RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Another court intervention in Jehovah's Witness case

COURT OVERTURNS DECISION TO RETURN JEHOVAH'S WITNESS CASE TO PROSECUTOR

SOVA Center for News and Analysis, 4 February 2020

 

On 4 February 2020 it was learned that a Kamchatka territorial court in Kamchatka territory overturned a decision of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka city court that returned to the prosecutor's office on 12 December 2019 a criminal case of an adherent of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, Sergei Ledenev. The believer is charged under part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code (arranging the activity of an extremist organization).

 

The reason for opening the criminal case was that, according to the account of the investigation, from September to December 2018, in an apartment in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, Ledenev arranged the activity of a prohibited religious association of Jehovah's Witnesses, using conspiratorial methods. In that place group divine worship and training sessions were conducted. Ledenev was arrested in December 2018 and he posted a signed pledge not to depart, which later was changed to an obligation to appear.

 

We recall that in January 2020, the Kamchatka territorial court also overturned a decision of the Elizovsk district court and returned to the prosecutor the case of the Jehovah's Witnesses Konstantin and Snezhana Bazhenov (b. 1977) and Vera Zolotova (b. 1946), who also were accused of arranging the activity of an extremist organization. Earlier a case of Jehovah's Witnesses Mikhail and Elena Popov, from Viliuchinsk, was sent to court.

 

Jehovah's Witnesses are accused of participating in the activity of an extremist organization because in April 2017 the Russian Supreme Court made a decision to find the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses to be extremist. We consider that this decision, that led to the widespread prosecution of believers on the basis of article 282.2 of the CC, did not have legal grounds and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 February 2020)

 
Background articles:
Jehovah's Witnesses trial to go on in Far East
January 9, 2020

Over a dozen cases against Jehovah's Witnesses have been rejected by judges
16 December 2019


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