Human Civil Rights-7158847

SOCIAL 10-1: HUMAN RIGHTS DAY VIRTUAL FAIR
Civil and
Human
Rights
International government agencies and officials
have responded to Russia’s Supreme Court
decision that criminalizes the worship of
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. These decisions
Introduction
also put other minority religions at risk of losing
their ability to meet and worship freely also. The
Russian government has been unjust and harsh
with judicial action against a minority religious
group known for peaceful religious activity.
All the articles in this document are real and

happened. The Russian court did ban an
organization/religion, called it an extremist group
violating freedom of religion with no evidence.
In this presentation you will see instances of how

the Russian court has continually violated theses
laws and how the United Nations Human Rights
Council has tried to get involved to stop the unfair
treatment.
Unwarranted On July 4, 2018 Mr. Polyakov and his wife, Anastasia were sleeping
when an assault squad broke into their house and masked officers
Searches of
cruelly beat Mr. Polyakov. They had been arrested by the officers and
they sent them to pretrial detention center.
Property
Mr. Polyakov and his wife became the first married couple to be
jailed after the 2017 Supreme Court stated that the activity of
Jehovah’s Witnesses was forbidden. Mr. Polyakov and his wife
Anastasia had been separated and spent five months in solitary
confinement. They were later reunited and spent three months
under house arrest.
The Pervomayskiy District Court of the City of Omsk was scheduled

to announce the verdict on October 21, 2020 on the case involving
Sergey Polyakov and his wife Anastasia. The case also involves
Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemiroav. The prosecutors
asked the court to give Dinara, Gaukhar and Anastasia two year
suspended prison sentences and to give Sergey a six-and-a-half-year
Mr. & Mrs. Polyakov (left), Ms. Bektemirova (top right), and Ms. prison sentence.
Dyusekeyeva (bottom right)
Freedom of Religion
Three United Nations human rights experts have been very “The use of counter-extremism legislation in this way to confine freedom
worried about the lawsuit that the Russian government has put of opinion, including religious belief, expression and association to that
in place to ban the activities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, using a which is state-approved is unlawful and dangerous, and signals a dark
lawsuit brought under anti-extremism. “This lawsuit is a threat future for all religious freedom in Russia,” the three United Nation
not only to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but to individual freedom in Human Rights experts had underlined that the Supreme Court had
general in the Russian Federation,” the experts say. announced that the Jehovah’s Witnesses Administrative centre an
‘extremist’ and they had to liquidate it, and to ban it’s activity.
The UN experts have concluded that “We urge the authorities to drop the lawsuit in compliance with their obligations under international human
rights law, and to revise the counter-extremism. legislation and its implementation to avoid fundamental human rights abuses,” the suspension
order imposed on March 15 is one of the latest orders, it is a warning that was sent to the organization the previous year referring to the
‘inadmissibility of extremist activity’. It has led to many Jehovah’s Witnesses buildings being dissolved and raids and attacks against their premises
and literature being confiscated.
The freedom of religion has been violated when the Russian court
sentenced a Danish follower of Jehovah’s Witnesses to six years on
prison. Top United Nations rights officials say that it has created a
dangerous precedence for people that want to gather on a religious
basis.
The Russian court found that Dennis Christensen a follower of

Jehovah’s Witnesses, is guilty and needs to serve six years in prison
for the organizing of a small extremist group.
No evidence was brought forward to prove that Christensen had

been involved in any extremest activities to Russian courts. This
same lack of evidence has been involved in hundreds of court cases
throughout Russia.
U.N. Decries “The harsh sentence imposed on Christensen creates a dangerous

precedent, and effectively criminalizes the right to freedom of
religion or belief for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia – in contravention
Russia of the State’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil

and Political Rights,” Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights, said in a statement.
Convicted of
Being
'Extremist'
A Russian court has issued an early release for a Jehovah’s Witness who was convicted
under the nation’s “extremist” law for his faith. A spokesman for the Jehovah’s
Witnesses said that Dennis Christensen will have to pay a fine of 400,000 rubles (less
then $6,000) that will account for the rest of his prison sentence. He was released from
prison on Tuesday by a judge in the Lgovskiy District Court in southwestern Russia.
“We are pleased that Dennis may be going home to his wife, family, and friends in the
coming weeks,” said spokesman Jarrod Lopes. “However, it is unconscionable, after
Dennis‘ harrowing experiences in prison, that he should have to pay a fine.” Since
COVID-19 would have a major impact on prisons. Last Month the U.N. Working Group
on Arbitrary Detention called upon Russia to release all Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Vladimir Putin Pledges to Look Into the
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
“We urge the Government of Russia to revise the Federal Law on
Combating Extremist Activity with a view to clarifying the vague and
open-ended definition of ‘extremist activity’. and ensuring that the
definition requires an element of violence or hatred”, said Ms.
Bachelet.
Dennis Christensen, who was first detained in May 2017, a month “We also call on the authorities to drop
U.N. 'Deeply after Russia’s Supreme Court declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses –
an extremist group. It made Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner
for human rights overly concerned about the freedom of religion in
charges against and to
release all those detained for exercising
their rights to freedom of religion
Concerned'
or belief, the freedom of opinion and
Russia in the future.
expression, and the right to freedom of
peaceful assembly and association”,
said Ms. Bachelet
With Russia “Criminal cases have since then been opened against more
than 100 members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including at
least 18 who are held in pre-trial detention,” said Ms. Bachelet.
The UN rights chief stated that the “harsh sentence imposed by

the Russian court creates a dangerous precedent, and
effectively criminalizes the right to freedom of religion or belief,
for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia”.
Jehovah's
Witnesses
persecuted in
Quebec
You may think what is happening in Russia couldn't possibly
happen in Canada. But it has in the past. In the 1970's the
Quebec government had violated the human and civil right
for praticing freedom of religion.
When human and civil rights cases were brought to the

Canadian Supreme court they ruled in the favour of freedom
of religion, restoring civil rights.
Freedom of religion is a human right.

These examples can show us what could
happen in our part of the world even though we have
Conclusion human and civil rights. In one of the articles is said that one
of the main reasons for this was that the Russian
government thought it was suspicious that they did not
participate in voting or get involved in political things,
but paid their taxes.
The U.N. has really stepped in and

demanded that the Russian court release the In conclusion we now know what Russia has
Jehovah’s Witnesses from prison and change their do to ban the Jehovah’s Witnesses work and have
description from extremist to anti-extremist. violated civil and human rights.

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SOCIAL 10-1: HUMAN RIGHTS DAY VIRTUAL FAIR

All the articles in this document are real and

In this presentation you will see instances of how

The Pervomayskiy District Court of the City of Omsk was scheduled

The Russian court found that Dennis Christensen a follower of

No evidence was brought forward to prove that Christensen had

U.N. Decries “The harsh sentence imposed on Christensen creates a dangerous

Russia of the State’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil

The UN rights chief stated that the “harsh sentence imposed by

When human and civil rights cases were brought to the

Freedom of religion is a human right.

The U.N. has really stepped in and

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