U.F.S.B. UNCOVERS TWO MEMBERS OF LIQUIDATED RELIGIOUS
ORGANIZATION OF
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN BIROBIDZHAN
Vremya
Birobidzhana, 5 April 2019
Within the context of conducting operational search
events, operatives
of the Directorate of the Federal Security Service (UFSB) of
Russia for the
Jewish autonomous oblast discovered two residents of the city of
Birobidzhan who
are members of the liquidated local religious organization of
Jehovah's
Witnesses and who from April 2017 to May 2018 conducted a
collection of
finances from other members of the organization and used them
for support of
the activity of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses
in Russia (of
the city of Moscow [sic]) and the religious organization of
Jehovah's Witnesses
in Birobidzhan, which is subordinate to it. This was described
for Vremya
Birobidzhana in the press service of the agency.
The religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in
Birobidzhan was
ruled by a decision of a court of the Jewish autonomous oblast
of 3 October
2016 to be extremist and it was liquidated and removed from the
register of
legal entities.
The organization Administrative Center of Jehovah's
Witnesses in Russia
was liquidated by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation of
20 April 2017 because of the conduct of extremist activity.
On the basis of the totality of materials of the
operational search activity,
the investigation agency of the UFSB of Russia for the Jewish
autonomous oblast
opened criminal cases under part 1 of article 282.3 (financing
an extremist
organization) against the two residents of the Jewish autonomous
oblast.
Investigative actions are being conducted. For committing the
aforesaid crime
the prescribed penalty is incarceration for a term of up to
eight years. (tr.
by PDS, posted 7 April 2019)
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