RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Jehovah's Witness dies while awaiting trial

60-YEAR-OLD JEHOVAH'S WITNESS WHOSE HOME WAS SEARCHED DIES AFTER TRIP TO COURT

OVDInfo, 2 November 2020

 

Yury Kim, a Jehovah's Witness from Nikolsk in Penza oblast, died after a trip to court in which he familiarized himself with the order regarding a search in his residence. This is reported on the website of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

 

On 11 October, searches were conducted in Nikolsk in at least four homes of Jehovah's Witnesses, including the apartment of a 60-year-old believer, Yury Kim.

 

It is known that Kim was a suspect on the basis of the article concerning arranging the activity of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.2 of the CC). He gave a written pledge not to depart from his area of residence.

 

On 30 October Kim went to the Pervomaisky district court of Penza, which had issued a warrant for a search in the believer's residence. The website of the religious organization explains that upon his return home from Penza, which is about 120 kilometers from Nikolsk, Kim became ill. The Jehovah's Witness became paralyzed and lost consciousness. Presently the believer died. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 November 2020)

 

CRIMINAL CASE OPENED FOR ARRANGING AND PATICIPATING IN ACTIVITY OF EXTREMIST ORGANIZATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

Website of Investigative Committee of Russia for Penza oblast, 15 October 2020

 

The second department for investigation of especially important cases of the regional Investigative Committee of Russia (S.K.R.) opened a criminal case on a charge of arranging the activity of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.2 CC RF) and participating in it (part 2 of article 282.2 CC RF). The criminal case is being investigated with the operational support of the directorate of the Russian F.S.B. for Penza oblast.

 

According to the information of the investigation, a resident of Nikolsk (b. 1960), as the chairman of the committee of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, "Nikolsk," from September 2017 to October 2020 revived and arranged the activity of the local religious organization, while he knew for certain that, in accordance with a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20 April 2017, which has taken legal effect, the religious organization "Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia" and local religious organizations that are members of its structure were supposed to be liquidated and their activity on the territory of Russia forbidden because of their conducting extremist activity.

 

Said organization proclaimed the superiority of adherents of the religious teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses over other persons, a negative view of persons who are not adherents of that religious teaching, encouragement of breaking off kinship and familial relations with them, encouragement of refusal of medical intervention, including on urgent grounds for allaying a threat to human life, and of non-recognition of state agencies of authority.

 

The chairman of the local religious cell of Jehovah's Witnesses "Nikolsk" conducted general management of its activity, distributed tasks among its members and effected control over them, gave instructions for disseminating among residents of Nikolsk the ideology and faith of the extremist organization and pertinent literature, and for attracting new members from among their relatives, acquaintances, and local residents.

 

In their turn, persons who participated in the activity of the local cell of Jehovah's Witnesses conducted work directed to the professing and disseminating of ideology and faith and promoting the forbidden extremist organization.

 

Searches were conducted at the places of residence of the chairman and several members of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses "Nikolsk," during which electronic devices for data storage, cell phones, and related literature were seized.

 

A measure for restriction was selected for the chairman of the local religious organization that did not entail incarceration. He refused to give testimony.

 

At the present time, investigators are conducting a complex of investigative activities directed to the identification of all members of the religious organization and solidifying the evidentiary base. The investigation of the criminal case is continuing. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 November 2020)

Background information

More harassment of Jehovah's Witnesses in Penza region
October 13, 2020
 
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