For Immediate Release
February 23, 2001
(Russian)

Moscow court signals victory for religious freedom

MOSCOW, RUSSIA—"Today is a historic day for religious freedom in Moscow and throughout Russia," declared Russian lawyer, Galina Krylova, after Judge Yelena Prokhorycheva announced her decision to dismiss the charges against Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered the Prosecutor's office to pay costs. The judge allowed ten days for an appeal.

Artur Leontyev, lawyer for Jehovah's Witnesses, expressed his pleasure with the verdict in a trial that lasted over two years, stating: "We are delighted for the 10,000 Witnesses in Moscow who were not allowed to renovate and build places of worship while this trial was in progress. Moscow should now come in line with the Federal Government and the 360 communities across Russia that have already legally recognized Jehovah's Witnesses."

This is the fifth time in five years that the prosecutor's office in Moscow's Northern Administrative District has challenged the freedom of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow. From 1995 to 1998, it conducted four criminal investigations against the Witnesses but found no evidence of criminal activity. Yet, in a move that appeared to be driven by bias, the prosecutor's office filed a civil complaint based on the very same accusations in April 1998, but this time availing themselves of provisions to ban religious organizations, according to their understanding of the 1997 law. Once again they have failed to cite a single illegal action.

Scholars from Russia, Europe, and elsewhere, who have analyzed the teachings, writings, and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses, have repeatedly confirmed that the Witnesses form no threat to the people or the governments of any of the 235 lands in which they live—including Russia.

For centuries, Russia has only recognized one major religion, Russian Orthodoxy. The 1997 law acknowledges the so-called 'traditional faiths' of Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. "Today's judgment indicates Russia's willingness to live with a variety of faiths and abide by its international agreements," said Vasilii Kalin, Chairman for Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.