FIVE ADEPTS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ARRESTED IN KIROV OBLAST
***Large quantity of extremist literature and also two grenades and mines confiscated from them
Interfax-Religiia, 9 October 2018
Investigative agencies have opened a criminal case regarding the activity in Kirov oblast of the forbidden religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The regional investigation department of the SKRF reports that five local residents, from 16 August 2017 to the end of September of this year, planned in Kirov and the oblast meetings for members of this religious association.
In addition, they collected from their adherents more than 500 thousand rubles, part of which went to pay rent of premises and part was transferred to leaders of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.
Five adepts of the religious organization are in custody at the present time. They are charged on the basis of part 1 of article 282.2 of the CC RF (planning the activity of a religious association with regard to which a court has made a decision that has taken legal effect for its liquidation) and part 1 of article 282.3 of the CC RF (financing extremist activity).
In the course of searches in homes of the detainees, a large quantity of extremist literature and also two grenades and mines were confiscated.
The Supreme Court of Moscow, on 20 April 2017, ruled the Russian Jehovah's Witnesses to be an extremist organization and prohibited its activity on Russian territory, on the basis of a lawsuit of the Russian Ministry of Justice. (tr. by PDS, posted 9 October 2018)
FOUR PERSONS ARRESTED IN NEW CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN KIROV
Searches in homes of citizens aged from 25 to 65 years, accused of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, were conducted on 9 October in Kirov. At least four of them were arrested. At the same time, on the official website of the SU SKRF for Kirov oblast it was alleged that supposedly during the searches "2 grenades and mines" were confiscated, which in the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses is considered to be absolutely "inconceivable": "Jehovah's Witnesses do not bear arms for reasons of conscience. For this position, at various times and in various countries, they have been brought before tribunals and gone to concentration camps. For this reason, mention of the supposed seizure from believers of munitions seems to be blasphemous and may be evidence of a crude frame-up. . . ." (tr. by PDS, posted 9 October 2018)
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