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 AUSTRIA Explosive device found at Jehovah's Witness meeting in Austria March 30, 2024 A package containing explosives has been found at a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Austria. As it turned out on Saturday, it could have "potentially caused great damage," the police reported. The service took place on Friday evening in Kalsdorf, to the south of the southern city of Graz. Around 50 people were in attendance. The package was discovered in the entrance area of the building. The police arrived, cordoned off the area and recovered the package. The operation lasted all night because explosives experts feared that the parcel was dangerous and could only move it with extreme caution. After a thorough investigation, a police spokesman said on Saturday: "It is an unconventional, homemade, but basically functional explosive device." According to the police, state security was investigating. There was no information on Saturday about possible perpetrators or t

 RUSSIA “My Heart Is Not Filled With Worry or Fear” March 29, 2024 The Khabarovsk District Court of the Khabarovsk Territory will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Brother Valeriy Rabota. The prosecutor has yet to request a potential sentence. Profile Valeriy Rabota Born: 1961 (Ukraine) Biography: Worked as a delivery driver Prayed to God to know who He was. Jehovah’s Witnesses contacted him the next day, and he began to have his questions answered. Baptized in 1995 Married Elvira in 2018 Personal Comments What helped you to remain calm when the officers showed up to search your home? My wife and I had just finished having lunch when we heard a loud bang on our door. It sounded like a huge stone had been thrown against it. At that moment, I realized what was happening. I immediately recalled an illustration that depicted a powerful angel looking down on a house where a family sat praying while armed soldiers were about to break in. I told my wife: “Jehovah, Jesus, and man

 NORWAY Jehovah’s Witnesses to Appeal Unconstitution al Ruling in Norway March 28, 2024 On March 4, 2024, the Oslo District Court upheld the Norwegian government’s decision to revoke the legal registration of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway. Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway will appeal the decision. The County Governor of Oslo and Viken revoked our registration at the end of 2022. The Oslo District Court temporarily suspended this action on December 30, 2022, pending further investigation. The position of the State now remains that it will continue to deny legal recognition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country of Norway unless we change our practices regarding the removal of unrepentant wrongdoers from the congregation. The decision to deregister Jehovah’s Witnesses denies us the financial aid and other benefits that the government provides to over 700 registered religious communities in the country. Additional consequences include losing the right to appoint and authorize ministers of Jeh

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Yuri Yakovlev in Sosnovoborsk March 17, 2023 Krasnoyarsk Territory From the courtroom In his last speech, Yuri Yakovlev listed the historical events that contributed to the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the XX and XXI centuries. "Jehovah's Witnesses have always been a target," he said. The defendant told how the Bible helped believers to stand in these trials. Transcript of the court session in the Sosnovoborsky City Court of the Krasnoyarsk Territory dated 03/17/2023 in the case 1-5/2023 (1-89/2022) on charges of Yuri Yakovlev of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Yakovlev Yuri Alexandrovich: Your Honor, I want to start my speech by thanking you, Anastasia Vladimirovna, for trying to get to the bottom of the matter. For almost a year, you have patiently listened to the prosecution's witnesses, the prosecutor, the lawyer, and me. Thank you for that! I thin

 RUSSIA  A criminal case has been opened in Cherkessk against disabled person Vladimir Fomin.  He is placed in a pre-trial detention center  March 28, 2024 Karachay-Cherkessia  On March 21, 2024, Vladimir Fomin, a 44-year-old Jehovah’s Witness with a Group II disability, was sent to a temporary detention facility in Cherkessk.  A criminal case has been opened against him under two extremist articles.  During the court hearing, he lost consciousness and had to call an ambulance.  A month earlier, on February 21, Vladimir Fomin and his wife were searched.  Electronic devices and storage media were confiscated from them.  The believer is charged with participating in the activities of an extremist organization and involving other persons in it.  The case was opened by Aslan Shabanov, senior investigator of the Investigative Department for the city of Cherkessk.  On March 23, the Cherkessk City Court chose a preventive measure for Fomina in the form of detention.  The reason for initiating

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Natalia Voropaeva in Krasnoyarsk March 23, 2023 Krasnoyarsk Territory From the courtroom In her appeal to the court, the believer refuted the extremist motives attributed to her by the investigation, which "contradict [her] faith." She said: "There is no search for my non-existent crime, but conscious discrimination and persecution of me on religious grounds." Transcript of the court session in the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Krasnoyarsk dated 03/23/2023 in the case 1-93/2023 on charges of Natalia Leonidovna Voropaeva of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Voropaeva Natalia Leonidovna: I want to start my last word with words of gratitude. Your Honor, Ivan Alexandrovich, thank you for being patient with me because of my ignorance or misunderstandings. They kindly reassured me that I would be able to give all my testimony, and did not interrupt when I voiced the

 RUSSIA Remaining Confident, Prepared, and Positive March 27, 2024 The Leninskiy District Court of Barnaul in the Altai Territory will soon announce its verdict in the case involving Brothers Yuriy Kolotinskiy, Mikhail Reshetnikov, and Anatoliy Sarychev. The prosecutor has yet to request a potential sentence. Profiles Yuriy Kolotinskiy Born: 1955 (Moldova) Biography: Worked as a heavy-machine operator in the mining industry Married Nataliya in 1977 Wondered why there is so much suffering. Received clear answers from the Bible after studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Both Yuriy and Nataliya were baptized in 1995 Personal Comments What Bible account has helped you to feel confident of Jehovah’s support? I often think about the Israelites after they left Egypt. Jehovah led and protected them the entire time they were in the wilderness. I feel that he is doing something similar for me. Each time I am called to court, I imagine Jehovah going ahead of me. Feeling his support convinces me tha

 RUSSIA Aliyev, Shulyarenko, Kriger and Zagulin will Remain in the Colony. The Court of Cassation Upheld the Harsh Sentence for Faith March 27, 2024 Jewish Autonomous Area On March 27, 2024, the Ninth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Vladivostok did not satisfy the cassation appeal against the verdict of Alam Aliyev, Sergey Shulyarenko, Valeriy Kriger and Dmitriy Zagulin. They will continue to serve time in Blagoveshchensk for their faith in God. Earlier, in December 2022, the court of first instance sentenced Aliyev to 6.5 years in prison, Shulyarenko and Kriger to 7 years each, and Zagulin to 3.5 years for allegedly organizing and financing extremist activities. An appeal in June 2023 reduced the prison sentences of Sergey Shulyarenko and Valeriy Kriger by only three months. The believers were blamed for holding 7 services, as well as the collection of voluntary donations for the common needs of believers. At the same time, the court did not cite a single excerpt from th

 RUSSIA Appeal in Tatarstan Upheld the Sentence of Aleksey Gerasimov From Kazan - 6 Years in Prison March 26, 2024 Tatarstan Aleksey Gerasimov, 43, one of Jehovah's Witnesses convicted of his faith, will nevertheless go to the colony. This decision was made on March 22, 2024 by a panel of judges of the Supreme Court of Tatarstan chaired by Marsel Fakhriev, approving the conviction of the believer. Aleksey Gerasimov attended the hearing via video conference from the pre-trial detention center. He has been imprisoned since December 2023, when the Kirovskiy District Court of Kazan sentenced him to 6 years in prison, finding him guilty of extremism for continuing to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses by participating in peaceful religious meetings and public Bible discussions. The verdict was appealed. As stated in the appeal of Gerasimov's lawyer, among other things, "in the court of first instance there was no adversarial and equality of the parties, since the

 RUSSIA Court in Votkinsk Fined Local Jehovah's Witnesses Sergey Gobozev and Mikhail Potapov Large Amounts March 26, 2024 Udmurtia On February 25, 2024, Tamara Makarova, judge of the Votkinsk District Court of the Udmurt Republic, found Mikhail Potapov and Sergey Gobozev guilty of extremist activities and sentenced them to fines. Sergey Gobozov will have to pay 450,000 rubles for the peaceful confession of his faith, Mikhail Potapov — 400,000 rubles. The prosecutor requested a real term of imprisonment of 6 years and 6 months for both believers. They do not agree with the verdict and can appeal it. The case has been considered in court for 2.5 years, since September 2021. "Extremism is nothing more than a vivid expression of evil and moral baseness," Mikhail Potapov told the court in his final statement. "So when I read my indictment, which uses the expressions 'violent change of foundations,' 'violation of integrity,' 'undermining security,'

 RUSSIA  The last word of the defendant Elena Yurenkova in Tolyatti March 22, 2024 Samara region Speaking before the court, Elena noted: "When faced with unfair treatment, [Jehovah's Witnesses] act in accordance with the biblical call: "Do not repay evil for evil to anyone." By their deeds, they prove the falsity of the accusations against them." Transcript of the court session in the Central District Court of Tolyatti dated 03/22/2024 in the case 1-44/2024 (1-524/2023) on charges of Elena Viktorovna Yurenkova of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Yurenkova Elena Viktorovna: Dear Court, I would like to thank all the participants in the process who, together with me, went through this difficult path to protect religious freedom. We can safely say that we are pioneers in our city, so it was not easy for all of us. I thank the esteemed judge Anastasia Petrovna. You set an example to all participants in t