Jehovah's Witnesses by country

Canada

United States

In the United States, legal challenges by Jehovah's Witnesses prompted a series of state and federal court rulings that reinforced judicial protections for civil liberties.^[1][2] Among the rights strengthened by Witness court victories in the US are the protection of religious conduct from federal and state interference, the right to abstain from patriotic rituals and military service, the right of patients to refuse medical treatment, and the right to engage in public discourse.^[3]

Authors including William Whalen, Shawn Francis Peters and former members Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Alan Rogerson, and William Schnell have claimed that a series of arrests of Witnesses and mob violence against them in the 1930s and 1940s were the consequence of what appeared to be a deliberate course of provocation of authorities and other religious groups by Witness leaders.^[4][5] Harrison, Schnell, and Whalen stated that Jehovah's Witness leader Joseph Franklin Rutherford invited and cultivated opposition for publicity purposes in a bid to attract dispossessed members of society, and to convince members that persecution by the outside world was evidence of the truth of their struggle to serve God.^[6][7]

In 1943, the Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that requiring students to salute the flag was a violation of their First Amendment rights.^[8]

Cuba

During the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath, Jehovah's Witnesses became one of the largest religious groups in Cuba. Despite initially cordial relations with the government,^[9] led by Fidel Castro, attempts made to suppress religious groups became apparent. In 1962, the Cuban Ministry of Communications [es] imposed restrictions on the distribution of Jehovah's Witnesses' literature.^[10] According to the 1963 Witness Yearbook, arrests for preaching increased in 1962. The following year, foreign missionaries were exiled and hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested for holding public and private gatherings without permission from local authorities.^[11][12] In 1965, the Cuban government banned the Cuban Watch Tower Society.^[10] This marked the beginning of heightened hostility towards Jehovah's Witnesses, who began to face legal repercussions for refusing to salute the flag or serve in the military when conscripted. Military Units to Aid Production were established by the government to isolate groups deemed to be "deviant" or "undesirable", including Jehovah's Witnesses.^[13][14] Those who refused military conscription were typically sentenced to one to six years in these camps. A 1966 report documented instances of torture and murder of Witnesses by the government agents who worked at these camps.^[12] The Cuban government officially banned the group on July 1, 1974.^[14][13] The 1976 Constitution reaffirmed the ruling.^[15]

China

Jehovah's Witnesses are banned in China.^[16] Missionaries like Amber Scorah were sent there to preach clandestinely.^[17]

Japan

In Japan, following the publication of Shūkyō nisei-related guidelines, a survey was conducted about child abuse within Jehovah's Witnesses, the results of which were forwarded to the government.^[18] Ninety-two percent of 583 respondents reported that they had experienced physical abuse as children. The lawyer's group conducting the survey believed this to be evidence of systemic religious abuse.^[19]

Russia

In April 1951, about 9,300 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Soviet Union were deported to Siberia as part of Operation North.^[20]

In April 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia labeled Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist organization, banned its activities in Russia, and issued an order to confiscate its assets.^[21]

Singapore

During British colonial rule in 1941, Watch Tower Society literature was banned in Singapore due to Jehovah's Witnesses' continued refusal to enlist in the Allied Forces during World War II.^[22] The group was officially registered as a society in 1960 under the Societies Ordinance Act of 1890.^[22] While freedom of religion is constitutionally protected in post-independence Singapore, Jehovah's Witnesses continue to face restrictions, especially where conscription is concerned. In 1972, the group was deregistered for being "prejudicial to public welfare and order",^[23] with their refusal of mandatory military service cited as a key concern.^[24] Since then, male adherents who reject enlistment, typically about six individuals each year, are imprisoned under the Enlistment Act 1970 as conscientious objection is not recognized. However, they do not receive permanent criminal records, and are usually assigned tasks such as cooking, gardening and laundry in lieu of military activities for about two years.^[25]

South Korea

South Korea did not have a religious exemption for military service until 2018, which led to more than 19,000 Jehovah's Witnesses being imprisoned there.^[26]

France

Jehovah's Witnesses were officially registered as a religious group in France in 1947.^[27] In 1995, they were designated as a "dangerous sect" by French law.^[28] In 1999, the country demanded back taxes on donations to the religious group's organization from 1993 and 1996, which would have been €57.5 million. This tax ruling was overturned by the European Court of Human Rights on June 30, 2011.^[27]

Germany

In East Germany, from the 1950s to the 1980s, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted extensively by the Stasi, which frequently used decomposition methods against them. Jehovah's Witnesses were considered a threat because their beliefs did not conform to socialist standards and their members sometimes had contact with the West.^[29]

Greece

Greece had a ban on public evangelism in the 1930s. Approximately 60 Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned for violating this law. The case was eventually appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, who ruled in favour of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1993. This decision also benefited other religious groups in the country.^[16]

Norway

Norway provides state subsidies to religious communities, with some restrictions, and Jehovah's Witnesses qualified for the subsidy for more than thirty years. In 2022, Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, the couny governor of Oslo and Viken revoked the registration of the group due to their practice of shunning. The decision was appealed and upheld by the Ministry of Children and Families.^[30] In 2023, Jehovah's Witnesses were deregistered as a religious community in Norway, resulting in the loss of annual subsidies of €1.3 million.^[31] The deregistration also meant that the denomination lost the right to perform civil marriages.^[32] The director of Human Rights Without Frontiers stated that by deregistering Jehovah's Witnesses, Norway was interfering with the group's religious freedom.^[31]

A series of appeals followed. On March 4, 2024, the Oslo District Court upheld the deregistration.^[33] On March 14, 2025, the Borgarting Court of Appeal reversed the decision,^[34][35] and the state appealed to the Supreme Court of Norway. On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled that the deregistration and suspension of state grants was unlawful. The court stated that shunning does not violate the human rights of adult or minor ex-members, citing a lack of evidence and the practice of shunning in other religions. The final ruling was announced on April 30.^[36][37][38]

Poland

Eritrea

Religious groups must be registered in order to legally worship in Eritrea. Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as other Christian and Muslim groups, have been refused this legal recognition. Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned for their refusal to perform military service and for attending religious services.^[39]