ELDERLY
WOMAN
FACEDOWN ON FLOOR AND PLANTED EVIDENCE: DETAILS OF A RAID ON
BELIEVERS IN SOCHI
Jehovah's
Witnesses
in Russia, 21 October 2019
In the
evening of 10
October, groups of armed special forces hacked doors and broke
through
balconies into apartments of dozens of residents of Sochi. Both
young and old
were forced face down on the floor. Actions similar to special
operations
against terrorists turned out to be searches of people who
believe in God in
ways unlike others.
Searches
in homes of
peaceful believers were conducted in at least 19 addresses in
Sochi and
vicinity. The special operation included not only local security
forces,
judging by vehicle license plates, but also even squads from
Rostov and
Volgograd oblasts.
The
reason for the
raid in Sochi was a criminal case based on the "extremism"
article
282.2 (1) of the CC RF, which is being investigated by a senior
investigator of
the investigation department of the Investigative Committee of
Russia (SKR) for
Krasnodar territory, Senior Justice Lieutenant D. Petrunnikov.
They
stormed through
the balcony. Viacheslav and Iulia Popov are among those to
whose apartment
special forces came. The storm began at approximately 7 p.m.
Armed persons in
masks broke through the balcony, breaking the railings. At this
time, children
were at home, who were very frightened and cried. Troops took
Viacheslav
immediately for questioning, and then presented an order from a
judge of the
Central district court of Sochi, and began a search that lasted
more than an
hour and a half. From the family were taken cell phones,
tablets, and other
computer technology, as well as several printed publications,
notebooks with
personal notes, and postcards.
The
whole family
under the machine gum. The same evening personnel of the
Investigative
Committee, accompanied by Russian Guards, invaded the home of
26-year-old
Normund Gudin. They forced the whole family, including Normund's
parents and
even his elderly grandmother, to lie on the floor while
threatening them with a
weapon . The search lasted more than three hours. During a
search at another
family's house—Vladislav and Alla Martynov—law enforcers planted
religious
publications that did not belong to them. The troops
acknowledged that this was
unpleasant for them, but such is their job.
As the
justification
for the intrusion, an order by Judge Anna Voronkova of the
Central district
court of Sochi for a search was presented.
Two
believers in the
SIZO. As a result of the raid on believers in Sochi, two
persons were
detained—68-year-old Nikolai Kuzichkin and 45-year-old
Viacheslav Popov. On 11
October, a trial was held and Judge Shevelev ordered to arrest
them and to put
them in a SIZO until 24 November. Believers arrived to support
their relatives,
friends, and acquaintances, and several gathered at the entrance
to the
building. They supported their fellow believers with applause
when a paddy
wagon took them away to the place of confinement. (tr. by PDS,
posted 21
October 2019)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.