RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS

Russian investigation bureau nabs four Jehovah's Witnesses

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ARRESTED IN KUBAN ON SUSPICION OF EXTREMISM

Regnum, 7 April 2021

 

Four residents of Abinsk district of Krasnodar territory, with ages ranging from 38 to 60 years, were arrested on suspicion of participating in an extremist organization and also of enticing a local female resident into its activity, the press service of the S.K.R. for the region reported on 7 April.

 

According to the account of the investigation, the suspects are members of a local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses (an organization whose activity is forbidden in the R.F.) of the city of Abinsk, whose activity was ruled by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in 2017 to be extremist and prohibited on the territory of the country. A religious group of the forbidden organization in the village of Kholomskaya was liquidated on the same basis.

 

"According to information of the investigation, the men revived the activity of the forbidden association and in order to promote it they conducted on the internet lectures based upon extremist literature, which each of them possessed in their residence. Women, in turn, recruited a local resident to become a member of the extremist organization," the S.K.R. reported.

 

Searches were conducted in the places of residence of the suspects and objects and documents having significance for the criminal cases were seized. (tr. by PDS, posted 7 April 2021)


MEMBERS OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BECOME SUBJECTS IN CRIMINAL CASES IN KUBAN

KubanRBK, 7 April 2021

 

The investigation department for Abinsk district of the territorial department of the S.K.R. [Russian Investigative Committee] is investigating criminal cases against four local residents. They are suspected of participating in an extremist organization and enticing others into its activity. This is reported by the press service of the bureau.

 

According to information of the investigation, the suspects revived the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Abinsk, which has been ruled to be extremist and forbidden on Russian territory. In order to promote the congregation, the subjects delivered lectures on the internet and also enticed a local female resident into the activity of the organization.

 

Investigators conducted searches in the places of residence of the suspects and seized objects and documents of interest. Criminal cases were opened on the basis of part 2 of article 282.2 of the CC RF (participation in an extremist organization) and part 1.1 of article 282.2 of the CC RF (encouragement, recruitment, or other enticement of a person).

 

In 2017, by a decision of the Russian Supreme Court, the activity of the religious organization of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and all 395 local religious organizations was ruled to be extremist and forbidden on Russian territory, RBK reported.

 

As Krasnodar RBK reported, seizure of the property of local cells of Jehovah's Witnesses was conducted several times in Krasnodar territory because of the ruling that the church is an extremist organization.

 

Thus, the Adler division of the church of Jehovah's Witnesses was stripped of its real estate. In addition, a court ruled that a transaction for the transfer without cost of property of the organization in Belorechensk was invalid. There was an attempt to transfer a building of 200 square meters to an association located in Finland. Besides this, an agreement for the sale of a residential building and land in Anapa, that earlier also belonged to Jehovah's Witnesses, was ruled to be illegal.

 

Also in August 2018, in Vyselki district, a local division of Jehovah's Witnesses was prohibited from selling real estate. According to information of the prosecutor's office, the cell of the organization concluded a fictitious contract of sale of premises of 145 square meters and land parcel of 744 square meters, which were used for conducting religious meetings and worship services. (tr. by PDS, posted 7 April 2021)


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