European Court of Human Rights

Topic

Sort

D.D.C. No. 24-cv-02523Confirmed

Judge revives Watch Tower's suit over Russia's seizure of the Witnesses' St Petersburg headquarters

Illustration: a sealed, undelivered envelope resting on a rolled property deed beside a ring of keys

A federal judge in Washington threw the case out in September 2025 — not on its merits, but because the lawsuit papers had never been validly delivered. On 23 July 2026 he undid that dismissal, giving the Jehovah's Witnesses' Pennsylvania corporation 180 days to serve the Russian Federation, its health ministry and the state institute now using the site, this time through diplomatic channels. Documents filed with the complaint valued the property at more than $30 million. As of that opinion the court had decided nothing about whether a U.S. court can hear the claim at all.

· July 23, 2026 · 9 min read

A duty judge authorized transfusions on the basis of a fax the Court found 'very limited, incorrect and incomplete.'Confirmed

European Court Rules Spain Violated Jehovah's Witness's Rights Over Forced Blood Transfusions

Illustration: scales of justice, an IV blood bag and a legal directive

In Pindo Mulla v. Spain, the ECHR Grand Chamber unanimously found that Spain breached Rosa Edelmira Pindo Mulla's rights when a duty judge authorized three transfusions during emergency surgery despite her advance written refusals. The Court faulted the decision-making process, not the doctors' medical judgment.

· September 17, 2024 · 8 min read

RulingConfirmed

European Court finds no rights violation in Finland's consent rule for Witnesses' door-to-door notes

Illustration: a notebook and padlock on a doorstep

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 9 May 2023 that Finland may require Jehovah's Witnesses to obtain householder consent before noting personal data during their ministry — no violation of Articles 9 or 6.

· May 9, 2023 · 3 min read