Recently, a video leaked online showing a leader within the Jehovah's Witnesses telling church elders that they needed to begin destroying internal documents that could eventually be used as evidence in a legal trial, specifically when it comes to instances of sexual assault. Speaking at a symposium in 2017, the man, Shawn Bartlett, explains that this should be done because Satan seeks to undermine the Jehovah's Witnesses by any means possible, including through the legal system.
Obviously, Jehovah's Witnesses leadership are starting to sweat it during the #MeToo era.
For decades, Witnesses have operated under a policy of dealing with things like sexual assault internally, avoiding interacting with and cooperating with law enforcement whenever possible. This has, unsurprisingly, produced a system of imposed silence and self-shame upon survivors and has allowed an untold number of sexual predators to live life consequence-free.
With the blatant admission from a Jehovah's Witnesses leader that they are destroying evidence relating to crimes, it is time law enforcement in the country open an investigation into this widespread obstruction of justice.
Tell the U.S. Department of Justice that a federal probe into the cover-ups carried out by the Jehovah's Witnesses must be opened by adding your name to this petition! Remember, your voice matters and we can help find justice for Witnesses who have survived assault!
