Legal Victories

The courts do not find in the actions of Jehovah's Witnesses a violation of the law on missionary activity

Kaliningrad Region

On November 15, 2016, the last of 4 administrative cases against local Jehovah's Witnesses, whom the police accused of violating the order of missionary activity, was terminated in Kaliningrad for lack of an administrative offense. The cases were heard by two justices of the peace and the Kaliningrad District Court on 14 October, 9, 11 and 15 November 2016. These are the first cases against Jehovah's Witnesses initiated in Russia under the new law on missionary activity.

The courts noted that the law "On Freedom of Conscience" does not contain a ban on the dissemination of personal religious experience and communication on religious topics. The activities of believers who simply wanted to exercise their right to disseminate their religious views do not contain a set of signs of missionary activity established by law, and therefore cannot be considered as missionary.