jehovah's witnesses

Judge Alla Nazarova attends a hearing in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in Moscow on Nov. 25, 2021.

Opinion: Russian Jehovah's Witnesses remain devout despite facing bans

10:26am March 30, 2024

by Scott Simon

Russia's ban on Jehovah's Witnesses has led to raids, arrests and imprisonment. NPR's Scott Simon says that the religion the Russian government calls "extreme" would be better described as "devout."

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Dan Sideris is reflected in a front storm door Thursday as he and his wife, Carrie Sideris, of Newton, Mass., return to door-to-door visits as Jehovah's Witnesses in Boston. After more than two and a half years on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, m

Jehovah's Witnesses resume door-to-door visits for the first time since the pandemic

12:16pm September 02, 2022

by The Associated Press

"I've been looking forward to this day," said one member of the faith. "When I rang the first doorbell this morning, a total calm came over me. I was back where I needed to be."

Sergei Klimov is the eighth Jehovah's Witness to be sentenced since ban calling the banned the religious group as an extremist organization went into effect in 2017, Reuters reports.

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Russian Court Sentences Jehovah's Witness To 6 Years In Prison For 'Extremism'

5:36pm November 05, 2019

A string of Jehovah's Witnesses have been convicted since Russia's Supreme Court banned the Christian denomination as an "extremist organization" in 2017.

Dennis Christensen, a Danish Jehovah's Witness accused of extremism, is escorted into a courtroom to hear his verdict in the town of Oryol on Feb. 6.

Opinion: Jehovah's Witnesses Cling To Faith Despite Arrests In Russia

1:15pm February 23, 2019

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. Branded as "religious extremists," dozens of Witnesses were arrested in recent raids in Siberia.

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Dennis Christensen, a Danish Jehovah's Witness, is escorted from a court room in Orel, Russia, on Wednesday.

Russian Court Sentences Jehovah's Witness To 6 Years In Prison For Extremism

1:35pm February 06, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

Dennis Christensen was arrested during prayer. "I hope today is the day Russia defends religious freedom," he said before the verdict. Critics call it a severe crackdown on religious freedom.

Russia's Supreme Court Thursday banned the Jehovah's Witnesses' organization, classifying it an extremist group. The sect's Russia headquarters as well as some 400 local chapters are to be seized by the state.

Top Russian Court Bans Jehovah's Witnesses, Claiming 'Extremist Activities'

5:11pm April 20, 2017

by Jason Slotkin

The country's Supreme Court has ruled that the sect must cease operations and the state will take over its assets. The sect has been subject to arrests, property seizure and bans on its literature.

Zachary Linderer said he wanted to go to college to major in the field of science, but growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, higher education was prohibited by his parents.

Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses

12:58pm February 20, 2017

by Luke Vander Ploeg

When it comes to education, not all religions are created equal. Jehovah's Witnesses have the lowest rate of formal education. And that can have a detrimental effect on those who leave the religion.

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