Russian court confiscates 123 properties of Jehovah's Witnesses
The judicial service announced that the properties, previously registered to the Swedish branch, are now state-owned.
A court in the Russian capital made the decision to transfer into state ownership 123 real estate properties that previously belonged to the Jehovah's Witnesses, the judicial service announced.
The properties were registered to the Swedish branch
The statement says the properties were previously registered to the Swedish branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses and included 63 residential and commercial buildings with a total area of more than 11,000 square meters, as well as 60 land plots with a total area of 5.6 hectares, located across the country.
A Russian court in 2017 banned the Jehovah's Witnesses, declaring them an "extremist organization", and the European Court of Human Rights in 2022 judged that decision unlawful.
Since then, many members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia have been convicted and imprisoned for "extremist activity".
The judicial service's statement did not include a detailed registry for each of the properties nor explain how the state will use the transferred plots and buildings.
Photo: illustration / Unsplash / Wesley Tingey
