Putim Olketa lo Prison Bikos lo Faith blo Olketa—Russia
History blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo modern-day Russia hem wanfala story abaotem oppression and persecution. Klosap full 20th century, Russian authorities abusim and mistreatim olketa Witness, nomata olketa hia garem reputation olsem olketa gudfala citizen wea stap lo peace witim others. Aim blo gavman blo Soviet Union hem for forcem olketa for acceptim Soviet ideology. Olketa stopem olketa Witness for garem Bible or religious literature blo olketa. Gavman savve watchim olketa olowe so olketa mas duim haed lo olketa religious meeting. If olketa faendaot olketa Witness hia duim datwan, bae olketa killim olketa nogud and givim long prison sentence lo olketa. Gavman sendem staka thousand Witness for go prison lo Siberia.
Datwan start for change lo 1991, taem Russian gavman givim legal recognition lo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and allowim olketa for garem freedom for worship and no stopem olketa. Bat, datfala period of peace hem no last long.
Lo 2009, opposition and restrictions hem start for increase taem Russian Supreme Court upholdim judgment wea wanfala lower kot givim lo wanfala kongregeson blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea labelem olketa olsem “extremist.” Afta staka years blo olketa kot case, lo April 2017, Russian Supreme Court givim judgment for liquidatim legal entities blo olketa Witness, bikos olketa sei olketa involve lo extremist activities. Immediately, Russian authorities duim samting for confiscatim property blo olketa, klosim daon olketa ples for worship, and declarim dat religious literature blo olketa hem “extremist material.”
Russian authorities no attakim nomoa olketa legal entities blo olketa Witness bat targetim tu individual Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa abusim law taem olketa sei worship blo individual Jehovah’s Witness hem connect witim organization wea olketa banim. Police reidim haos blo olketa Witness, abusim olketa and iusim violence taem olketa interrogatim olketa. Olketa arrestim, convictim and sentencem olketa for go lo prison or putim olketa anda haos arrest. Olketa duim diswan lo olketa male and female Witness nomata wat nao age blo olketa.
Since datfala ban hem start lo April 2017, olketa sentencem staka handred Jehovah’s Witness for stap lo pretrial detention or prison bikos olketa chargem olketa lo extremism. Kasem July 20, 2025, total blo 157 Witness nao olketa putim olketa lo prison.
No Hapi lo Russia From Nogud Treatment wea Olketa Duim lo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness
Russian authorities continue for convictim olketa Witness lo extremist activity nomata olketa international organization talem Russia for stopem strong persecution wea olketa duim. Olketa wea savve abaotem diswan and olketa kot from nara kantri, barava disagree lo oppression wea gavman blo Russia duim lo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.
European Court of Human Rights: Lo June 7, 2022, European Court of Human Rights givim wanfala landmark judgment againstim Russia, and hem tok againstim wat olketa duim for persecutim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness (Taganrog LRO and Others v. Russia, nos. 32401/10 and 19 others). Datfala Court declarim dat Russia hem brekem law taem hem banim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness lo 2017. Olketa givim order lo Russia for “duim evriting wea olketa mas duim for discontinium evri pending criminal proceeding wea olketa garem againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness . . . and releasem . . . Olketa Jehovah’s Witness [wea olketa putim olketa lo prison].” And tu, olketa givim order for Russia returnim evri property wea olketa confiscatim, or peim ovam 60 million dollars compensation, and 3 million dollars for nonpecuniary damages lo olketa applicant.
Leta from Secretary General of the Council of Europe: Lo wanfala leta dated December 9, 2022, wea address for Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marija Pejčinović Burić hem sei: “Lo tufala kot case Jehovah’s Witnesses of Moscow and Others, and Krupko and Others, saed lo dissolution blo religious community blo applicant wea insaed diswan hem ban blo evri activity blo olketa, stopem peaceful religious ceremony wea result blo datwan olketa aotem freedom blo samfala participant, Committee hia barava askem strong olketa authority for aotem ban wea olketa putim lo activities blo evri organisation blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and for discontinium evri criminal proceeding againstim olketa.”
Disison blo Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe: Lo meeting blo olketa lo September 2023, Committee of Ministers [CoM] sei “olketa barava concern dat wat [European Court of Human Rights’] talem klia, anda lo Article 46 blo Convention and operative part blo judgment blo datfala case Taganrog LRO and Others, Russian authorities barava min for ignorem and no even duim eniting followim judgment hia, . . . wea wanfala nao hem for releasem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea olketa putim lo prison.” From Russia no laek for followim datwan, datfala CoM “disaed for tekem olketa case hia go lo United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Council, and olketa nara international organization wea deal witim problem wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness kasem saed lo persecution lo Russian Federation, witim aim for mek sure olketa followim olketa requirement wea olketa talem lo olketa judgment hia.”
Olketa Example blo Recent Judgment wea Cruel
Lo March 27, 2025, Konakovo City Court blo Tver Region convictim fofala Witness man wea nem blo olketa hem, Oleg Katamov, Aleksey Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Shchetinin, and Aleksandr Starikov. Wat nao crime wea olketa man hia duim? Olketa storyim Bible witim olketa neiba blo olketa and conductim olketa peaceful religious meeting. Each wan lo fofala man hia kasem six years prison sentence and olketa tekem olketa go stret lo prison from kot rum.
Lo April 3, 2025, Sovetskiy District Court blo City lo Chelyabinsk convictim Maksim Khamatshin and sentencem hem for six years lo prison. Olketa chargem Maksim from hem conductim olketa religious meeting, and olketa tekem hem go stret lo prison from kot rum.
Lo May 30, 2025, Leninskiy District Court blo Tambov sentencem 60-year-old Oleg Sirotkin for six years lo penal colony. Oleg hem maritim Nataliya and garem tufala dota. Trial blo hem start lo September 2021 taem olketa law enforcement officer searchim haos blo hem lo Tambov. Olketa accusim Oleg from hem organizem and participate lo olketa religious meeting blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, wea olketa authority ting dat hem continue for duim olketa activity blo wanfala extremist organization. So from kot rum olketa tekem hem go lo custody.
Big Waka wea Gohed for Endim Olketa Prison Sentence wea No Followim Justice
Olketa Jehovah’s Witness raonem world barava feel nogud lo nogud treatment wea Russia duim lo olketa Witness wea stap lo there. Staka million Witness raonem world raetem leta go lo olketa Russian gavman official, and ask on behalf lo olketa Witness wea stap lo prison for letem olketa go free. Olketa lawyer blo olketa Witness hia wea filem olketa appeal go lo evri difren Russian kot and staka application tu go lo European Court of Human Rights. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness submitim tu olketa complaint go lo UN Human Rights Committee and lo UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and provaedem olketa report go lo olketa international organization wea monitorim olketa human rights abuse. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bae continue for duim evriting wea olketa fit for duim for raisim awareness for nogud samting wea kasem olketa Witness lo Russia, in order for endim disfala barava nogud religious persecution wea olketa kasem.
Taem Laen
July 20, 2025
Total blo 157 Witness nao olketa putim olketa lo prison.
March 6, 2025
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) releasem wanfala judgment lo case blo Loginov and Others v. Russia, wea sei dat Russia hem violatim rights blo naenfala Witness man wea no duim eniting againstim law bat putim olketa lo prison (olketa torturem sevenfala lo olketa) afta olketa reidim haos blo olketa lo Surgut lo February 15, 2019.
October 24, 2023
UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) releasem tufala View abaotem Elista and Abinsk Local Religious Organizations. Lo tufala case hia, CCPR faendem dat Russia violatem rights blo olketa Witness anda lo Articles 18.1 (“right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”) and 22.1 (“right to freedom of association”) blo International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Olketa disison hia confirmim dat no eniting insaed lo olketa religious literature blo olketa Witness hem encouragem wei for heit or violence.
June 7, 2022
ECHR releasem landmark judgment blo case, Taganrog LRO and Others v. Russia, taem hem sei dat hao Russia mistreatim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hem unacceptable.
January 12, 2022
Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation addim JW Library application lo Federal List of Extremist Materials. Diswan hem first and only app wea Russia banim olsem extremist.
September 27, 2021
Saint Petersburg City Court rejectim appeal againstim disison lo March 31, 2021, wea declarim dat JW Library app hem extremist and olketa banim for iusim thru aot lo Russian Federation and Crimea. Original disison blo kot hem effective immediately.
April 26, 2019
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention faendem dat rights blo Dmitriy Mikhailov olketa violatim and condemim persecution wea Russia duim lo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.
April 20, 2017
The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation givim judgment for liquidatim national office blo Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and 395 Local Religious Organization.