Pipol Bilong Jehovah Win Long Kot!

LONG 1991, gavman long Soviet Union luksavve Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wanfala religion and registerim olketa long datfala kantri. Taem gavman bilong Soviet Union finis, niu gavman long Russia tu duim sem samting. Niu gavman hia talem long pipol hao gavman bifor persecutim olketa brata. Long 1993, Department of Justice long Moscow registerim olketa Witness for garem nem Moscow Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Long datfala sem year tu, gavman long Russia mekem niu law wea sei pipol garem raet for duim samfala samting. Datfala law sei evriwan free for followim religion wea olketa seleva chusim. For staka year nao olketa brata and sista bilong iumi weitim datwan for happen.

Bihaen datwan, olketa brata and sista long Russia duim staka samting long preaching waka, and plande pipol nao lanem truth. (2 Tim. 4:2) Long 1990, namba bilong olketa Witness long Moscow hem samting olsem 300. Bat long 1995, hem winim 5,000! Datwan mekem olketa wea againstim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness for wari. So olketa start for againstim pipol bilong Jehovah and tekem olketa long kot.

OLKETA ACCUSIM OLKETA WITNESS

Long June 1995, wanfala grup long Moscow wea sapotim Russian Orthodox Church raetem wanfala legal document for accusim olketa Witness and sei olketa duim samting wea brekem law. Long June 1996, samfala man wea waka for gavman lukluk long datwan, bat olketa no faendem eni pruv wea showimaot Olketa Jehovah’s Witness brekem law. Bat thrifala taem moa datfala grup long Moscow accusim olketa brata long sem samting. Olketa man wea waka for gavman trae for faendem eni pruv bat olketa no faendem eni samting wea showimaot Olketa Jehovah’s Witness brekem law. Bat datfala grup ask for olketa lukluk moa long datfala case. Gogo, long April 13, 1998, datfala legal case hem finis.

Woman wea waka witim prosecutor (prosecutor hem lawyer wea stand for samwan wea accusim narawan) sei no eni pruv stap for showimaot Olketa Jehovah’s Witness brekem law. Nomata olsem, woman hia sei nara idea for stopem olketa Witness hem for pipol long community nao mekem legal case for accusim olketa Witness and no olketa police nao duim datwan. So prosecutor long Northern Administrative Circuit of Moscow agree for mekem legal case againstim olketa brata. Long September 29, 1998, legal case hia start long Distrik Kot long Golovinsky, Moscow.

STORYIM BIBLE LONG KOT

Long datfala case, prosecutor hem Tatyana Kondratyeva. Hem iusim law wea kantri mekem long 1997 for accusim olketa Witness. Datfala law sei Orthodox Christian, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism nomoa olketa main religion wea stap longtaem finis. Wanfala niuspepa sei Russian Orthodox Church nao bihaenem gavman for mekem datfala law. Church duim datwan bikos olketa laekem gavman for tambuim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. (Associated Press, June 25, 1999) Datfala law letem olketa kot for tambuim olketa religion wea mekem pipol heitim narawan. Prosecutor sei gavman shud tambuim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bikos olketa mekem pipol heitim narawan and mekem olketa famili divaed.

Wanfala lawyer wea defendim olketa brata ask olsem: “Hu nao olketa long Moscow Kongregeson wea no obeyim law and mekem pipol heitim narawan?” Prosecutor no savve long eniwan. Bat hem sei olketa buk bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness (lukim piksa antap) mekem olketa Witness heitim pipol long nara religion bikos olketa buk sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness nomoa tru religion.

Nara lawyer wea hem wanfala brata, givim Bible long judge and narawan long prosecutor. Then hem readim Ephesians 4:5 wea sei: “Wanfala Lord hem stap, wanfala faith, and wanfala baptaes.” Datfala judge, prosecutor, and lawyer, evriwan holem Bible and olketa storyim samfala scripture olsem John 17:18 and James 1:27. Judge ask olsem: “Waswe, olketa scripture hia mekem pipol heitim narawan long difren religion?” Prosecutor sei wanem hem tingim hem no important bikos hem no savve gud long Bible. Then lawyer showim samfala buk bilong Russian Orthodox Church wea tok spoelem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and hem ask: “Waswe, samting wea olketa raetem insaed olketa buk hia hem againstim law?” Prosecutor talem moa wanem hem tingim hem no important bikos hem no savve gud long religion.

OLKETA NO GAREM PRUV

From olketa Witness no celebratem olketa holiday, prosecutor accusim olketa and sei datwan nao wanfala pruv wea showimaot olketa Witness mekem olketa famili divaed. Hem sei olketa Witness no letem pikinini bilong olketa for rest or duim olketa samting wea olketa laekem. Bat bihaen, hem sei law long Russia no talem pipol for mas celebratem olketa holiday. Hem sei tu no enitaem hem story witim olketa pikinini bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and no enitaem hem go long olketa meeting bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Prosecutor askem wanfala doctor wea treatim pipol wea mentol for talem tingting bilong hem long kot. Doctor hia sei taem pipol readim olketa buk bilong iumi, datwan mekem olketa for mentol. Bat bihaen, hem sei staka samting wea hem raetem abaotem disfala legal case hem copyim nomoa from wanem olketa bigman long Orthodox Church long Moscow raetem. Hem sei tu no enitaem hem treatim wanfala mentol man wea hem Jehovah’s Witness. Nara doctor talem long kot hem interviewim winim 100 Witness long Moscow. Hem sei olketa Witness hia no mentol and taem olketa kamap Olketa Jehovah’s Witness olketa respectim pipol long nara religion winim bifor.

IUMI WIN LONG KOT BAT NARA CASE KAMAP

Long March 12, 1999, judge chusim faevfala savveman for studyim olketa buk bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and mekem datfala case stop for lelebet taem. Bat bifor diswan happen, Ministry of Justice long Russia tu mekem nara grup wea garem bigfala savve for studyim olketa buk bilong iumi. Long April 15, 1999, disfala grup sei olketa no faendem eni nogud samting long olketa buk bilong iumi. So long April 29, 1999, Ministry of Justice long Russia sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness savve gohed olsem wanfala religion long Russia. Bat judge long Moscow laekem faevfala savveman wea hem chusim for gohed studyim olketa buk bilong iumi. Interesting samting nao, Ministry of Justice long Russia sei Olketa Jehovah’s Witness obeyim law and savve gohed olsem wanfala religion, bat Department of Justice long Moscow gohed for lukluk long olketa Witness bikos olketa narawan accusim olketa for brekem law!

Tufala year bihaen, datfala case long Moscow start moa. Long February 23, 2001, Judge Yelena Prokhorycheva sei no eni reason stap for tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Moscow. Gogo kot luksavve evri samting wea pipol accusim olketa brata bilong iumi long hem, hem no tru! Bat prosecutor no agree witim disison and askem Moscow City Court for lukluk moa long datfala case. Thrifala month bihaen long May 30, 2001, datfala kot no acceptim disison bilong Judge Prokhorycheva. Moscow City Court startim nara legal case and iusim sem prosecutor bat difren judge.

IUMI LUS BAT IUMI NO GIVAP

Long October 30, 2001, datfala case start moa and judge nao hem Vera Dubinskaya. Prosecutor Tatyana Kondratyeva accusim moa Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and sei olketa mekem pipol heitim narawan. Bat then hem sei for protectim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, gavman shud tambuim olketa! Taem olketa brata herem datwan, semtaem nomoa 10,000 Witness wea stap long Moscow saenem pepa for talem judge hao olketa no needim eniwan for protectim olketa. Interesting samting tu, tenfala year bifor long October 30, 1991, gavman long Russia talem hao Soviet Union bifor persecutim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness bikos long religion bilong olketa.

Prosecutor sei hem no need for givim eni pruv wea showimaot olketa Witness duim samting wea no stret. Hem sei datfala case hem no abaotem wanem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness duim, bat hem abaotem olketa buk bilong olketa and wanem olketa bilivim. Hem sei bae hem askem wanfala man from Russian Orthodox Church nao for givim witness long kot. Diswan showimaot olketa bigman bilong Russian Orthodox Church nao laekem gavman for tambuim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Long May 22, 2003, judge mekem samfala savveman bilong religion for studyim moa olketa buk bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.

Long February 17, 2004, kot hipap for herem samting wea olketa savveman hia faendemaot. Olketa faendemaot olketa buk bilong iumi teachim pipol hao for garem hapi famili and for marit stap gud. Olketa no readim eni samting wea showimaot iumi teachim pipol for heitim narawan. Olketa nara savveman agree long datwan. Judge askem wanfala savveman bilong religion: “Why nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness preach?” Datfala savveman sei olketa Christian mas preach bikos Bible talem olketa for duim datwan and Christ tu talem olketa disaepol for preach long evri ples long world. Nomata kot herem evri samting hia, long March 26, 2004, judge tambuim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long Moscow. Long June 16, 2004, Moscow City Court sapotim datfala disison. Diswan minim olketa no registerim nao olketa kongregeson long Moscow olsem Moscow Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Olketa wea againstim iumi laek for mekem olketa brata kasem hard taem and stopem preaching waka wea olketa duim.

Wanem nao olketa brata bilong iumi long Moscow duim? Olketa no letem pipol hia stopem olketa bat olketa gohed for preachim gud nius. (1 Pet. 4:12, 16) Olketa savve Jehovah bae helpem olketa and olketa redi for defendim raet bilong olketa for worshipim Jehovah.

OLKETA GOHED FOR AGAINSTIM OLKETA WITNESS

Long August 25, 2004, olketa brata saenem wanfala document and sendem datwan long Vladimir Putin, wea hem president long Russia long datfala taem. Long datfala document, olketa brata talem hem olketa feel nogud bikos olketa kot long Moscow tambuim waka bilong olketa. Datfala document hem 76 volume, and 315,000 pipol nao saenem. Long datfala taem olketa bigman bilong Russian Orthodox Church sei: “Mifala barava againstim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness.”

Samfala pipol long Russia bilivim laea samting wea pipol talem abaotem Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and start for attakim olketa. Olketa hitim and kikim olketa Witness taem olketa preach long Moscow. Taem wanfala sista duim preaching waka long wanfala building, wanfala man wea kros ronem hem and kikim baksaed bilong hem. Sista foldaon and bangam hed bilong hem and hem need for go long hospital for kasem treatment, bat police nating arrestim datfala man. Police arrestim staka Witness and putim olketa long prison for wanfala naet, olsem olketa criminal. Staka brata rentim olketa building for garem olketa meeting, bat pipol wea lukaftarem olketa building hia no laekem olketa brata for rentim bikos olketa fraet nogud olketa lusim waka bilong olketa. Staka kongregeson no garem ples for hipap for olketa meeting. Olsem example, 40 kongregeson mas iusim fofala Kingdom Hall wea stap long wanfala building nomoa. Wanfala kongregeson garem Pablik Tok long 7:30 long morning. Wanfala traveling overseer sei olketa pablisa mas wekap 5 klok long morning for go long meeting, bat olketa hapi for duim datwan and olketa duim for winim wan year.

KOT CASE GIVIM CHANCE ‘FOR STORYIM WANEM IUMI BILIVIM’

Olketa Witness laekem pipol for savve disison for tambuim preaching waka long Moscow hem againstim law. So long December 2004 olketa lawyer bilong iumi askem help from European Court of Human Rights. (Lukim box “Why France Mas Lukluk Long Kot Disison Bilong Russia” long page 6.) Kot hia lukluk long evri samting wea pipol accusim olketa Witness long hem. Long June 10, 2010, datfala Kot luksavve olketa Witness no guilty! Kot sei samting wea pipol accusim olketa Witness long hem, hem nating tru. Kot sei tu gavman long Russia mas no tambuim waka bilong olketa Witness and trae for stretem evri nogud samting wea olketa duim long olketa Witness. Bihaen datwan, gavman bilong Russia laekem Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights for lukluk moa long datfala case. Bat long November 22, 2010, faevfala judge long Grand Chamber disaed for no herem datfala case. Datwan minim Russia mas followim wanem European Court of Human Rights disaedem long June 10, 2010.​—Lukim box “Disison Bilong Kot” long page 8.

Kot sei European Convention on Human Rights protectim waka bilong Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Datfala disison hem no for Russia nomoa bat for nara 46 kantri wea member bilong Council of Europe tu. Staka judge, olketa wea mekem law, and pipol long olketa difren kantri wea studyim raet wea pipol garem for duim samfala samting bae interest long datfala disison. Why nao olsem? Hem bikos taem olketa judge long datfala Kot mekem disison, olketa storyim nara eitfala disison wea Kot mekem for sapotim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa storyim tu naenfala disison wea hae kot long Argentina, Canada, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, and America mekem wea sapotim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long full world savve iusim datfala disison long Kot for defendim worship bilong olketa.

Jesus talem olketa disaepol: “Olketa bae holem iufala and tekem iufala go long olketa bigman and king bikos iufala olketa disaepol bilong mi. Diswan bae givim iufala chance for storyim wanem iufala bilivim long olketa and long pipol from olketa nara kantri.” (Matt. 10:18) Evri legal case wea kamap long Russia long 15 year wea go pas mekem pipol long Moscow and olketa nara ples garem chance for savve abaotem Jehovah. Evri samting wea happen “mekem datfala waka for talemaot gud nius hem gohed gud.” (Phil. 1:12) No eniwan or eni samting savve stopem iumi for preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom. Iumi prea Jehovah bae gohed for helpem olketa brata and sista long Russia wea iumi lovem tumas.a

[Footnote]

[Box/​Piksa long page 6]

Why France Mas Lukluk Long Kot Disison Bilong Russia

Long February 28, 1996, Russia saenem datfala agreement, European Convention on Human Rights. (Long May 5, 1998, Russia appruvim datwan.) From gavman long Russia saenem datwan, hem minim pipol long Russia garem

‘raet for chusim religion and duim samting wea join witim religion long haos and long pablik and garem raet for changem religion sapos olketa laekem.’​—Article 9.

‘raet for talem and raetem tingting bilong olketa long wei wea fitim and for givim information long narawan.’​—Article 10.

‘raet for garem olketa meeting wea gohed gud.’​—Article 11.

Olketa organization or pipol wea narawan stopem olketa for duim samting long disfala agreement and wea go long olketa kot long kantri bilong olketa bat kot no stretem datwan, olketa savve askem European Court of Human Rights long Strasbourg, France, for herem case bilong olketa (lukim piksa antap). Datfala kot garem 47 judge, wea hem nao namba bilong olketa kantri wea saenem datfala European Convention on Human Rights agreement. Evri kantri hia mas followim olketa disison bilong datfala kot.

[Piksa long page 8]

Disison Bilong Kot

Long daon hem samfala part bilong olketa disison wea olketa judge bilong European Court of Human Rights mekem.

Pipol accusim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and sei olketa mekem olketa famili divaed. Olketa judge luksavve diswan hem no tru. Olketa sei:

“Olketa relative wea no followim eni religion nao mekem problem kamap bikos olketa no willing for acceptim and respectim wei wea relative bilong olketa garem raet for followim religion wea hem chusim.”​—Paragraf 111.

Olketa judge long European Court of Human Rights no faendem eni pruv wea showimaot Olketa Jehovah’s Witness “kontrolem tingting” bilong pipol. Olketa sei:

“Kot sapraes hao olketa kot [long Russia] no savve long eniwan wea [Olketa Jehovah’s Witness] iusim olketa difren wei [for kontrolem tingting] for stopem man for followim konsens bilong hemseleva.”​—Paragraf 129.

Pipol accusim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness and sei olketa spoelem health bilong olketa seleva bikos olketa no acceptim blood transfusion. Olketa judge long European Court no acceptim wanem pipol hia talem. Olketa sei:

“From man garem raet for disaedem samting seleva, hem savve acceptim or no acceptim eni medical treatment, or savve chusim eni difren kaen treatment. Man wea big finis and fit for disaed garem raet for disaedem sapos hem bae operate or tekem treatment or acceptim blood transfusion.”​—Paragraf 136.