JW News

03/31/2024

JW News | Austria

Austrian police state that a "functional explosive device" was discovered at the entrance of a Jehovah's Witness hall in Kalsdorf.

Austrian police said a "functional explosive device" was discovered at the entrance of a Jehovah's Witness hall in Kalsdorf.

03/27/2024

JW News | Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses stalker censured by court.

NOTE: Article is from 2022.

PRESS RELEASE by Steven Unthank On 16 March 2022, the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, Australia, after a two-year courtroom battle, issued two separate five-year court orders to protect i…

03/27/2024

JW News | Australia

There are renewed calls for religious charities, including Jehovah's Witnesses, to face “a day of financial reckoning” and “pay their fair share of tax”, as the government prepares to table a report in Parliament on Australian philanthropy.

The “once-in-a-generation” review, announced just over a year ago as part of the government’s election vow to double philanthropic giving by 2030, and to boost donations to charities, is being undertaken by the Productivity Commission (PC).

Last month, former Jehovah’s Witness whistleblower Lara Kaput appeared before the commission and recommended the committee cease “financial privileges for corporate religions” to help facilitate “the avoidance of doubt, to alleviate the cost of living crisis, and to be fiscally responsible”.

'Why should the amount of tax paid by a cereal company or an aged care manager depend on the religious beliefs of their board?'

03/21/2024

JW News | New Zealand

Jehovah's Witnesses are trying to avoid scrutiny over the mistreatment of child abuse in their care, by challenging a High Court decision to extend the scope of the Abuse in Care inquiry.

The Jehovah's Witness Church is challenging a decision to extend the scope of the Abuse in Care inquiry.

03/16/2024

The 2024 Governing Body Update #2, published on 15 March 2024, announced new doctrinal changes in the way serious wrongdoing (i.e. “sins”), especially those committed by children, will be handled by the elders...

The 2024 Governing Body Update #2, published on 15 March 2024, announced new doctrinal changes in the way serious wrongdoing (i.e. “sins”), especially those committed by children, will …

03/12/2024

JW News | New Zealand

Urgent call for ex Jehovah’s Witnesses to submit evidence to Charities Services

A complaint has been raised by an ex-Jehovah’s Witness whistleblower with New Zealand’s Charities Services.
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses have until Wednesday 19 March to have their evidence included in the complaint against Jehovah’s Witnesses charities in New Zealand, ‘Christian Congregation Of Jehovah’s Witnesses Of New Zealand’ (CC36365), and all ‘Congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses’.

A complaint has been raised by an ex-Jehovah’s Witness whistleblower with New Zealand’s Charities Services. Former Jehovah’s Witnesses have until Wednesday 19 March to have their evidence included …

03/02/2024

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Former JW headquarters staff member, Barbara Anderson, will interview Samantha Radford and Steven Unthank on their backgrounds, advocacy work, and current projects.

02/20/2024

A special video narrated by Samantha Radford, titled, Overview of the National Redress Scheme, has been commissioned to assist child sexual abuse survivors of the Jehovah's Witnesses institution in Australia, navigate and understand, the current compensation scheme recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

JW NEWS | 20 February 2024 | PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT Say Sorry has commissioned a special video narrated by Samantha Radford, titled, Overview of the National Redress Scheme, to assist child sexual abu…

12/11/2023

Germany | Japan

Leaked email authorised by World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses soliciting help from members to counteract child abuse allegations in Japan. English translation of entire email in JW Leaks article.

On Friday 1, 2023, the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses issued instructions to selected branches around the world to commence the solicitation of members of Jehovah’s Witnesses…

12/01/2023

Watch Tower Land, USA, will be open for business from New Year’s Day, 2024.

Book online here: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/bethel-tours/united-states-america/

12/01/2023

Quebec, Canada

Bonjour,

Je réitère ici une demande que j'ai faite il y a quelques années. Je cherche à savoir s'il y a sur ce sub des anciens/ex-anciens qui ont servi en tant que tel dans la province de Québec et qui ont de l'information au sujets de cas d'agression sexuelles contre des mineurs (ASM).
​
L'avocate chargée du dossier a besoin d'autant de témoignages d'anciens que possible. Ce ne sont pas nécessairement tous ceux qui se manifestent qui seront amenés à témoigner. Cependant, plus l'équipe légale a des témoignages, plus il auront le choix pour sélectionner les meilleures histoires qui appuieront leurs arguments.

1 - Avez-vous servi en tant qu'ancien et connu des situations d'ASM qui n'ont pas été gérées correctement (autorités mises au courant)?

2 - Avez-vous déjà appelé au Bureau du Service du Béthel pour poser des questions en rapport avec une situation d'ASM (ce genre d'appel est généralement fait suivant une décision du collège d'anciens)?

3 - Possédez-vous des fichiers électroniques, tels que des compte-rendus de réunions d'anciens, des Ordre du Jour de réunion d'anciens, des lettres écrites par le Secrétaire à d'autres congrégations/Béthel à propos d'un cas d'ASM?

4 - Si vous n'êtes pas un (ex-)ancien, connaissez-vous un ExTJ dans votre entourage qui pourrait peut-être correspondre au profil indiqué ci-dessus, avoir de l'information de ce genre?

Si vous avez répondu par l'affirmative à une de ces questions, je vous invite à prendre contact avec moi via messagerie, ou directement avec l'équipe légale chargée de l'action collective. Voici un lien avec l'information nécessaire:

https://quebecjwclassaction.mccarthy.ca/

Sachez que toute information que vous partagerez avec l'équipe légale sera traitée avec la plus grande confidentialité.

Merci!

Le 27 février 2019, la Cour supérieure du Québec autorisait une action collective au nom de madame Lisa Blais contre certaines entités Watch Tower relativement aux prétendues agressions sexuelles sur des mineurs au sein de l’organisation des Témoins de Jéhovah, ainsi qu’en lien avec la ge...

10/31/2023

JW News | New Zealand

High Court judgment published in the matter of Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) Limited and Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions.

The Jehovah's Witnesses institution lost its application.

https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2023/2023-NZHC-3031.pdf

10/25/2023

JW News | Interview

A 'Say Sorry' extended interview with Steven Unthank and Lara Kaput.

Shortly after attending the Australian National Apology, Lara and Steven sat down with author and humanist, Babu Gogineni, for an extended interview on their traumatic childhood within the Jehovah's Witnesses, and their pursuit of justice.

A 'Say Sorry' extended interview with Steven Unthank and Lara Kaput.Shortly after attending the 2018 National Apology, Lara and Steven sat down with author a...

10/08/2023

JW News | BREAKING NEWS

[Official Release by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses]

Adjustments to Field Service Reporting

On October 7, 2023, at the annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the following exciting announcement was made. Beginning November 1, 2023, congregation publishers will no longer be asked to report the amount of time they spend in the ministry. Nor will publishers be asked to report their placements, the videos they show, or return visits. Instead, the field service report will simply have a box that allows each publisher to indicate that he or she shared in any form of the ministry during the month. There will be one more box where publishers can report the number of different Bible studies they conduct. Missionaries, circuit overseers and their wives, special pioneers, regular pioneers, and auxiliary pioneers will continue to report the number of hours they spend in the ministry, along with the number of different Bible studies they conduct. Further information about this adjustment will be provided to all congregations in the coming weeks.

10/06/2023

JW News | New Zealand

On 5 October 2023 an Open Letter was published to the New Zealand 'Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry' in relation to the High Court case brought by Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Australasia) against the Commission.

The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses regularly announces court action it has commissioned against governments around the world. In this instance they have remained silent. Why?

This Open Letter shines a light on the reason for the silence...

An Open Letter from Stakeholders, Survivors, and their Advocates 5 October 2023 To the New Zealand Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry and the New Zealand Attorney-General, The…

09/30/2023

JW News

09/04/2023

JW News | New Zealand

The Jehovah's Witness church has been fighting scrutiny from a national inquiry into the historical abuse of children for three years, court documents show.

08/31/2023

WORLD | A new Jehovah's Witnesses related documentary production

Commissioned by ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses this 96-minute documentary will provide a holistic profile of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation. It will detail, amongst other things, the abuses that take place behind the secure doors of Kingdom Halls globally.

It will explore subjects such as the practice of shunning, child sexual abuse, mental abuse, and the denial of basic human rights. These subjects and many more are deliberately concealed by the organisation. Operating covertly behind a façade of adherence to the teachings of their god ‘Jehovah’.

Commissioned by ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses this 96-minute documentary will provide a holistic profile of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation. It will detail, am...

08/18/2023

New Zealand / Australia | Is the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Australasia) Limited a criminal enterprise?

The answer may surprise you.

In this special feature edition, The Last Days newsletter shines a spotlight on Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand with the help of a series of articles published by Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

Issue No. 17

08/16/2023

JW Protest London

08/15/2023

In this YouTube video “Udstødt, en podcast om Jehovas Vidner” interviews Lara Kaput on her successful activism work, Steven Unthank on understanding the various corporations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and YouTuber ‘Goatlike Personality’ on the recent JW Protest in Denmark.

This episode will be in english.For a few weeks ago people from Poland, Norway and even Australia, came to Hillerød in Denmark to protest against the Watchto...

08/08/2023

Is Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain facing an existential crisis?

Explore the entire four part series in this week’s issue of The Last Days newsletter.

Issue No. 16

07/26/2023

This special late edition of The Last Days, covering the week of July 17-23, 2023, contains our leading Feature of the Week: Watchtower Victim’s Memorial Day; JW News from Germany; a JW Fact Check on propaganda; a video from YouTuber The Truth Hurts; and more!

Issue No. 14

07/26/2023

USA | Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigation into Jehovah's Witnesses

HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that the first of more than a dozen men charged with child sexual assault crimes while they were members of Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations has pleaded guilty.

07/24/2023

Germany | Press Release by JZ Help and Say Sorry

Child sexual abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses institution – Worse than in the Catholic Church? Presented by JZ Help and Say Sorry [Official Press Release adapted and translated from …

06/12/2023

An informative Fact Check analysis, of this JW_ORG article, appears in this week's edition of The Last Days newsletter |

https://wtwnewsletter.substack.com/p/the-last-days-june-5-11-2023

06/07/2023

USA | Deforestation Project authorized by the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses

The governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses has authorized a deforestation project to further their preaching work, which includes the teaching that Jehovah will bring to ruin those ruining the earth. https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/global/Ramapo-Site-Preparations-Continue/

06/02/2023

NEW ZEALAND |

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are seeking a judicial review and High Court declaration in New Zealand that the religion has never taken children into its care nor has it ever assumed responsibility for children.

2 June 2023 | Say Sorry | article by Steven Unthank The Jehovah’s Witnesses are seeking a judicial review and High Court declaration in New Zealand that the religion has never taken child…

06/02/2023

The Jehovah's Witness church has filed legal action to be exempted from the state-wide investigation into sexual and other abuse.

05/31/2023

In this special feature issue of 'Watching the World' JW News brings you a recently leaked digital PDF bookmarked version of the Jehovah’s Witnesses secret elder’s book “Shepherd the Flock of God”.

This secret elder’s book is a godsend (pun intended) for any member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses facing disfellowshipping (see chapters 15 and 16), and for lawyers or government officials who may need to keep up to date with the ever-changing rules and regulations governing the daily lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide.

Should religion practice secretiveness by having secret books?

Vol 1. Issue 2. May 2023