Human Rights Council responds to appeal from wives of citizens arrested for their faith

The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check the legality of the criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. The reason for this was a letter to the Council of Wives of Arrested Believers, which spoke of a massive campaign of persecution throughout the country.

Having studied the appeal, the human rights defenders of the HRC revealed a paradoxical situation. According to the organization's statement published on its website, the decisions of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of April 20 and July 17, 2017 "do not contain conclusions about the prohibition of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as such," and the Government of the Russian Federation has twice stated that this decision "does not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually." However, in practice, the opposite happens, dozens of criminal cases have been initiated against believers.

"There is a contradiction between the stated position of the Government of the Russian Federation and law enforcement practice," the HRC said in a statement. "This cannot but cause concern, since criminal prosecutions and arrests have become systemic."

In this regard, the Council asked the Prosecutor General's Office to check the legality and validity of the criminal prosecution of believers and take measures to protect their constitutional rights.

On June 7, the wives of the arrested Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (all the accused are men) sent an open collective letter to the HRC. It drew attention to a massive campaign of criminal prosecution of citizens solely on the basis of their faith, despite the fact that the highest authorities in Russia continue to declare that this is not happening.