Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana write to Russia
Jehovah’s Witnesses of all ages all over Ghana have taken seriously the invitation to send a direct appeal to Kremlin and Supreme Court officials for relief for their fellow Witnesses in Russia who are facing the threat of an imminent ban on their worship.
This is part of a global letter-writing campaign which the over 8,000,000 million Witnesses worldwide had engaged in the past two weeks.
On March 15, 2017, Russia’s Ministry of Justice filed a claim with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to label the Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia as extremist and liquidate it.
The claim also seeks to ban the activities of the Administrative Centre.
If the Supreme Court upholds this claim, the Witnesses’ national headquarters near St. Petersburg will be shut down.
Subsequently, some 400 registered Local Religious Organisations would be liquidated, outlawing the services of over 2,300 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. The branch property, as well as places of worship used by Witnesses throughout the country, could be seized by the State.
Additionally, individual Jehovah’s Witnesses would become subject to criminal prosecution for carrying out their worship activities. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the claim on April 5.
Since the news about the imminent ban broke two weeks ago, the Ghana Branch appealed to fellow Witnesses to join in the letter writing campaign and Media Houses to publicise the campaign.
Mr Nathaniel Gbedemah, Media Contact for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana, in a media release reported that fellow Witnesses had responded favourably to the campaign.
“My family and I have participated in this campaign because we want the Russian authorities to see that Jehovah’s Witnesses are non-violent, law-abiding citizens, who should not be prosecuted,” states William Kyei, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Accra.
He said this last Thursday, when on his way to deliver 90 letters, he and fellow Witnesses in his area had written to DHL Courier Services for delivery to Russia.
Another Witness, Dorcas Acheampong, who lives in the Amasaman area, says: “My love for my brothers and sisters in Russia moved me to write to the Russian authorities. If what is happening there were to be happening here in Ghana, I know they would also write.”
“Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana sincerely hope that their letters and the letters of fellow Witnesses in other countries will motivate Russian officials to stop this unjustifiable action against their fellow worshippers in Russia.”
Source: GNA