A Moscow court has seized 123 properties owned by Jehovah’s Witnesses and transferred them to the Russian state, as reported by Reuters. The properties were registered under the Swedish branch of Jehovah’s Witnesses and include 63 residential and commercial properties, totaling over 11,000 square meters, along with 60 land plots covering 5.6 hectares nationwide.
In Russia, religious life is predominantly led by the Orthodox Church, which is supported by and loyal to President Vladimir Putin. Some Orthodox scholars regard Jehovah’s Witnesses, known for their door-to-door evangelism and refusal to perform military service, as a “totalitarian sect.” In 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court labeled Jehovah’s Witnesses as an “extremist organization,” leading to the dissolution and prohibition of nearly 400 branches throughout the country. The European Court of Human Rights has deemed this decision unlawful. Numerous Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia have faced imprisonment due to convictions for “extremist activities.”
Illustrative photo: pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668481














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