The court in Karachay-Cherkessia fined “Jehovah's Witnesses” to 50 000 rubles

On November, 20, the Magistrate of Urup district of Karachay-Cherkessia fined local community of “Jehovah's Witnesses” in the settlement of Kurdjinovo to 50 thousand rubles acknowledging them guilty of mass distribution and storage of printed matted included into the federal list of extremist materials.

On September, 13, 2012, during an inspection of the prayer house of “Jehovah's Witnesses” in the settlement of Kurdjinovo sanctioned by the court the personnel of Department of Federal Security Service on KCR confiscated religious printed matter including one copy of a brochure “Is religion a stronghold of peace?” and a book “Cognition” enrolled on the list of extremist materials, Press Secretary of Management Center of “Jehovah's Witnesses” Grigory Martynov told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

On November, 20, the religious organization of “Jehovah's Witnesses” was acknowledged guilty of committing an administrative infraction by a verdict of the Magistrate of Urup district and fined to 50 000 rubles, a report of Press Service of Public Prosecutor’s office of KCR published of the web-site of republican Public Prosecutor’s office on December, 4, runs.

The brochure “Is religion a stronghold of peace?” must not be considered “extremist” and should be removed from the list of extremist materials, “Jehovah's Witnesses” consider. They reason it by setting an example of a similar case in Kemerovo.

On May, 30, 2011, Zavodskoy district court of Kemerovo acknowledged the brochures “Is religion a stronghold of peace?” and “Show ardor in true worship” extremist and enrolled these books on the federal list of extremist materials. The judgment was appealed against and on February, 15, the court of Kemerovo region granted “Jehovah's Witnesses” appeal and returned the case to the district court for a new consideration, official web-site of “Jehovah's Witnesses” in Russia reports.

Since that moment keeping these books on the federal list has been groundless but the Ministry of Justice did not remove the above mentioned books from the list, Martynov states.