Dmitry Barmakin News Today

A court in Russia has nullified the acquittal of a Jehovah's Witness and sent his case for retrial amid an ongoing crackdown on the followers of the religious group.

After a period of freedom following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jehovah's Witnesses are again facing intense, government-sponsored persecution in Russia.

After a period of freedom following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Jehovah's Witnesses are again facing intense, government-sponsored persecution in Russia.

Russia has used increasingly strict legislation on "foreign agents" (a term which has connotations of spying) and "undesirable organisations" to curtail, complicate, or prohibit the activities of organisations which promote human rights and monitor their violation, including that of freedom of religion and belief. This "indirectly affects the people human rights defenders stand up for", says Aleksandr Verkhovsky of the SOVA Centre for Information and Analysis (brand...

The Supreme Court recently ruled that joint prayers among members of banned religious groups “do not contain elements of extremism.”

A court in Russia has acquitted a Jehovah's Witness charged with extremism despite an ongoing crackdown on the followers of the religious group.