Security forces search Jehovah's Witnesses at 14 addresses in four cities within one day
On August 11, believers were searched at 10 addresses in Novocherkassk. Jehovah's Witnesses were interrogated, after which two of them, 55-year-old Garegin Khachaturian and 35-year-old Gevorg Yeritsyan, were sent to a pre-trial detention center for two months. They are accused of participating in an extremist organization. As specified by the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, this is the 11th criminal case against believers in Rostov Oblast.
The IC conducted four more searches in Bryansk Oblast, in the cities of Trubchevsk and Unecha. Investigators seized mobile phones and computers, personal records and letters from Jehovah's Witnesses. Among them are those who were already searched back in 2019. The investigative procedure was conducted in the case of 44-year-old Elena Yashina, accused of participating in the activities of a banned organization.
In early June 2022, the ECHR declared the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia illegal. The court ordered the release of the convicted believers. The reason for this decision was 20 appeals filed by 1,444 people. Read about the first convict in the case about faith, Dennis Christensen, here.