Religious issues and persecution – Bimonthly Digest October 01-15
15.10.2024 – Forced labor for faith in Jehovah God.
JW – On October 10, 2024, the Oryol Regional Court denied the appeal of Jehovah’s Witness against the verdict of the court of first instance. Dmitriy Ignatov, 27, will serve a sentence for reading the Bible at a church service—two years of forced labor.
The believer considers the accusation of participation in the activities of an extremist organization to be groundless. Addressing the panel of judges, he said: “Unfortunately, there is a picture that law enforcement officers deliberately distort the laws and, as a result, attribute to me something that I did not actually do.
15.10.2024 – Searches of Jehovah’s Witnesses were carried out in Kerch.
JW- In the early morning of October 9, 2024, security forces searched at least ten addresses of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kerch (Crimea). A criminal case was initiated against Vitaliy Burik, 53, for organizing the activities of an extremist organization. After two days of detention, he was placed under house arrest.
Burik was detained right at his workplace in the boiler room. The security forces invaded the enterprise, cut a thick chain from the gate, and took the believer home for search. In addition, they searched the apartment and two garages belonging to Burik’s relatives.
14.10.2024 – The court liquidated the Rostov religious Jewish community, which had been inactive for a long time
Sova – On October 7, 2024, it became known about the liquidation of the Rostov Jewish religious community.`
The Rostov Regional Court liquidated the Rostov Jewish religious community, which was part of the KEROOR, for non-compliance with the requirements of Russian legislation on freedom of conscience and religious associations. In fact, the organization has not been active for a long time.
11.10.2024 – An appeal in Khabarovsk commuted the most severe sentence to date for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
JW – On October 10, 2024, the Khabarovsk Regional Court reduced the terms of punishment assigned by the first instance to Vitaliy Zhuk, Nikolay Polevodov and Stanislav Kim by a year and replaced them with suspended sentences with a probationary period of 5 years. The believers were released from the pre-trial detention center.
08.10.2024 – Another victim of persecution of disabled believers: Court declared seriously ill pensioner Aleksandr Lubin as extremist
JW – On October 7, 2024, Natalya Korotneva, judge of the Shadrinskiy District Court of the Kurgan Region, sentenced 68-year-old Aleksandr Lubin, a disabled person, to a fine of 500,000 rubles. The criminal trial in this case took three years.
The prosecutor requested a suspended sentence of 7 years for the believer with a 4-year probation period. Aleksandr does not admit guilt – in his opinion, the investigation wrongfully deemed jointly worshipping God to be continuing the activity of a banned legal entity. The believer may appeal the verdict in the higher courts.
07.10.2024 – Instead of a suspended sentence – 6 years in a penal colony: Court of Appeal in Crimea toughened ‘too lenient’ sentence for two Jehovah’s Witnesses
JW – As a result of the appeal hearing on October 3, 2024, in the Crimea Supreme Court, Yuriy Gerashchenko and Sergey Parfenovich, father of many children, were given prison terms and arrested in the court room. The panel of judges, chaired by Natalya Grebennikova, supported the position of the prosecutor’s office, which considered the punishment imposed on the believers as insufficient.
04.10.2024 – Wide-ranging blocking of religious-related websites
Forum 18 – Russia blocks: websites, apps and Wikpedia pages related to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslim sites related to theologian Said Nursi (blocked as “extremist”); a website supporting LGBT+ people in religious communities; religious sites criticising Russia’s war against Ukraine, including Christians Against War, and Christianity Today; Ukrainian religious sites, including of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and of religious news sites; social media sites of those opposing the war on religious grounds, such as Fr Ioann Kurmoyarov; and news and NGO sites which include coverage of freedom of religion or belief violations.
04.10.2024 – Court of Appeal in Moscow toughens the punishment for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
JW – On October 3, 2024, the verdict against Anatoliy Marunov, Sergey Tolokonnikov and Roman Mareyev entered into force. Meanwhile, the Moscow City Court added 2 months to Tolokonnikov’s term. The three believers received from 4.5 to 6.5 years in a penal colony.
“The court criminalized the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” the believers’ lawyer said in the appeal. “As a result, the court declared the peaceful and socially harmless practice of religion a crime.”
03.10.2024 – Internet censorship and freedom of religion or belief
Forum 18 – Ever-increasing internet censorship has seen religious websites and materials blocked for: “extremist” content; opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine from a religious perspective; material supporting LGBT+ people in religious communities; Ukraine-based religious websites; social media of prosecuted individuals; and news and NGO sites which include coverage of freedom of religion or belief violations. This also denies local people freedom of expression and the opportunity freely to seek information and views on religious issues. It also has a chilling effect on those considering publishing their views on issues related to religion which the regime dislikes.
01.10.2024 – Court of Cassation confirms the innocence of Kirill Gushchin — prosecution has already made an official apology to the believer
JW – The acquittal in the case of Kirill Gushchin remains in force. This decision was made by the Fifth Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction in Pyatigorsk on September 26, 2024.
A month earlier, the prosecutor’s office of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic made an official apology to Gushchin for unjustified criminal prosecution. However, in cassation, the prosecution sought a complete review of the case.
01.10.2024 – Attack on the Tyumen Mufti
Sova – On September 30, 2024, a man armed with a hammer and a tear gas canister attacked the chief mufti of the Tyumen region Zinnat Sadykov in his office in the building of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (DUM) of the Tyumen region. The Mufti managed to call for help and almost did not get hurt.
Duma officers detained the attacker and called the police and an ambulance.
It turned out that the attacker wanted revenge for the detention of two imams suspected of raising money for ISIS and recruiting 19 people to participate in hostilities in Syria.