"Both the European Union and the United States have called on the Russian government to respect its commitments to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief."
I can't condone what the Russian government is doing but can understand their actions because I have witnessed the disruptive nature of the application of their doctrine first hand. Watchtower in my experience is not committed to "freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief".
Watchtower preaches the opposite in that JWs are encouraged to shun non-JWs and exJWs as "worldly". When I encounter friendly and polite JW door knockers I can't help but regard that behaviour as a honey pot to get me to join their ranks - of course the honey in the honey pot undergoes a dramatic transformation into something repulsive if I change my mind and decide to leave.
