YET ANOTHER FOLLOWER OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR POSSESSION OF FORBIDDEN MATERIALS IN KARACHAY-CHERKESSIA
SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 21 November 2016
The prosecutor's office reported the opening of a case on the basis of article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law against a follower of the Jehovah's Witnesses from the village of Kurdzhinovo.
On 21 November 2016 the prosecutor's office of Karachay-Cherkessia reported that an administrative case had been opened on the basis of article 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (possession of extremist materials for purposes of mass distribution) against a resident of the village of Kurdzhinovo, Urup district, Svetlana Kordiyaka. It was reported that the case was sent to a magistrate's court for consideration.
The prosecutor's office pointed out that an inspection conducted jointly with the department of FSB border guards and the Center for Combating Extremism of the republican directorate of the Russian MVD showed that Kordiyaka possessed forbidden materials with the goal of distribution among Jehovah's Witnesses and other citizens. Just what kind of materials were referred to was not reported.
We recall that in October 2016, another resident of Kurdzhinovo, Nadezhda Geraskova, was held accountable on the basis of the same article for distribution of Jehovah's Witnesses' materials.
In 2012 the local congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Kurdzhinovo was fined for possession of extremist materials.
We consider the prohibition of Jehovah's Witnesses' literature and prosecution of believers for its distribution to be illegal and we consider these actions of the authorities to be religious discrimination. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 November 2016)
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