COURT RELEASES
FROM CUSTODY SOCHI JEHOVAH'S WITNESS DETAINED BECAUSE OF HIS
RELIGIOUS
CONFESSION
Portal-Credo.Ru,
20
September 2017
A 32-year-old
resident of Sochi, Sergei Isaev, who was arrested because of his
religious
confession, returned on 15 September to his family after an
eight-day detention
in custody on a charge of disobedience to police officers. The
European
Association of Christian Jehovah's Witnesses states that after
Isaev's arrest,
law enforcement personnel put pressure on a local teenager so
that he would
give false testimony against Isaev.
Sergei Isaev was
arrested at a foot bridge over the Khosta River during a stroll
with a friend
of the family, 16-year-old Arseny U., on the basis of a
statement of a casual
passer-by who recognized them as Jehovah's Witnesses. The men
were escorted to
the police station where they were questioned and searched by
F.S.B. Major
Sergei Mutsko. The teenager was released, but Sergei Isaev was
detained for 10
days on a charge of disobeying police officers.
The next day,
16-year-old Arseny and his mother were summoned to the F.S.B.
Major Mutsko
demanded that Arseny sign a prepared testimony against Isaev,
but the teenager
refused to sign anything.
During an appeal hearing, a Krasnodar territorial court was presented a recording from a surveillance camera on which it is clearly visible that Sergei Isaev accompanied the police officers on their demand without any resistance. As a result, the court ordered the release of Sergei Isaev. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 September 2017)
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