. Hence the need to translate them into Russian.

 

I know the Danish embassy/the Danish ministry of foreign affairs has been very active in the trial and and so on... I am sure the interpreter was for those officials, not for Dennis.

 

In other words, just write in Russian. Since he is fluent by now, he won't have any trouble figuring out what Google is trying to say (just like we can understand what Google says when it translates Russian to English.)

 

[hatcheckgirl]

@Sheep Brother Eric, is there any update as to whether our brother Dennis is receiving the letters sent?

[Sheep]

6 hours ago, hatcheckgirl said:

@Sheep Brother Eric, is there any update as to whether our brother Dennis is receiving the letters sent?

 

I haven't personally heard anything one way or the other. We have our meeting tonight, so I'll ask the brother who gave me all the above info if he would happen to know how we can find out.

 

I don't expect there would be a way to know for sure (unless we personally get a response from Dennis). I'll let you know if the brother tells me anything different.

 

[Tortuga]

Updated info posted today.

 

Dennis receives support letters every day. At the same time letters in foreign languages are not allowed to pass to him, except for children's drawings. Address for letters: Christensen Dennis Ole, born in 1974, PKU "Investigation isolator № 1 UFSIN in Orel region", st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 10, Orel, 302040. (It is not allowed to discuss topics related to criminal prosecution in letters.)

 

https://www.jw-russia.org/news/18050716-310.html

[cricket246]

HMMM i wonder if someone could use google translate and translate a letter into russian to send to him?

[Tortuga]

Just now, cricket246 said:

HMMM i wonder if someone could use google translate and translate a letter into russian to send to him?

Try it...

[cricket246]

I don't want to do anything to get anyone in trouble, so I'd have to see how accurate google translate is. Also, I'm not sure if people from outside Russia can write to him.

[Tortuga]

3 minutes ago, cricket246 said:

I don't want to do anything to get anyone in trouble, so I'd have to see how accurate google translate is. Also, I'm not sure if people from outside Russia can write to him.

Read the article. It sounds like he is getting letters as long as they are in Russian. I'll assume many of them are from outside of Russia...

[Sheep]

On 5/7/2018 at 7:36 PM, Tortuga said:

https://www.jw-russia.org/news/18050716-310.html

 

On 5/7/2018 at 7:41 PM, cricket246 said:

HMMM i wonder if someone could use google translate and translate a letter into russian to send to him?

 

On 5/7/2018 at 7:45 PM, cricket246 said:

I don't want to do anything to get anyone in trouble, so I'd have to see how accurate google translate is. Also, I'm not sure if people from outside Russia can write to him.

Yes, a brother in my congregation knew Dennis in Denmark, before he went to Russia. He provided me with some information to write to Dennis (given to him by Dennis' fleshly sister, but not the same address as in the above article), and he said Google Translate would suffice. If the authorities in the prison can't read it, they will discard it before it gets to Dennis. Almost everything else in the article is the same as the brother told me, except that you may not use Jehovah's name in the letter or say anything negative about Russia.

[Omoyeme]

Quote

[...] say anything negative about Russia.

 

What's the old adage, they can "dish it out, but they can't take it."

smh.

[Sheep]

On 3/28/2018 at 8:15 AM, hatcheckgirl said:

@Sheep Brother Eric, is there any update as to whether our brother Dennis is receiving the letters sent?

I got an email this afternoon from the brother in my congregation who knew Dennis Christensen years ago. Here's what he says:

 

Quote

I just received a letter from Denmark, forwarded from Dennis' sister, that in detail describes his situation in prison. I will translate it to English and forward it to you one of these next days. But I can say as much as it is good news! He gets 40-50 letters A DAY! Which is a massive witness to both the prison guards and the Danish ambassadors.

Now that's great news! And not to worry; I will post the brother's translation here once I get it.

 

So in answer to Lucy's question, it looks like your letters, and many others, are indeed getting through.

[Sheep]

17 hours ago, Sheep said:

And not to worry; I will post the brother's translation here once I get it.

I got an email from the brother this morning. Just to review, he is in my congregation and is of Danish origin. He and Dennis Christensen were briefly in the same congregation before he went to take the MTS in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002. He recently received a letter from Dennis' sister Majbritt in Denmark, and now he provides me with this translation:

 

Quote

Yesterday I had a telephone conversation with the consul from the Danish embassy. She is the one visiting Dennis. She is very kind and accommodating. She told me that Dennis looked healthy and that his spirits are still high. She doesn’t understand how it is possible, but remarked, “it must be his faith that strengthens and lifts him.”

 

I could only agree. The embassy staff is speechless and baffled over his positive attitude, considering his situation, and they think he seems very strong and in that way is very different from the other prisoners.

 

When the embassy staff and Dennis met last week, he brought with him a folder filled with children’s drawings to show them. The lady from the embassy was very impressed with the number of drawings he had received, and both the consul and her colleague found them interesting to look at.

 

Imagine, Dennis receives at the moment between 20 and 50 letters a day!! Irina told us that there are 3 censors attached to the prison, who only sit and read the prisoners’ letters, and 90% of the letters are for Dennis!! Isn’t that wonderful? It is a giant witness, and the local brothers from the city are certain that at least one of them will take the truth, because of all the spiritual food they get from reading the letters.

 

If any of the brothers you meet would want to write Dennis, they are very welcome to do so. It brings him unspeakable joy to get greetings in letters. If you know any children, then he loves to receive drawings.

 

Here is his address:

 

Dennis Christensen

Krasnoarmeiskaja 10

Sizo-1

Orel 302040

Russia

 

Remember it has to be in Russian in order to pass the censorship, so just use Google translate. You can not write anything negative about Russia or mention Jehovah’s name.

 

On drawings children can write their name and age in their own language.

 

Regarding the drawings... He has received so many that he has sown together 4 plastic folders and hung them up on his wall in the cell. Then he puts the drawings into the plastic folders and change them every 2 days.

 

The guards will check the cells every day to search for contraband, but they do know that they never find anything in his cell. Instead they visit him to see what new drawings he has put up. Most of the drawings are images from the Bible, so Dennis then explains them to the guards. So with the help of these children’s drawings he still manages to preach, clever huh?

 

The brother adds:

Quote

As she says, feel free to spread the news!

 

[Tortuga]

54 minutes ago, Sheep said:

I got an email from the brother this morning. Just to review, he is in my congregation and is of Danish origin. He and Dennis Christensen were briefly in the same congregation before he went to take the MTS in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002. He recently received a letter from Dennis' sister Majbritt in Denmark, and now he provides me with this translation:

Fantastic! Thank you!

[Friends just call me Ross]

Google translate isn't perfect, but it will do.

I translated my letter from English to Russian and then from Russian to English, 

just to see what happens.

Original:

Quote

My Dear Christian Brother,

 

Please know that all of your brothers and sisters are keeping you in their prayers.  You are being kept close in our hearts and thoughts.

 

Never forget that you are part of a worldwide brotherhood, so you are never alone.

 

Christian Love,

 

Your sister,

 

Google re-translated:

 

Close enough. 

[Omoyeme]

What a faith-strengthening experience Eric! My heart swells with pride because I belong to Jehovah's spirit-directed organization that genuinely adheres to the command to "have love among yourselves." 

 

Thank you for posting this!

 

 

[Friends just call me Ross]

I decided to color Brother Christensen a "Just See Yourself" picture, too:

 

I tried really hard to stay inside the lines. 

 

 

[Guri]

On 5/9/2018 at 10:41 PM, Sheep said:

Yes, a brother in my congregation knew Dennis in Denmark, before he went to Russia.

I wondered if we have any brother on our forum from Denmark. 

[Vinnie]

What wonderful good news. It brought joyful tears to my eyes.  Reminds me of the three Hebrews who remained healthier looking than the rest. Jesus did say, Man must live not on bread alone but on every utterance coming from Jehovah's mouth.

Edited July 8, 2018 by Vinnie
because edits are encouraging too