For Immediate Release
February 9, 2001
(Russian)

Religious experts set to testify at Moscow trial

MOSCOW, RUSSIA—On Monday five court-appointed religious and linguistic experts are due to present the Golovinsky Intermunicipal District Court with the results of their two-year review of the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses. Four experts have presented an opinion that rehashes the old accusations. However, one of the experts handed the court a dissenting opinion, in which he refutes the charges.

The decision of the four members of the expert panel to support a ban is based on an evaluation of religious teaching as contained on the printed page. There is a lack of concrete actions or manifestations of belief presented as evidence of any wrongdoing, a fact admitted in court today by the lawyer representing the Moscow Justice department.

Galina Krylova, lawyer for the defence, said: "Jehovah's Witnesses are not afraid to discuss doctrine", but again insisted, "a court of Law is not the place to debate religious beliefs." She accused the prosecutor of launching accusations against the Witnesses which are reminiscent to those used by the former Soviet government and Nazi Germany. "Will the children of Jehovah's Witnesses again be taken from their parents, as they were under Soviet rule?" she asked the court.

The so-called interests of the State which used to be defined as 'communist ideals' are now replaced by 'traditional values.' The prosecution argued that traditional values include a willingness to celebrate religious holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Krylova pointed out that the Russian Orthodox Church represents the majority of religious believers in Moscow where it claims to be the only true religion. "If the Orthodox Church does not respect the right of others to practice their religion, what happens in areas where the Orthodox Church does not have a majority of believers? It is the rights of religious freedom which are on trial in this court", she concluded.

Contacts in Russia: Jaroslav Sivulskii, Mobile Telephone: +7 8 902 682 8197
English-speaking, Paul Gillies, Mobile Telephone: +44 7775 833880
English/Russian-speaking, Albert Polanski,
Mobile Telephone: +7 8 902 680 1780