Moscow court upholds Jehova's Witnesses ban

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NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , MOSCOW
Friday, Jun 18, 2004,Page 7

An appellate court in Moscow on Wednesday upheld a ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in the city, a ruling the group's leaders said reflected mounting pressure on some faiths in Russia.

The decision culminated six years of legal proceedings that began when prosecutors sought to halt the group's activities on the ground saying that they posed a threat to Russian society.

Under Russia's complex laws governing religious minorities, the Jehovah's Witnesses are registered on the national level and in nearly 400 other cities in Russia, though not in Moscow itself. The ban affects only the group's activities here, but its leaders expressed fear that the ruling could presage similar efforts in other cities, where adherents have faced harassment.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/06/18/2003175551