Unprecedented news: The Ministry of Justice of Russia is seeking an immediate and total ban on a major religion

Liquidate not only the Administrative Center, but also all 395 local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses. Immediately confiscate all houses of worship belonging to these organizations. Recognize the Administrative Center as an extremist organization and prohibit its activities. This is sought by the Ministry of Justice, the body that determines religious policy in the country.

The believers learned about the plans of the Ministry of Justice in the office of the Supreme Court of Russia, having familiarized themselves with the text of the statement of claim. The court has already set a hearing date of April 5, 2017.

"If the Ministry of Justice gets its way, any of the 175,000 believers could face up to 10 years in prison simply for practicing their faith," says Vasily Kalin of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, "Recently, after the liquidation of a registered community in Taganrog, 16 of our brothers and sisters in faith were sentenced to heavy fines, and some even to 5-year suspended imprisonment just for reading the Bible together. That was an illustration."

It is noteworthy that 66 years ago, also in April, the Stalinist government conducted an operation codenamed "North".

"I remember the April night of 1951," says Vasily Kalin, "Then eight and a half thousand believers of our religion, that is, almost all, were deprived of their homes and taken to Siberia for eternal settlement. The lives of thousands of believers were irreparably broken. Hundreds and hundreds passed through the camps. But they did not renounce their faith. And they didn't harden. They always remained peaceful people, as Christ commanded. Subsequently, the state recognized us as victims of political repression. And how blasphemous it is for us to find ourselves in the position of dangerous criminals again!