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Two members of â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ religious community arrested for refusing to do military service in Azerbaijan

21 January 2009 12:19 (UTC +04:00)

He said that â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ religious community was once registered in Justice Ministry and was reregistered by the State Committee on Work with Religious Associations in 2002. Ismayilov said head of the â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ religious community was Leonid Moroz. The organization can function only in Baku, as it was registered here. The committee official said the members of the community illegally assembled in Gandja and were detained.
â€œThey were released after giving explanations. The number of the detainees was 8, not 80,â€ he said.

Gunduz Ismayilov said â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ religious belief banned military service and added that two had been arrested in Azerbaijan over that fact.

Gunduz Ismayilov said â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ had thousands of supporters in Georgia and Armenia. He noted that there were 15,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Georgia and over 10,000 in Armenia.
â€œOver 40 â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ are in prison in Armenia for their religious belief,â€ he said.

â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ religious sect was established in the United States late in the 19th century. They do not believe in paradise, or hell and call those who do not accept their sect goats.

â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ was banned in a number of countries.

As of August, 2008, â€œJehovah’s Witnessesâ€ has over 7 million members.