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'Jehovah's Witnesses sue Dutch state for discrimination'
December 11, 2023 01:06
Modified December 11, 2023 01:57
The Palace of Justice in The Hague.Image © ANP / Tobias Kleuver
Jehovah's Witnesses have sued the Dutch state for discrimination. The state would only have investigated their handling of abuse cases, and would not have done this with other religious organizations. And they think this is unjustified.
The Witnesses believe it is unfounded and therefore discriminatory that only their organization has been scrutinized, the national board told the Trouw newspaper.
Research 2020
The specific reason for the complaint revolves around a 2020 study by Utrecht University, which showed that the handling of abuse cases within Jehovah's Witnesses often left much to be desired.
The research showed that sixty percent of abuse victims even gave the handling of abuse cases within the organization a grade of 1. The cases would always be resolved internally and this would be traumatic for the victims, according to the report.
'Victims of abuse
Also read:
'Victims of abuse of Jehovah's Witnesses fear witch hunt'
But the Jehovah's Witnesses disagree with this conclusion and believe that the results "indicate an opinion of the researchers rather than a scientifically substantiated position."
Substantive proceedings
Now they are trying to have the state convicted of discrimination through substantive proceedings, a more serious remedy. The Witnesses, among other things, disagree with the characterization of their religion as a 'closed community'.
The fact that they are the only religious community that was investigated does not mean that there is discrimination, says special professor of law and religion Paul van Sasse van IJsselt to the Trouw newspaper. “There may be legitimate grounds for paying special attention to this, such as signals that reports are not being handled properly.”
'Reasonably unique'
It is unusual that a religious organization is suing the Dutch state. Van Sasse van IJsselt calls it 'fairly unique', the newspaper writes.
But it happens more often in Europe and the Jehovah's Witnesses have also often litigated against government interference in the European Court. And they were often right.
The substantive hearing of the complaint has already taken place and the decision of the court in The Hague will follow next Wednesday, December 13.
Shooting
Also read:
Shooting that kills eight in Hamburg: this is what we know
Source: RTL News
Article in Dutch
www.rtlnieuws.nl
'Jehovah's Witnesses sue Dutch state for discrimination'
December 11, 2023 01:06
Modified December 11, 2023 01:57
The Palace of Justice in The Hague.Image © ANP / Tobias Kleuver
Jehovah's Witnesses have sued the Dutch state for discrimination. The state would only have investigated their handling of abuse cases, and would not have done this with other religious organizations. And they think this is unjustified.
The Witnesses believe it is unfounded and therefore discriminatory that only their organization has been scrutinized, the national board told the Trouw newspaper.
Research 2020
The specific reason for the complaint revolves around a 2020 study by Utrecht University, which showed that the handling of abuse cases within Jehovah's Witnesses often left much to be desired.
The research showed that sixty percent of abuse victims even gave the handling of abuse cases within the organization a grade of 1. The cases would always be resolved internally and this would be traumatic for the victims, according to the report.
'Victims of abuse
Also read:
'Victims of abuse of Jehovah's Witnesses fear witch hunt'
But the Jehovah's Witnesses disagree with this conclusion and believe that the results "indicate an opinion of the researchers rather than a scientifically substantiated position."
Substantive proceedings
Now they are trying to have the state convicted of discrimination through substantive proceedings, a more serious remedy. The Witnesses, among other things, disagree with the characterization of their religion as a 'closed community'.
The fact that they are the only religious community that was investigated does not mean that there is discrimination, says special professor of law and religion Paul van Sasse van IJsselt to the Trouw newspaper. “There may be legitimate grounds for paying special attention to this, such as signals that reports are not being handled properly.”
'Reasonably unique'
It is unusual that a religious organization is suing the Dutch state. Van Sasse van IJsselt calls it 'fairly unique', the newspaper writes.
But it happens more often in Europe and the Jehovah's Witnesses have also often litigated against government interference in the European Court. And they were often right.
The substantive hearing of the complaint has already taken place and the decision of the court in The Hague will follow next Wednesday, December 13.
Shooting
Also read:
Shooting that kills eight in Hamburg: this is what we know
Source: RTL News
Article in Dutch
'Jehovah’s Getuigen klagen Nederlandse staat aan voor discriminatie'
Jehovah’s Getuigen hebben de Nederlandse staat aangeklaagd wegens discriminatie. De staat zou alleen onderzoek hebben gedaan naar hun afhandeling van misbruikzaken, en zou dit bij andere religieuze organisaties niet hebben gedaan. En dit vinden zij onterecht.