大象传媒

There are hundreds of Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses in Russia who are being prosecuted for their faith. Some of them say they have been tortured and their testimonies were never investigated. Others have to hide their prayers as they fear the secret services are spying on them through undercover agents.

The wave of arrests started in 2017 after the Russian Supreme Court declared Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses organisation as extremist and banned all Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses registered groups throughout the country.

Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses renounce violence and do not possess arms, yet criminal cases against them claim they possess extremist materials and peaceful worship has been raided by armed police.

This programme will follow some of the most dramatic stories told by Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses under prosecution and their family members. Among them is the story of imprisoned man Feliks as told by his wife Zhenya. Upon arrival to his colony Feliks had suffered such an atrocious beating that he spent months recovering in a prison hospital. In May this year he was stripped of his Russian citizenship and became the first Jehovah鈥檚 Witness forced into statelessness. We will also hear from Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses who aren鈥檛 prosecuted but live in constant expectation of being disturbed by police.

All of them will share how their faiths help them to survive those dark days and how they continue to worship despite being scared and intimidated.

Presenter: Anastasia Gulubeva
Producer: Tatyana Movshevich

(Picture: Feliks Makhammadiev /Credit: jw-russia.org)