Fifteen years ago, on June 10, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) announced a landmark decision in the matter of freedom of worship in Russia. The ECHR found that the Russian authorities “did not act in good faith and neglected their duty of neutrality and impartiality” when they liquidated the Local Religious Organization (LRO) of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Moscow in 2004. In doing so, the ECHR ruled that the authorities had grossly and systematically violated the right of Jehovah’s Witnesses to practice their faith freely. As such, the ECHR ordered the government to reinstate the LRO’s registration and to pay tens of thousands of dollars in compensation.

In the ensuing 15 years, the Russian government has not only ignored the Court’s ruling, but it has also intensified its relentless persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Authorities continue to label our peaceful religious beliefs as “extremist.” This unfounded and targeted repression has resulted in men and women being sentenced to as many as eight years in prison simply for reading or discussing the Bible with others. While in custody, some have endured harassment, inhumane treatment, and even torture. Several of those imprisoned are elderly or very ill. Currently, there are 173 of Jehovah’s Witnesses in prison for their faith in Crimea and Russia.

Although Russia officially withdrew from the Council of Europe in March 2022, it remained under the jurisdiction of the ECHR through September 15, 2022, and is still obligated to comply with past ECHR rulings. This includes the Court’s June 2022 ruling that Russia’s 2017 ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses was unlawful. Therefore, Russia should recognize our right to freedom of worship, reregister our religious organization, and lift its ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses.

As we continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Crimea and Russia, we await the time when Jehovah will establish true justice throughout the earth.—Isaiah 51:4.