For Immediate Release
February 14, 2002

Moscow trial turns into theological debate

The Moscow test case trial to liquidate Jehovah's Witnesses and ban their ministry in Moscow turned into a theological debate yesterday as the city prosecutor admitted that she had no evidence of any wrongdoing by elders or by any of the other 10,000 Witnesses in Moscow.

Agreeing that Jehovah's Witnesses has not endorsed or carried out any acts of violence, such as attacks on mosques or calls for the destruction of Russian Orthodox churches, Ms. Kondratyeva said that it was the Witnesses' literature that could 'potentially' sow religious hatred and infringe on citizens' rights. If the organization was banned, adherents would not be able to distribute the literature, she claimed.

Defense lawyer Galina Krylova asked for specific examples of how the Christian literature had infringed on the human rights of people who read it.

"It infringes on the feelings of people who read it and disagree with it," Ms. Kondratyeva replied. She was asked for specific examples. There then followed a 15-minute Bible discussion as defense lawyer Artur Leontyev took the court through some material on the relationship between God and political governments, with the judge following the scriptures carefully.

Albert Polanski, who works with the defense counsel, then noted a 1996 decision of the European Court at Strasbourg (Manoussakis v Greece). He quoted: "The right to freedom of religion as guaranteed under the Convention excludes any discretion on the part of the State to determine whether religious beliefs or the means used to express such beliefs are legitimate." He then explained that the State has no right to rule on matters of religious belief, and he commented that this case is following the same pattern as the previous trial, turning into a theological discussion on the meaning of the Scriptures.

The trial at the Golovinsky Intermunicipal District Court before Judge Vera Dubinskaya continues on Thursday. It is seen by human rights observers as a test case for all non-Russian Orthodox faiths throughout Russia.

Mr. Polanski said that more than 120,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia were watching this case with great interest. "The Witnesses were viciously persecuted under Stalin's rule, and they are saddened that, after six years of legal persecution, the threats to their freedom continue."

Contact: Jaroslav Sivulskii, mobile phone: (7-902) 682 8197
Paul Stevenson, mobile phone: (7-095) 104 3750