Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

The beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses have engendered controversy throughout their history. Consequently, the denomination has been opposed by local governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses heretical, and some professors of religion have classified the denomination as a cult.

Jehovah's Witness members have been imprisoned in many countries for their refusal of conscription or compulsory military service.

Quotes

 * The Soviets had scattered the Witnesses around different locations, hoping their faith would slowly die out. In fact, the contrary happened. Others who had been deported to Siberia for different reasons accepted their faith, as did a sizeable number of the so-called Krasnoyarsk Baptists, who were there from the early 20th century and had been left without pastors. The number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the region also grew because those who had been arrested before 1951, and had served their terms in jails or labor camps, were not allowed to return to their homes but were in turn sent to Siberia.
 * Massimo Introvigne, "Operation North: When Stalin Deported the Jehovah’s Witnesses", Bitter Winter (April 16, 2021)