COURT REFUSES PROSECUTOR ON HARSHER MEASURE OF RESTRICTION FOR TWO BELIEVERS IN ORENBURG
Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, 11 April 2019
On 10 April 2019, Judge Irina Inozemtseva of the Lenin district court of Orenburg, to the delight of about 120 persons who had arrived to support the believers Vladimir Kochnev and Vladislav Kolbanov, turned down the prosecutor who wanted to make the measure of pretrial restriction more severe for them by forbidding them to leave their residence at night.
For the past 56 days, Vladimir Kochnev and Vladislav Kolbanov have been forbidden merely to talk with other persons involved in their case, including by telephone and through the internet, and also to receive and send mail. Prior to that, for a space of 121 days they were additionally forbidden to leave their house at night, but on 12 February 2019 the same court removed this restriction. In all, Vladimir Kochnev has spent 78 days in a SIZO [pretrial investigation cell] and another 70 days under house arrest, and Vladislav Kolbanov has spent two days behind bars and another 146 under house arrest.
The judicial hearing lasted a bit more than two
hours. The
courtroom could accommodate only 20 persons and the rest were left
to wait for
the result. According to persons and statements of Orenburgers, it
was obvious
that the persecutions to which their fellow believers have been
subjected in
the city and throughout Russia have very greatly strengthened
their faith,
courage, and Christian unity. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 April 2019)
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