It seems Russian justice has some rubber terms where you can go to gaol for "attitutude problems".
For instance, in Russia it would seem, from a notice I saw some months ago, "pedophilia" is a criminal charge in and of itself, not just if accompanied by for instance statutory rape or seduction of someone too young to marry or possession of child pornography or abuse of a child. Some historians have claimed such and such a mass grave was from victims of Commies back in 1939 or sth or earlier, some other ones have then claimed "no, it was the Finns during Winter War" (or perhaps Continuation War) "who did it", and one historian who opposed this revision then has been put into prison on charges of "pedophilia".
It would seem it is the same with "extremism". You don't have to throw bombs to be put into prison for "extremism" in Russia, since the JW sect definitely are not terrorists, and yet one JW is now about to serve 6 years prison for "extremism".
JW Sentenced to 6 years in Prison. Dennis Christensen Persecuted in Russia. SDAs Next
SavingHealthMinistries | 6.II.2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Lhq10j0zc
I can for now only go by the title, since in this library I have no earphones. And by description:
Dennis Christensen was arrested in May 2017 after a police raid on his congregation just south of Moscow. He was found guilty of extremism. "I do not agree with this judgment, it's a big mistake," Christensen told reporters after being led away in handcuffs in the city of Oryol.
While the judgment is a big mistake, so is the law.
What's extremist about JW? They deny the soul continues to exist immediately after death (they also claim it is recreated on the day of resurrection, but that is less extreme), well put all atheists in Russia into prison for extremism!
Or, they deny the divinity of Christ? Well, there are Muslims who need prison about as much, and not just the ones who throw bombs. And some Jews too, if that's the problem.
Or, they assemble at home? So did the Catholics or Orthodox (whichever of them is the true Church) back in the days of Pagan Caesars.
It is even a mistake with Salafists, just because some Chechens who are so have thrown bombs doesn't mean everyone who is so is likely to throw bombs. BUT this type of persecution is making them somewhat likelier than otherwise.
Or, is it extreme to refuse blood transfusions? Well, antivaxxers, take care, avoid Russia! It's a medical dictatorship. Oppose one routine treatment and you are "extremist" ...
In a doctrinally unified population, where other religions exist as somewhat marginalised minorities, some kind of inquisition makes sense. Our modern world is hardly like that anywhere. If Monaco (previous to the latest princely marriage) had wanted to introduce inquision against non-Catholic Christians, France would have stopped that. Russia is not unified behind all full citizens being agreed to love Catholicism or its schismatic version Russian Orthodoxy, but one tries to unify Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Tengriists and of course Atheists around a common hatred, that of "extremism", the new bogey man, where a JW can go to prison because one and same buzz word ""extremist" can socially be applied to him as well as to the bomb throwing terrorist, even if very clearly he is not a bomb throwing terrorist. And speaking of Chechnia, it seems Russia provoked some, by being too cruelly repressive.
Radical and extremist are apparently words with no meaning, except every Russian judge can play Humpty Dumpty* about what they mean in a given case.
Hans Georg Lundahl
Nanterre UL
St. Agabus, Prophet**
13.II.2019
* Yes, that is a reference to Lewis Carroll, not to C. S. Lewis.
** Antiochiae natalis sancti Agabi Prophetae, de quo beatus Lucas in Actibus Apostolicis scribit.
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