Watchtower Confirms Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses Beaten and Electrocuted and Victim Tells Story
The Jehovah’s Witness Headquarters have confirmed on their website after we contacted them for a fact check update, that some of their members have been detained, and 7 of them beaten and shocked with stun guns by Russian authorities.
On February 21, 2019, Doctrines of Faith made contact with Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and requested confirmation on the validity of the news reports that recently surfaced, about the “brutal torture” of some Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses. The call led to the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters providing confirmation on the news section of JW.org. The website confirms the following:
“The incident began when authorities in Surgut carried out raids in the early morning hours of February 15, 2019. After arresting some Witnesses and taking them to the Investigative Committee offices, the authorities began interrogating our brothers, who refused to disclose details about their fellow worshippers. After the only legal representative present left, the victims report that the following occurred: agents put a bag over their head and sealed it with tape, tied their hands behind their back, and beat them. After stripping the Witnesses naked and dousing them with water, the agents shocked them with stun guns. This sadistic torture lasted for about two hours.” Source: JW.org
The Jehovah’s Witnesses state that the cruel and inhumane treatment of their members violates the Russian Criminal Code and they plan to pursue action against the authorities. They further state that 19 Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses in total are being brought up on charges for extremism.
Artem Kim (below) is noted as one of the Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses who was a victim of the torturous beatings. (Photo courtesy of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, and JW.org)
Russian Victim of Beatings Tells What Happened
One of the Russian JW victims who was beaten was Vyacheslav Boronos. He spoke about the abuse:
(Google Translate: Russian to English)
“When I was tied up, I warned that I was a sick person, that in 1990 I had a serious injury, I was in a coma, there was a fracture of the base of the skull. They tied hands and feet with adhesive tape, laid their foreheads on a wet rag, and put on a blue transparent plastic bag. Two or three people sat on me, periodically they were very painful. Then, holding me, they tightened the bag. When I started to choke, loosened me up and started screaming for me to confess. The next time, when they started choking me, when I was choking, they closed my mouth with my hand, and in the area of the buttocks they inserted, apparently, a stun gun and turn on the electric current. I was yelling, I didn’t even shout. He also poured water on the jeans in the crotch area, and used a stun gun. In the end, they beat some object on the calf muscles. I turned to the emergency room, I had hematomas on both legs,” Vyacheslav Boronos said.
The lawyer for Jehovah’s Witnesses is said to be Dmitry Kolobov.
Christians Must Stand Against Cruel Abuse of Jehovah’s Witnesses
While many expressed views on Doctrines of Faith disagree with and even adamantly dispute Watchtower teachings and doctrine, we want to make known our unyielding stance against the vicious treatment that the Jehovah’s Witness victims have had to endure as a result of the Russian ban on the religion. It is not only JWs who have been persecuted, as we have learned through world news. Christians of various faiths have been victims of mistreatment, cruel and inhumane torture, and vile persecution for many years. We believe that it is our duty as Christians to pray for those who are afflicted.
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that members of the Christian Church outside of their religion do not have teachings that agree with the Bible. These opinions are expressed on their website and in their publications. We likewise disagree with their teachings and our opinions are herein expressed. However, as we all profess a true love for God, along with that comes prayer for mercy and protection from the enemy. We not only pray this for ourselves, but for others.
We ask all who are joined together in the body of the church, to pray for the safety and well-being of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who have endured such atrocities.