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photo: RNZ/Rebekah Parsons-King
Jehovah’s Witnesses tried unsuccessfully to get an advance copy of the final report of the Care Abuse Inquiry to their churches.
On June 21, the Christian Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses Australia (CCJWA) filed an urgent application in the High Court at Auckland for a copy of the final case study in the inquiry report relating to the religious sect, but the application was dismissed.
It also sought all relevant underlying documents supporting the case study, but without success.
In another case, Jehovah’s Witnesses also appealed to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal Rejected previous bid Thereby completely evading the scrutiny of the investigation.
RNZ understands the CCJWA received a draft of the case study in May and commented on it, but has yet to see the final draft.
If the High Court case is successful, the church could receive a copy of the report before the government or abuse victims read it.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only religious group to have taken legal action against the commission.
It has also taken similar action in relation to public inquiries overseas, including in Australia and the United Kingdom.
A spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses said in a statement that the organization had no choice but to go to court.
“We fully agree with the inquiry’s goal of protecting children, but have serious concerns about the accuracy of the reports regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“Child protection is a top concern for Jehovah’s Witnesses and we believe that the people of New Zealand, policymakers and most importantly survivors deserve accurate information. We have no choice but to go to court to resolve these issues.”
The inquiry will submit its final report to the Governor General on Wednesday, concluding six years of work.
The report will then be passed to Home Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden, who must table it in parliament before it can be released.
This is expected to happen in the week commencing 22 July.
Shayne Mechen, a spokesman for Church Abuse Survivors New Zealand and a former Jehovah’s Witness elder, said former Witness members and survivors were angry about the new court action.
“They are angry and frustrated because it shows they (the church) don’t care.”
He said survivors and former members had warned the commission that the church would invite litigation.
“They are desperately trying to protect their reputation but have shown little concern for any of the victims, not just the victims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses church but victims of other faith-based groups, because they will not receive the final report until July.”
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