Russia soon to overtake Eritrea as the worst persecutor of JWs

[Bek]

A brother, Anton Chivchalov, who is a well-known journalist, has published a blog article on Radio Liberty's website about the Russian government's persecutions against JWs. I have run his article through Google Translate and edited it to make it more readable. 

 

Overtake Eritrea. Anton Chivchalov - about Jehovah's Witnesses

 

"On 30 October, the Memorial Human Rights Center unveiled its latest list of political prisoners on the day of remembrance for victims of political repressions.

 

206 people from this list are being prosecuted today - these are Jehovah's Witnesses. According to Znak, criminal cases have been brought against almost 300 people. More than 40 are held in prisons and pre-trial detention centers. In October, in Sochi, 35 raids on Jehovah's Witnesses took place in one day, this is a record, since even Muslim radicals are not hunted in Russia. On November 5, Sergei Klimov from Tomsk was sentenced to 6 years in prison , convicted of "leading an extremist organisation." Religious property worth tens of millions of euros has been seized . Not a single criminal case has any real evidence of crime. Everyone is being charged only for religious activity This is a completely unprecedented situation for a European country in the 21st century, which claims to be modern with the rule of law.

 

Jehovah's Witnesses are treated the way they were not treated even during the Soviet era, except for the Stalin period.

 

 A policeman could come with a couple of patrolmen as part of measures to maintain order. They could talk and criticise. They could arrange a Burlaw court and dismiss from work. But special forces soldiers didn’t break into the houses of believers through windows and balconies, they didn’t break open doors with grinders, they didn’t lay people on the floor under the gun barrels, they didn’t handcuff them to radiators, they didn’t torture them with electric shockers. All this is happening today.

 

Very soon, Russia will come out on top in the world for the number of Jehovah's Witnesses imprisoned for their faith. So far, Eritrea holds the “leadership” in this - there are 52 of them, and 46 in Russia. But in Eritrea this figure is gradually decreasing, there the peak of repressions has been passed, and in Russia it is growing. When Russian church propagandists cite the 30-plus countries in which the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses are prohibited, they do not say that in most of these countries “witnesses” are not sent to prisons. They jailed only in five countries, three of which are countries of the former USSR: Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Russia itself. In Turkmenistan, as of August 2019, there are ten Jehovah's Witnesses in jail, in Tajikistan there is only one. Eight more people are behind bars in Singapore for refusing military service, there is no alternative civilian service in this country, and believers have to choose between an army and a prison. By the way, they are jailed in Turkmenistan for the same reason. In total, there are only two countries in the world where Jehovah's Witnesses are massively imprisoned specifically for religious beliefs: Eritrea and Russia.
 

The propagandists will also hide from you the fact that Russia is the only country in the world in which Jehovah's Witnesses are considered extremists or dangerous criminals.

 The aforementioned 30-plus countries, including Eritrea, are Muslim states (plus China and North Korea), in which the activity of all or almost all Christian churches is prohibited, and Jehovah's Witnesses are considered there to be the Christian church. In other words, “witnesses” are banned there for a reason exactly the opposite of that in Russia. And when Russia nods toward those countries, it indirectly confirms that Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians, that in Russia, too, there is a struggle with Christian churches. To reinforce this struggle, criminal proceedings are instituted for reading the Bible in an “incorrect” translation . Tell me, when was the last time you could go to jail in Russia for reading a forbidden Bible translation? Under which czar?

 

Here is another example.

 

 In Krasnoyarsk, a lawsuit has been opened against two residents of the city for talking at a bus stop. Authorities found that the conversation was about religion. When was the last time they imprisoned in Russia for talking on the street? Social networks are abuzz about the persecution for tweets, articles and videos, but the news about the persecution for talking is almost unnoticed. Here is what the five believers in Kirov are accused of : "jointly singing Bible songs, improving the missionary skills, studying religious literature, the so-called Holy Scripture (Bible), which is part of the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing the Belief of Jehovah's Witnesses." The authorities are no longer embarrassed to openly admit that they are persecuting citizens for reading the Bible and singing Bible songs.

 

How do prosecutors, investigators and judges sleep at night who write these charges and put people behind bars on them? What happens in the minds and souls of these people? What do they say at home to their loved ones? Even if they sincerely believe that the guilt of the defendants has been proven, this guilt does not consist of something real, not of “apartments being taken” or “harm caused to health”, as we have been lied to in the media for 20 years. There are no such facts in any criminal case. The accusation is always based on the facts of possessing "extremist" literature, and its "extremism" was revealed as a result of the work of experts who found in it "propaganda of their religion’s superiority" - in other words, a conviction that it is the truth. But for this you can jail any believer in the world. Therefore, a person chooses some religion because he considers it to be the most correct or more correct than others. Otherwise, what's the point of choosing it? It is absurd, unconstitutional, inhumane, immoral, and inhuman to jail anyone for this on serious criminal charges that carry long prison terms.

 

In Russia there are families of hereditary Jehovah's Witnesses who already in the second or third generation do not know life without repression. One of them is Ivan Puida from Magadan , who spent 129 days in jail, and is now under an obligation not to leave the country. He is recognized as a political prisoner by the Memorial centre, and the case is expected to go to trial soon. Ivan’s grandfather, Partsey Puida, was a victim of repressions in Nazi Germany and the USSR. Ivan's father, Grigory Puida, was convicted several times in the USSR of publishing religious literature. Later they were rehabilitated as victims of political repression, received benefits and compensation. But the "glorious" family tradition is now continued by 41-year-old Ivan. It seems that in Russia this tradition will last forever - regimes succeed each other, but nothing changes. Once again, once a year we honor the memory of the victims of repression, and in the remaining 364 days we create new ones".

 

Anton Chivchalov - journalist, translator, blogger

 

 Here is the original: http://tiny.cc/ouuvfz

 

 

Edited November 7, 2019 by Bek

[cme]

Come Lord Jesus, Come!  They have entered the land of Decoration.  Soon, very soon Jehovah will smite them!

[GraceH]

13 hours ago, cme said:

Come Lord Jesus, Come!  They have entered the land of Decoration.  Soon, very soon Jehovah will smite them!

Yeah, we must be so close! The world in general in all regards climate change, people's attitudes, sickness, unemployment, stress, it absolutely nuts!!!

[cme]

When we hear about these things we know that Satan is mad.  He knows his time is up. Everything that is happening the scriptures foretold.  (Luke 21:28)  The book of Daniel also.  We know that Jehovah has everything under control and is watching.

 

These people can sleep at night because Satan is behind all of this.  Prepare to see worse situations.  Jesus said to stay alert with a view to prayer. 

 

We will remain alert and pray for these brothers and for Jehovah's Kingdom to come.  Our salvation is nearer now then ever before.  It won't be long now.  Even with tears in our eyes because we are undergoing these trials we can be happy because Jehovah soon will put an end to all of this.

[Hannah]

On 11/7/2019 at 1:43 PM, Bek said:

A brother, Anton Chivchalov, who is a well-known journalist, has published a blog article on Radio Liberty's website about the Russian government's persecutions against JWs. I have run his article through Google Translate and edited it to make it more readable. 

 

Overtake Eritrea. Anton Chivchalov - about Jehovah's Witnesses

 

"On 30 October, the Memorial Human Rights Center unveiled its latest list of political prisoners on the day of remembrance for victims of political repressions.

 

206 people from this list are being prosecuted today - these are Jehovah's Witnesses. According to Znak, criminal cases have been brought against almost 300 people. More than 40 are held in prisons and pre-trial detention centers. In October, in Sochi, 35 raids on Jehovah's Witnesses took place in one day, this is a record, since even Muslim radicals are not hunted in Russia. On November 5, Sergei Klimov from Tomsk was sentenced to 6 years in prison , convicted of "leading an extremist organisation." Religious property worth tens of millions of euros has been seized . Not a single criminal case has any real evidence of crime. Everyone is being charged only for religious activity This is a completely unprecedented situation for a European country in the 21st century, which claims to be modern with the rule of law.

 

Jehovah's Witnesses are treated the way they were not treated even during the Soviet era, except for the Stalin period.

 

 A policeman could come with a couple of patrolmen as part of measures to maintain order. They could talk and criticise. They could arrange a Burlaw court and dismiss from work. But special forces soldiers didn’t break into the houses of believers through windows and balconies, they didn’t break open doors with grinders, they didn’t lay people on the floor under the gun barrels, they didn’t handcuff them to radiators, they didn’t torture them with electric shockers. All this is happening today.

 

Very soon, Russia will come out on top in the world for the number of Jehovah's Witnesses imprisoned for their faith. So far, Eritrea holds the “leadership” in this - there are 52 of them, and 46 in Russia. But in Eritrea this figure is gradually decreasing, there the peak of repressions has been passed, and in Russia it is growing. When Russian church propagandists cite the 30-plus countries in which the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses are prohibited, they do not say that in most of these countries “witnesses” are not sent to prisons. They jailed only in five countries, three of which are countries of the former USSR: Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Russia itself. In Turkmenistan, as of August 2019, there are ten Jehovah's Witnesses in jail, in Tajikistan there is only one. Eight more people are behind bars in Singapore for refusing military service, there is no alternative civilian service in this country, and believers have to choose between an army and a prison. By the way, they are jailed in Turkmenistan for the same reason. In total, there are only two countries in the world where Jehovah's Witnesses are massively imprisoned specifically for religious beliefs: Eritrea and Russia.
 

The propagandists will also hide from you the fact that Russia is the only country in the world in which Jehovah's Witnesses are considered extremists or dangerous criminals.

 The aforementioned 30-plus countries, including Eritrea, are Muslim states (plus China and North Korea), in which the activity of all or almost all Christian churches is prohibited, and Jehovah's Witnesses are considered there to be the Christian church. In other words, “witnesses” are banned there for a reason exactly the opposite of that in Russia. And when Russia nods toward those countries, it indirectly confirms that Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians, that in Russia, too, there is a struggle with Christian churches. To reinforce this struggle, criminal proceedings are instituted for reading the Bible in an “incorrect” translation . Tell me, when was the last time you could go to jail in Russia for reading a forbidden Bible translation? Under which czar?

 

Here is another example.

 

 In Krasnoyarsk, a lawsuit has been opened against two residents of the city for talking at a bus stop. Authorities found that the conversation was about religion. When was the last time they imprisoned in Russia for talking on the street? Social networks are abuzz about the persecution for tweets, articles and videos, but the news about the persecution for talking is almost unnoticed. Here is what the five believers in Kirov are accused of : "jointly singing Bible songs, improving the missionary skills, studying religious literature, the so-called Holy Scripture (Bible), which is part of the Federal List of Extremist Materials Containing the Belief of Jehovah's Witnesses." The authorities are no longer embarrassed to openly admit that they are persecuting citizens for reading the Bible and singing Bible songs.

 

How do prosecutors, investigators and judges sleep at night who write these charges and put people behind bars on them? What happens in the minds and souls of these people? What do they say at home to their loved ones? Even if they sincerely believe that the guilt of the defendants has been proven, this guilt does not consist of something real, not of “apartments being taken” or “harm caused to health”, as we have been lied to in the media for 20 years. There are no such facts in any criminal case. The accusation is always based on the facts of possessing "extremist" literature, and its "extremism" was revealed as a result of the work of experts who found in it "propaganda of their religion’s superiority" - in other words, a conviction that it is the truth. But for this you can jail any believer in the world. Therefore, a person chooses some religion because he considers it to be the most correct or more correct than others. Otherwise, what's the point of choosing it? It is absurd, unconstitutional, inhumane, immoral, and inhuman to jail anyone for this on serious criminal charges that carry long prison terms.

 

In Russia there are families of hereditary Jehovah's Witnesses who already in the second or third generation do not know life without repression. One of them is Ivan Puida from Magadan , who spent 129 days in jail, and is now under an obligation not to leave the country. He is recognized as a political prisoner by the Memorial centre, and the case is expected to go to trial soon. Ivan’s grandfather, Partsey Puida, was a victim of repressions in Nazi Germany and the USSR. Ivan's father, Grigory Puida, was convicted several times in the USSR of publishing religious literature. Later they were rehabilitated as victims of political repression, received benefits and compensation. But the "glorious" family tradition is now continued by 41-year-old Ivan. It seems that in Russia this tradition will last forever - regimes succeed each other, but nothing changes. Once again, once a year we honor the memory of the victims of repression, and in the remaining 364 days we create new ones".

 

Anton Chivchalov - journalist, translator, blogger

 

 Here is the original: http://tiny.cc/ouuvfz

 

 

Thank you for sharing 

we keep them in our prayers.

[EccentricM]

The world is so polarised. Both on internal levels within people in populaces, and on a global scale, with "anything goes" on one end, and dictatorship on the other. "Not open to any agreement".

Edited November 11, 2019 by EccentricM