FIVE JEHOVISTS FROM MOSCOW SUBURBS SENTENCED TO SUSPENDED TERMS
Interfax-Religiia, 26 May 2021
A court in the Moscow region sentenced adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization (which is forbidden in the R.F.) to suspended prison terms for participating in its activity, reported a representative of the oblast headquarters of the Investigative Committee (S.K.R.), Olga Vrady.
"The evidence that was assembled by an investigator of the second department for investigating especially serious cases of the Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee for Moscow oblast was ruled by the court to be sufficient for issuing a guilty verdict against a former member of the local religious organization, and also against four of its members. Depending upon the role of each, they were found guilty of committing crimes of an extremist nature (part 1, article 282.2, part 1.1, article 282.2, and part 2, article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the R.F.)," Vrady told journalists on Wednesday, without specifying the name of the convict.
She said that the investigation and the court had established that one of the defendants was a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses of the city of Chekhov, who was aware that the activity of said religious organization had been banned and ruled to be extremist on Russian territory on the basis of a decision of the Russian Supreme Court.
Vrady noted that the other defendants also were members of the religious organization and participated regularly in meetings and the promotion of its activity.
"He was found guilty by the court's verdict and he was given a suspended sentence of six years in prison with a probationary term of five years; the other members of the religious organization were given suspended sentences of two years, plus a probationary term of two years. The sentence has not taken legal effect, the representative of the investigation said. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 May 2021)
FOUR JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN CHEKHOV SENTENCED TO SUSPENDED TERMS
A court sentenced four Jehovah's Witnesses (an organization ruled to be extremist in the R.F.) of Moscow suburb Chekhov to suspended terms. One member of the organization was sentenced to six years imprisonment and three were sentenced to suspended sentences of two years for a crime of an extremist nature, the press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Moscow oblast reported.
It was established and proved in court that one of the defendants knew that the activity of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization had been prohibited by decision of the Russian Supreme Court and was ruled to be extremist, but he continued to engage in illegal activity.
The other defendants were not aware, but they actively participated in meetings and promotion of the organization.
The verdict has still not taken legal force. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 May 2021)
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