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Russian Government Cracking Down On Jehovah's Witnesses

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Members of Jehovah's Witnesses wait in a court room in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, April 20, 2017. Russia's Supreme Court has banned the Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the country, accepting a request from the justice ministry that the religious organisation be considered an extremist group, ordering closure of the group's Russia headquarters and its 395 local chapters, as well as the seizure of its property. (Ivan Sekretarev/AP)
Members of Jehovah's Witnesses wait in a court room in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, April 20, 2017. Russia's Supreme Court has banned the Jehovah's Witnesses from operating in the country, accepting a request from the justice ministry that the religious organisation be considered an extremist group, ordering closure of the group's Russia headquarters and its 395 local chapters, as well as the seizure of its property. (Ivan Sekretarev/AP)

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been labeled an extremist group by Russia's Justice Ministry. Some members in Russia have reported being assaulted and arrested, and some of the group's property has been seized.

Yaroslav Sivulskiy is spokesman for the organization in St. Petersburg, Russia. He's a third-generation Jehovah's Witness — both his mother and father were imprisoned in the 1950s, and he himself has served time. Sivulskiy speaks with Here & Now's Lisa Mullins.

This segment aired on April 28, 2017.

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