European Court Finds Russia Violated Religious Rights of Jehovah's Witnesses

On Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights handed down a decision in Kuznetsov and Others v. Russia, (Application No. 184/02, Jan. 11, 2007), finding that various actions by the Russian government that disrupted religious services being held by Jehovah's Witnesses and which led to the termination of their lease for an auditorium in which to hold services violated their religious freedom as protected in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Institute On Religion and Public Policy issued a release detailing more information about the decision.