Two Russians Denied Entry To USA Over JW Torture

[Thomas Walker]

https://www.rferl.org/a/two-russians-given-us-entry-bans-for-allegedly-torturing-jehovahs-witnesses/30158249.html

[Omoyeme]

Quote

A Russian lawmaker denounced the sanctions as arbitrary [...]

 

I see!  So, they can dish it out...but they can't take it!  Pffft! 🙄

[Bek]

BBC Russian has reported it under the headline : "The US has imposed sanctions on Russian investigators for persecuting JWs". The report says that the US State Department calls on the Russian authorities to end the "unjust campaign against JW" and to release 200 JWs in custody. 

 

You can it read it with Google Translate: 

 

https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-49656443

[Tbs77]

https://www.state.gov/public-designation-due-to-involvement-in-gross-violations-of-human-rights-of-vladimir-yermolayev-and-stepan-tkach-officials-of-the-investigative-committee-in-the-russian-federation/

Public Designation Due to Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights of Vladimir Yermolayev and Stepan Tkach, Officials of the Investigative Committee in the Russian Federation

The Department is publicly designating Vladimir Petrovich Yermolayev, the Head of the Investigative Committee in the city of Surgut, Russia, and Stepan Vladimirovich Tkach, Senior Investigator at the Investigative Committee of Surgut, Russia, under Section 7031© of the FY2019 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, due to their involvement in gross violations of human rights. Section 7031© provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

The Department has credible information that Yermolayev and Tkach were involved in torture and/or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Surgut, Russia. On February 15, 2019, officers of the Surgut Investigative Committee, led by Yermolayev and Tkach, subjected at least seven Jehovah’s Witnesses to suffocation, electric shocks, and severe beatings during interrogation at the Committee’s headquarters. This brutality stands in marked contrast to the peaceful practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been criminally prosecuted for their religious beliefs in Russia since a 2017 Supreme Court decision affirming their wrongful designation as an “extremist organization.”

Despite posing no threat to Russia’s national security, over 60 Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently awaiting trial on criminal charges in prison or under house arrest, with approximately 250 more currently under investigation. In February 2019, Jehovah’s Witness Dennis Christensen was given a six-year prison term merely for practicing his faith. Jehovah’s Witnesses also frequently face property seizure, police raids, discrimination, and other forms of pressure from the state. These developments underscore the increasingly repressive environment faced by religious minorities in the Russian Federation, which led to the Department adding Russia to the International Religious Freedom Special Watch List in 2018.

Russia should end its unjust campaign against the Jehovah’s Witnesses and immediately release the over 200 individuals it currently has imprisoned for exercising their freedom of religion or belief. We further call on the Russian authorities to end the culture of impunity for torture and hold officials accountable for abuses, including those perpetrated against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Surgut.

[AH173]

Reminds me of what I just read yesterday. 

[Bek]

It would be great if the US and the EU also imposed sanctions on Dvorkin, the top members of the Russian Church gang and some senior FSB officers for orchestrating the JW ban. 

[Thomas Walker]

12 minutes ago, AH173 said:

Reminds me of what I just read yesterday. 

Yeah, but I don't think it's going to happen this time. Russia identified as KotN changes the map a little.

 

Unless that 'swallowed up the river' prophecy from Revelations also applies to KotN...

[AH173]

1 hour ago, Thomas Walker said:

Yeah, but I don't think it's going to happen this time. Russia identified as KotN changes the map a little.

I'm never in the practice of limiting what may or may not be in Jehovah’s handling.

 

From a human standpoint you have a point. 

 

I yield my thoughts to this:

 

[shali]

This shows that are prayers in their behalf are working!  I keep asking Jehovah to shine international attention on what is going on over in Russia as well as his help to allow them to endure the terrible things being done to them. Keep those prayers coming!  

[JennyM]

@shali Some are already released from house arrests and from prisons. 

[AH173]

On 9/11/2019 at 8:17 AM, Tbs77 said:

The Department has credible information that Yermolayev and Tkach were involved in torture and/or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Surgut, Russia. On February 15, 2019, officers of the Surgut Investigative Committee, led by Yermolayev and Tkach, subjected at least seven Jehovah’s Witnesses to suffocation, electric shocks, and severe beatings during interrogation at the Committee’s headquarters. This brutality stands in marked contrast to the peaceful practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been criminally prosecuted for their religious beliefs in Russia since a 2017 Supreme Court decision affirming their wrongful designation as an “extremist organization.”

Despite posing no threat to Russia’s national security, over 60 Jehovah’s Witnesses are currently awaiting trial on criminal charges in prison or under house arrest, with approximately 250 more currently under investigation. In February 2019, Jehovah’s Witness Dennis Christensen was given a six-year prison term merely for practicing his faith. Jehovah’s Witnesses also frequently face property seizure, police raids, discrimination, and other forms of pressure from the state. These developments underscore the increasingly repressive environment faced by religious minorities in the Russian Federation, which led to the Department adding Russia to the International Religious Freedom Special Watch List in 2018.

I incorporated some of this material for paragraph 7 of weekend lesson today.

 

7. (a) What do we learn from Leviticus 26:36, 37? (b) What will you do when under ban?7 When our enemies ban our worship, they hope to make us afraid to serve Jehovah. In addition to the ban, they may circulate false stories, send officials to search our homes, drag us to court, or even imprison some of us. They hope that we will be terrified because they managed to put a small number of us in prison. If we were to allow them to instill fear in our heart, we might even begin to “ban” our own worship. We would not want to become like those described at Leviticus 26:36, 37. (Read.) We will not allow fear to cause us to reduce or to stop our spiritual activities. We trust completely in Jehovah and refuse to panic. (Isa. 28:16) We prayerfully seek Jehovah’s guidance. We know that with his backing, not even the most powerful human government can prevent us from faithfully worshipping our God.—Heb. 13:6.

[cme]

Come Lord Jesus, Come!