PETERSBURG COURT RECOGNIZES JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AS SECT
ITAR-TASS, 28 February 2000
St. Petersburg. A decision of the Dzerzhinsky federal court of the central district of St. Petersburg has gone into effect, denying satisfaction of the suit brought by a member of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, Marina Slobidian, against the newspaper "Novyi Peterburg" for protection of her honor and dignity. This was reported to an ITAR-TASS correspondent today at the federal court.
As a member of this organization and as its attorney, Marina Slobidian filed suit against the paper over publication of a letter from her father "Who will return my daughter and grandson to me?" He wrote that he had not seen his grandson for several years and could not communicate with him even by phone because of his daughter's prohibition. The reason for this, in his opinion, was his attack upon the organization in a televised film shown on the TV channel "Petersburg," in which he expressed concern over his grandson's destroyed childhood. M. Slobidian accused the newspaper of interference in her private life and use of the critical word "sect," which, in her opinion, violated her honor and dignity.
The judicial investigation went on about two years. The court came to the conclusion that the information reported in the mass media about Jehovah's Witnesses corresponded to reality. Having studied items from dictionaries and encyclopedias, the court also came to the conclusion that the use in the newspaper and television broadcast of the concept of "sect" is generally recognized and that it is used with respect to religious organizations that profess views of a narrow group of people in contrast to the overwhelming majority. Consequently it "cannot offend anybody's feelings," said the court's decision. (tr. by PDS)