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Table of Contents Orthodox bishop attacks Mormons More than year of harassment of Chuvash Jehovah's Witnesses Religious radicals in Tatarstan urge their coreligionists not to celebrate the New Year Why is Falun Gong literature banned? Russia's anti-Mormon campaign China-led restrictions on Falun Gong Religious survey Surrounded by Mormons Authorities in Taganrog attempt to force Jehovah’s Witnesses to renounce their faith Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia in 9/2009 - 5/2012: 1372 incidents, 1278 arrests, 136 searches, 17religious services disrupted 'A totalitarian sect:' Youth group wants to kick Mormons out of Russia Russia Caucasus: Imam shot dead in Derbent, Dagestan Pussy Riot member takes case to European Court Russia head scarf ban: Putin opposes headscarves at Russian school "The crime he is being accused of does not envisage the existence of victims" New rules on religion and military Article 20.29 causes 60-day community ban, fines, and bookshop closure No more mosques for Moscow? State Duma weighs law protecting religious sentiment Raised penalties for demonstrations extended to worship One month in prison, another to follow First Russian public TV channel for Muslims goes live More "extremist" books to be banned? Jehovah's Witnesses charged with extremism in Central Russia Russia shocked by twin attacks on Islamic clerics Venice Commission opinion on Russian extremism law An attempt to revive total ideological control Many long extremism trials, few convictions Police raid and charge "people in strange clothes" Freedom of conscience in Russia: Restrictions and challenges in 2011 Regional targeting of religious "sects" "They broke the law and have to answer before the courts" Psychiatric examination, lawyer gagged, car tampering "I've never encountered the practice of destroying religious literature before" The Church and the election Criminal prosecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses reaches another level Orthodox Church sides with Russian cities banning 'Homosexual Propaganda' One "extremism" criminal trial ends, others continue Kaliningrad Muslim "extremist"? Russian authorities employ covert surveillance methods to initiate criminal case Putin: Compulsory religion classes must engage students Prisoner of conscience freed but not exonerated Orthodox Church activity lagging New "anti-record" attendance at Christmas services in Moscow One acquittal, but the same day trial of two more begins Has "madness" of banning religious publications been stopped? Orthodox bishop attacks Mormons Portal-Credo (28.12.2012) - Answers by Metropolitan of Voronezh and Blorisoglebsk Sergei of RPTsMP to readers' questions were published on 28 December in the weekly "AiF-- Chernozemie" in its last issue of the past year. As the editorial commentary notes, "for a whole month the editorial offices of AiF--Chernozemie have been receiving telephone calls and letters. We posed the most interesting of them to the metropolitan." The writer of one of the questions was interested in "the church's attitude" toward Mormons. The bishop began his answer to him simply: "I will say directly—it is a totalitarian sect." Metropolitan Sergei said "members of the organization lead a rather closed way of life" and "they enter into conflict with Russian legislation." Detailing his statement, Sergei declared that Mormons "practice polygamy" while they officially call themselves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then the head of the diocese stated that he does not advise multiplying the ranks "of this sect" and he urged treating it critically. He said "all sects offer a very short path to God, without spiritual labor and good works." Metropolitan Sergei maintains that "sects say it is enough to believe and you will be saved by faith and you can conduct any lifestyle." At present, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the main denomination among various branches of the religious movement that has as its source the teachings of Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, which Mormons are convinced is a revelation, Portal-credo.ru recalls. Back in the nineteenth century the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints changed its attitude toward polygamy, acknowledging that the only form of marriage permitted to its adherents is monogamy. This decision was made by the leadership of the religious community in the region of the Great Salt Lake in order to permit normalization of relations of the new for the time American church with the federal government of USA, which subsequently led to the creation of the separate state of Utah, most of whose population at the time was Mormon settlers and local Indians. Originally, for doctrinal reasons, Mormons viewed Indians as objects of their evangelism; according to Joseph Smith's teaching, Indians were descendents of ancient Hebrews who resettled on the American continent back in Old Testament times. Polygamy continues to be practiced by only the extremist varieties of Mormons, who have no adherents inside Russia. From time to time polygamist Mormons, who are not organizationally associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, have become figures in criminal cases taken up by American courts. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 January 2013) More than year of harassment of Chuvash Jehovah's Witnesses Portal Credo (27.12.2012) - On 6 December 2012 a criminal case against ten Jehovah's Witnesses was closed because of lack of evidence of a crime. They were granted the right to rehabilitation and compensation for damages associated with criminal prosecution. Who was affected by the criminal prosecution for faith in Chuvashia, and how? A massive operation against Jehovah's Witnesses was conducted on 7 September 2011 in the cities of Cheboksary, Kanash, Novocheboksarsk, and Ivanovo. Almost simultaneously, eleven searches in homes and houses of worship of Jehovah's Witnesses were conducted. Worship services were interrupted. Law enforcement officers armed with clubs and firearms, working in groups of up to eleven persons, used force to break into buildings, block exits, and shove believers, including minors, into police vehicles. Personal searches of people attending services were conducted, followed by confiscation of religious literature belonging to them. During the searches in residences also seized were computers, other personal items, and cash. Believers also were subjected to involuntary photographing and finger printing. Some believers were detained for two days. On 8 September 2011 two other searches were conducted in Cheboksary in residences of the Jehovah's Witnesses V. Goncharov and R. Yalandaev. During the searches, the believers' religious literature, computers, and other personal items were seized. On 19 September 2011, a search was conducted in the apartment of Jehovah's Witness R. Vasilev in Cheboksary. Nothing was confiscated during the search. On 22 September 2011, a search in the apartment of Jehovah's Witness N. Nesterova was conducted in Cheboksary. A computer processor was confiscated. On 10 February 2012, searches were conducted one after the other in the apartments of Jehovah's Witnesses F. Bobrova and M. Ermakov in the city of Alatyr. On 6 March 2012 a search was conducted in the home of Jehovah's Witness A. Martynov in the village of Pervomaisk. During the search, no "extremist materials" were found and nothing was confiscated. On 16 March 2012, during three searches in Jehovah's Witnesses' apartments of the Laborin family, Yu. Demidova, and 71-year-old I. Korneva in Novocheboksarsk, all religious literature including Bibles was confiscated. On 26 July 2012, Jehovah's Witnesses Igor Efimov, Andrei Martynov, Aleksei Nikolaev, and Andrei Nikolaev were arrested in the cities of Alatyr, Novocheboksarsk, and Cheboksary. Two were arrested at home, a third at his workplace, and a fourth in the office of the investigator to which he had been summoned. On 30 July 2012 two of the four believers (Andrei Nikolaev and Andrei Martynov) were released after five days of incarceration in a detention cell. On 10 September 2012 the Supreme Court of the Chuvash republic released two Jehovah's Witnesses, Aleksei Nikolaev and Igor Efimov, who had been unjustly held in detention for 46 days. On 6 December 2012 a criminal case was closed because of lack of evidence of a crime. Information: Just a bit fewer than 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses live in Chuvashia, and worship services of this religion in the republic are attended by more than 2,000 persons. There are Jehovah's Witnesses religious groups in Alatyr, Vurnary, Kanash, Novocheboksarsk, Cheboksary, and Shumerlya. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 January 2013) Religious radicals in Tatarstan urge their coreligionists not to celebrate the New Year Interfax (28.12.2012) - Radical Muslims have launched a campaign against celebrating the New Year at the streets of Kazan. Interfax - They consider harmful not only the tradition of celebrating the New Year on the night from December 31 to January 1, but also everything accompanying the celebration: the Father Frost, the Snow Maid and parties, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reports. Radical Tatar nationalists also share anti-New Year propaganda and urge to spend December 31 as an ordinary day: not to drink vodka as Russians do and better earn money driving home drunk kaferrs (unfaithful), who celebrate "their dirty feast." Opponents of one of the country's main secular feasts are inspired by Caucasus preachers, in particular, Abu Umar Sasitlinsky - "Doctor of the Shariah Studies" and one of the most popular Salafi preachers in Dagestan. Abu Umar's video where he compares people celebrating the New Year to monkeys is available free in one the most popular groups in a social net that unites radical Muslims of Kazan. According to the head of the Volga Center on Regional and Ethnic-Religious Studies of the Russian Strategic Research Institute Rais Suleimanov, Islamists strive to change usual for Tatars calendar life. "Eventually, we face the situation when Islamists place announcements in the city saying that the New Year is a shirk (which means manifestation of polytheism) and in the Net extremists urge not to decorate Christmas trees.