Court Summary
February 20, 2002
(Russian)
The hearings resumed today at the Golovinsky Court at 10 am. The attorneys began by questioning the prosecutor regarding the fifth accusation presented in her application—luring minors into the community’s activity.
Since the application from the prosecutor’s office states that parents practicing the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses should be prohibited from raising their children in accordance with their religious ideologies, attorney A. Leontyev asked, “Would it be a violation of the law if Jehovah’s Witness parents were to study the Bible with their children at home, take them to congregation meetings, or preach with them?” “No, it wouldn't be. But as a whole, these actions are considered as luring children into the organisation’s activity, and this is a violation of the law,” prosecutor T. Kondratyeva replied.
In conjunction with his next question, attorney A. Leontyev quoted an Orthodox book entitled Parents’ Prayers for Their Children and Family Prosperity, which states: “We are not afraid that such arrangements would be burdensome for a child. Such examples are Savva the Sanctified One . . . who at eight years of age left his family and moved to a monastery . . . Reverend Feodor Sikeot who at 10 years of age practiced the feats of strict fasting and praying during the whole night and, at 14 years of age, cloistered himself away in a cave . . . Moscow Metropolitan Pyotr began living in a monastery at 12 years of age. As a child, the maiden Muza denied herself games and fun for the sake of pleasing God . . . , the maiden Maria Melyukov . . . at 13 years of age began living at the Diveyevskaya Cloister . . . Who knows what road God has determined for our child? We will not hinder him from coming to the Lord as early as possible. This is a guarantee of his quickest spiritual growth.”—Polomnik. Moscow, 2001, pp. 338, 339.
The attorney then asked, “From the prosecutor’s standpoint, are not such summons considered as luring minors into religious activities?”
To which the prosecutor answered, “I can neither support nor refute these statements. This is out of my jurisdiction.”
Tomorrow at 10 am, the hearings will move on to the arguments of the Justice Department representative.