Mastodon
RNS logo

Russian Supreme Court upholds ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses

MOSCOW (AP) — The court's appeals chamber has upheld the April approval of the Russian Justice Ministry's call to halt Jehovah's Witnesses activities and to declare it an extremist organization.
Russian Supreme Court upholds ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses
Judges of Russia's Supreme Court attend a hearing in Moscow on Jan. 23, 2014. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
Jerome Socolovsky

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal of its nationwide ban on the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious denomination.

The court’s appeals chamber has upheld the April approval of the Russian Justice Ministry’s call to halt Jehovah’s Witnesses activities and to declare it an extremist organization.

The rejection of the religious group’s appeal allows Russia to liquidate the 395 Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations and seize their property. The group claims about 170,000 adherents in Russia.


Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman David Semonian said in a statement that “it’s very concerning that despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, powerful elements within Russia continue to frame our organization as extremist.”

Viktor Zhenkov, a Russian attorney for the group, said Monday’s ruling would be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, according to the Interfax news agency.

Explore More in:
No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today