APPEALS COURT RELEASED ONE OF THREE BELIEVERS IN SURGUT FROM SIZO
Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 7 March 2019
On 7 March 2019, a court of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region (KhMAO)—Yugra reversed the order of the Surgut city court (first instance) confining the 50-year-old Artur Severinchik in custody. He spent 21 days behind bars. However, mitigation of the measures of pretrial restriction for 42-year-old Evgeny Fedin and 57-year-old Sergei Loginov was refused; they remain in the SIZO as before.
Early in the morning of 15 February 2019, large-scale searches were conducted in Surgut, Liantor, and other residential areas of the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region in homes of citizens who are suspected of professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. At least seven peaceful Jehovah's Witnesses were subjected to tortures in the building of the Investigative Committee of Russia (S.K.R.) in Surgut. A criminal case based on the article regarding creation of and participation in an extremist organization was opened against 20 local residents, including women. On 16 February 2019, believers in Surgut turned to a hot line of the S.K.R. regarding the incident of tortures. On 17 February 2019, the court chose detention in the SIZO as a measure of pretrial restriction for three of them.
On 26 February 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the government of Russia to send 57-year-old Sergei Loginov for medical examination immediately; he was one of the seven Surgutians who reported tortures in the building of the Investigative Committee. . . . (tr. by PDS, posted 8 March 2019)
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