For Immediate Release
July 23, 1999

Jehovah's Witnesses appeal to European
officials to support freedom of religion

STRASBOURG—Today Jehovah's Witnesses brought their case for religious freedom directly to the seat of European government in Strasbourg.

More than 6,000 of Jehovah's Witnesses passed a special resolution titled "In Defense of Freedom of Assembly and Worship." An orderly crowd then filed across the street from the Parc des Expositions to deliver hand-signed copies of the resolution personally to the European Parliament, to the Council of Europe, and to the permanent representative of France in the Council.

"We are here today in defense of the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights," said spokesperson Jean-Claude Pons. "We believe that the freedoms that all Europeans take for granted are now at risk because of a concentrated attack on Jehovah's Witnesses. This is completely contrary to principles of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of conscience, thought, and religion. It is a special disgrace in France, the cradle of human rights."

Describing the background of the public appeal by Jehovah's Witnesses, the resolution begins:

"Faced with a campaign of defamation to victimize the members of our religion;
Faced with discriminatory taxes of our religious contributions since 1993 resulting in assessments totaling 45,335,904 Euros (297,403,534 Francs);
Taking into account repeated and false accusations brought against us . . . ;
We formally bring to the attention of the authorities the danger of this disinformation campaign intended to bring about the marginalization and social exclusion of 250,000 French citizens."

When a delegation of Jehovah's Witnesses visited the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to present the 6,000 signed resolutions, they were welcomed. In contrast, when representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses contacted the office of France's permanent representative to the Council of Europe to request permission to present the resolutions, the office refused a meeting and even went so far as to close its gates so that the delegation could not approach the door.

Jehovah's Witnesses have been present in France since the 1890s and currently number 250,000 associates and members in France.

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