Jehovah's Witnesses lose court fight to obtain abuse inquiry report before victims
Anusha Bradley, Investigative Reporter
Jehovah's Witnesses have tried - and failed - to get an advance copy of the Abuse in Care Inquiry's final report into their church.
The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses Australasia (CCJWA) filed an urgent claim in the High Court in Auckland on 21 June to obtain a copy of the final case study relating to the religious denomination in the inquiry's report, but the claim was dismissed.
It also unsuccessfully sought all relevant underlying documents supporting the case study.
In a separate case, the Jehovah's Witnesses also filed for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal dismissed an earlier bid to avoid the scrutiny of the inquiry altogether.
RNZ understands the CCJWA received and commented on a draft copy of the case study in May, but has yet to see a final draft.
If its High Court claim had been successful, it could have led to the church receiving a copy before the government or abuse survivors had read the report.
Jehovah's Witnesses is the only religious group to take legal action against the Commission.
It has taken similar action against public inquiries overseas, including in Australia and the United Kingdom.
In a statement, a Jehovah's Witnesses spokesperson said it had no choice but to go to court.
"We are in full agreement with the inquiry's objective to protect children but have serious concerns about the accuracy of the report regarding Jehovah's Witnesses.
"Child protection is of utmost concern to Jehovah's Witnesses and we believe the people of New Zealand, its decision-makers and most importantly survivors, deserve to be presented with accurate information. We have no choice but to resort to court to address these issues."
The inquiry is due to hand its final report to the Governor-General on Wednesday, wrapping up six years of work.
After that, it will be passed to Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden, who must table the report in Parliament before it is made public.
That was expected to happen in the week beginning 22 July.
Survivors of Church Abuse New Zealand spokesperson and former Jehovah's Witnesses elder Shayne Mechen said former Jehovah's Witnesses members and survivors had been angered by the new court action.
"They are feeling angry and frustrated because it shows they [the church] don't care."
Survivors and former members had warned the Commission the church would be litigious, he said.
"They are desperate to protect their name but it shows very little care for any victims, not only of the Jehovah's Witness faith, but of other faith-based organizations because none of them will be getting the final report until July."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/520393/jehovah-s-witnesses-lose-court-fight-to-obtain-abuse-inquiry-report-before-victims