Russia bans Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating in the country

Russia’s Supreme Court has banned Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating in the country henceforth.

The country’s Supreme Court declared the organization an extremist in a ruling today and outlawed its activity in the whole territory of Russia, thereby sustaining the Justice Ministry’s demands.

The court declared the immediate abolition of all 395 local chapters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia and turned the organization’s assets into state property.

Judge Yuri Ivanchenko read out only the resolutive part of the decision.

The full text of the ruling will be handed to the parties within five days.

Jehovah’s Witnesses has said it would appeal the decision. The organization’s spokesman said if the appellate panel of Supreme Court judges upheld Thursday’s verdict, the case would be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

The…