Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that a Jehovah's Witnesses website and three of the religious movement's books are extremist, RAPSI legal news agency reported Wednesday, citing the court.
The Supreme Court's ruling follows its approval in November of the Samara region's ban of the group, Russia's first region-wide ban of the movement.
Jehovah's Witnesses have long encountered difficulties with Russian authorities and have repeatedly been barred from circulating their literature.
In 2004, a Moscow court banned a local Jehovah's Witnesses group, accusing it of recruiting children, prompting believers to abandon their families, inciting suicide and preventing believers from accepting medical treatment, RAPSI reported.
The ruling was eventually overturned in 2010 by the European Court of Human Rights, which ordered Russia to pay the defendants 70,000 euros ($86,000).
More recently, in January, a court in the southern city of Kurgan ruled that the movement's brochures were extremist, according to RAPSI.
Between 2009 and 2013, various Russian regional courts found 68 Jehovah's Witnesses publications to be extremist, according to Lenta.ru.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
![](["https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Ri8cnX126lA\/maxresdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Ri8cnX126lA\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Ri8cnX126lA\/default.jpg","https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/img\/article_video.jpg"])
