Russia's Satanic Church Backs Government's Ban on Jehovah's Witnesses
Members of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia may be saddened with the ban Moscow has imposed on their faith. But one religion in the country is celebrating the ban: the Satanic Church.
According to The Moscow Times, the Satanic Church backed the government's prohibition of the religion all over Russia.
"We consider it necessary to speak out against missionary activity," Satanic Church leader Oleg Sataninsky told the local news outlet 66.ru. "The Jehovah's Witnesses had an extreme approach."
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Sataninsky added that their group "oppose indoctrination and religious propaganda." Unlike other sects, they are not radicals, he said.
The leader of the Satanic Church also debunked people's ideas that their sect is into devil worship as usually depicted in movies and literature. He explained that they adhere to the teachings of "The Satanic Bible" instead.
Sataninsky said their group registered with the Ministry of Justice in May as proof that they are not radicals or an "extremist" sect.
In April, Russia's highest court declared the Jehovah's Witnesses an "extremist" organization and banned all of its activities in the nation, The New York Times reported.
The prohibition affected more than 170,000 members of the sect all over Russia.
Lawyer for the group, Viktor Zhenkov, said they will appeal the Supreme Court's ruling, calling it a suppression of their religious freedom.
"We consider this decision an act of political repression that is impermissible in contemporary Russia," said Zhenkov in a phone interview. "We will, of course, appeal."
Deputy Director for Human Rights Watch in Europe and Central Asia Rachel Denber also called the court's decision a "blow" to religious freedom.
"The Supreme Court's ruling to shut down the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is a terrible blow to freedom of religion and association in Russia," she told Human Rights Watch. "Jehovah's Witnesses are now given the heartrending choice of either abandoning their faith or facing punishment for practicing it."
Those who will be caught participating in activities of the religious sect will be prosecuted and fined ranging from US$5,343 to $10,687 or a maximum of six to 10 years jail time.
All properties of the group will also be impounded by the government.
