In the occupied part of the Kherson region, the so-called "police" boast to have "stopped the activities of a large cell of the banned Jehovah's Witnesses organization."
Source: Most.ks.ua
The press service of the so-called" Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kherson region "reports about the "exposure of extremists".
It is reported that "the group conducted destructive activities on the territory of the Skadovsky and Hola Prystan municipal districts of the Kherson region, promoting anti-orthodox ideas, distributing extremist literature and denying the region's entry into Russia."
In the village of Novosofeyevka, the "Hola Pristan Municipal District" created by the occupiers, the police raided the "Kingdom Hall" – the venue for meetings and rituals of the Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as the warehouse of "prohibited literature consisting of more than 4 thousand books, magazines, leaflets and other propaganda materials." It is also reported that "the identity of the head and activists of the cell has been established."
The activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation on the grounds provided for by the federal law "on countering extremist activities". But in Ukraine, the activities of this religious organization are not prohibited by law. That is, the occupiers consider it a "crime" what happened in the territory they occupied before the occupation and did not contradict Ukrainian legislation.
It is also noteworthy that Russians consider propaganda of "anti-orthodox ideas" to be a "destructive activity". Despite the fact that article 14.1. of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states:
"The Russian Federation is a secular state. No religion can be established as state or mandatory."
Consequently, the propaganda of any religion, as well as disputes between faiths, cannot formally be objects for legal assessment by state bodies. But in fact, Russian "law enforcement officers" also act as "moral police" with an Orthodox bias. At the same time, entering into contradictions with the Constitution of their own country. But this does not upset the Russian enforcers at all.
The video distributed by the invaders also shows the testimony of a certain woman who says that the activists of Jehovah's witnesses were "for Ukraine" and "against the special operation".
According to the information of the occupation police, they only broke into the premises of Jehovah's Witnesses, but the activists of the religious organization themselves were not detained. The believers must have managed to leave. But all the same, the actions of the occupiers and their henchmen are a direct violation of the Geneva Convention relative to protecting civilian persons in times of war.
Article 27 of this document states:
"Protected persons have the right, in all circumstances, to personal respect, respect for their honor, the right to family, their religious beliefs and rites, habits and customs. They shall at all times be treated humanely and protected, in particular, from any act of violence or intimidation, from insults and from the curiosity of the crowd...Subject to the provisions relating to health, age and sex, a party to the conflict in whose power protected persons are located shall have the right to treat all of them equally, without discrimination of any kind, in particular as to race, religion or political opinion."
And Article 33 says:
"No person who is under protection can be punished for an offense that he did not commit personally. Collective punishment, as well as any intimidation or terror, is prohibited."