Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest July 16-31
31.07.2024 – At the request of the Prosecutor, the Primorye Regional Court commuted the sentences of four believers from Luchegorsk.
JW – On July 4, 2024, the Primorye Regional Court considered the prosecutor’s appeal for mitigation of the sentences of four of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Luchegorsk. The judicial board amended the verdict, reducing the suspended sentences by a month for each of the convicts. The decision came into force.
31.07.2024 – Jehovah’s Witness from Kineshma asked to be sentenced to seven years in prison
JW – On July 25, 2024, during the debate of the parties in the case of Jehovah’s Witness Andrei Okhapkin in the Kineshemsky City Court of the Ivanovo Region, the state prosecutor requested a sentence for him. The believer is asked to be found guilty of organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
25.07.2024 – Yet another guilty verdict against one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Oryol.
JW – Dmitriy Ignatov, 27, a believer from Oryol, was found guilty of participating in the activity of an extremist organization. That is how Andrey Tretyakov, judge of the Sovetskiy District Court of Oryol, classified “the active study of religious literature” with fellow believers. The verdict was announced on July 24, 2024.
“The charge that was brought against me is like a Christmas ornament: shiny on the outside, but empty on the inside,” the believer noted in his final statement. “There are a lot of scary words in it, but there is no concrete evidence.” According to Ignatov, the case materials only confirm that he practices the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
25.07.2024 – Two more Muslims jailed for religious study meetings
Forum 18 – A Moscow court has jailed two more Muslims for meeting to study their faith using the works of the theologian Said Nursi. The Judge jailed Zurab Dzhabrailov for 6 years and Dzheykhun Rustamov for 2 years and 9 months. Courts have banned many of Nursi’s writings as “extremist” and consider groups of readers as “extremist”. Kuzminsky District Court did not answer Forum 18’s questions as to why it had imposed jail sentences, in what way Dzhabrailov and Rustamov are considered dangerous, and who had been harmed by their actions.
A court in Moscow has jailed two more Muslims who met with others to study the writings of the late Turkish Muslim theologian Said Nursi. Their trial, which lasted eight months and was linked to an earlier Moscow trial of six men on similar charges, ended on 10 July with prison terms of 6 years for Zurab Dzhabrailov and 2 years and 9 months for Dzheykhun Rustamov.
23.07.2024 – The ECHR recognized the violation of the rights of 16 more of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Russia
JW – On July 18, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights granted nine complaints by Jehovah’s Witnesses from Russia at once, who were subjected to illegal searches, arrests, and convictions for their religion. The Russian Federation is obliged to pay the believers 156,000 euros in compensation and 4,000 euros in legal costs.
The court ruling concerns 14 men and two women. Most of them have already served real or suspended sentences: Sergey and Anastasia Polyakov, Konstantin Bazhenov, Aleksey Budenchuk, Feliks Makhammadiyev, Gennadiy German, Aleksey Miretskiy, Roman Gridasov, Mariya Karpova, Marat Abdulgalimov, Arsen Abdullaev and Anton Dergalev. Valeriy Moskalenko paid the fine. Irina Buglak continues to serve a suspended sentence. Dmitriy Barmakin, sentenced to eight years in prison, is awaiting transfer to a penal colony. And the case of Roman Makhnev is expected to go to court soon.
19.07.2024 – Jehovah’s Witnesses searched in Kurgan
Sova – It is not yet known whether anyone was detained.
On July 19, 2024, it became known that searches were conducted at the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kurgan .
It is reported that during the searches, law enforcement officers seized 12 copies of “prohibited religious literature” and nine electronic storage devices.
It is not specified whether anyone was detained. It is also not yet known in what case the investigative actions were carried out, but it can be assumed that this is another case under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization or participation in it).
19.07.2024 – Court returns case of Jehovah’s Witness from Karachay-Cherkessia to prosecutor
Sova – Svetlana Ogoreva’s case was submitted to the court and was immediately returned to the prosecutor.
On July 1, 2024, the Urupsky District Court of Karachay-Cherkessia received a criminal case against Jehovah’s Witness Svetlana Ogoreva from the village of Mednogorsky, accused under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). On July 16, the court returned the case to the prosecutor due to violations committed in drawing up the indictment.
17.07.2024 – A criminal case has been opened against a blogger in Moscow for insulting religious feelings
Sova – The reason for the prosecution of Khavier Yarmagomedov under Article 148 of the Criminal Code was a stream in which he tramples a cross and insults believers.
On July 17, 2024, the Investigative Committee of Moscow announced the initiation of a criminal case against blogger Khavier Yarmagomedov. He became a suspect under Part 1 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code (insulting the religious feelings of believers).
The case was prompted by Yarmagomedov’s July 12 stream on the Bigo Live platform. In the video, the blogger tramples a cross lying on the floor with his foot and spits on it. Insults against Christians can also be heard in the video. On July 16, the Telegram channel Readovka drew attention to the stream, after which State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein demanded that the blogger be held accountable. Yarmagomedov himself later publicly apologized for his actions, calling his actions “self-defense” and what was happening a provocation. It is unknown what conflict led him to trample the cross on camera.
17.07.2024 – The case of a Jehovah’s Witness from the village of Pavlovskaya was sent to court
Sova – Believer Alexander Davydenko is accused under parts 1.1 and 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code.
On July 16, 2024, the Investigative Committee for Krasnodar Krai reported the completion of the investigation into a criminal case against a Jehovah’s Witness from the village of Pavlovskaya. The believer is accused of participating in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code) and four episodes of involvement in the activities of this organization (Part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to the text of the press release, this is 32-year-old Alexander Davydenko.
16.07.2024 – Cases of two Jehovah’s Witnesses from Kovrov referred to court
Sova – The believers are accused under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code. This probably concerns Alexander Popov and Mikhail Sveshnikov.
On July 16, 2024, the Investigative Committee for the Vladimir Region reported the completion of the investigation of a criminal case against two Jehovah’s Witnesses from Kovrov. They are accused under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization). The materials were sent to court for consideration on the merits.