Russia: 100+ Jehovah's Witness face criminal cases because of faith

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At least 26 Jehovah's Witnesses are in pre-trial detention, 28 under house arrest, and 42 under travel restrictions as more than 100 face "extremism"-related criminal charges. If convicted they could face up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | EU Desk
Source/Credit: Forum 18 News
By Victoria Arnold |  February 19, 2019

More than 100 Jehovah's Witnesses are now the subjects of criminal "extremism" cases in over a third of Russia's regions. If brought to court and convicted, they could face up to 10 years' imprisonment.

The charges against them derive directly from the Supreme Court's 2017 ban on Jehovah's Witness activity throughout the country, and its decision to declare the Jehovah's Witness Administrative Centre and all 395 local communities "extremist organisations".

Of the more than 100 Jehovah's Witnesses known to be facing criminal cases, as of 18 February, 26 are in pre-trial detention, 28 are under house arrest, and 42 are under travel restrictions.

The latest raids, early on 15 February, took place in several towns and villages across the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region in western Siberia and resulted in at least 15 people being taken away for interrogation.

As well as raids, detentions and criminal prosecutions, Jehovah's Witnesses also face the loss of property and other problems. Young Jehovah's Witness men have been denied their right to perform alternative civilian service rather than military service, and Jehovah's Witness employees have been fired or forced to resign from their jobs. The children of Jehovah's Witnesses have also faced threats and bullying by the authorities.

Such raids "turn the lives of innocent people into a nightmare, undermine their health, cause deep emotional trauma, and cast a shadow on their reputation in the eyes of neighbours, employers, and other people", Jehovah's Witnesses commented. Detentions especially can be difficult for relatives to cope with, both practically and emotionally. "For the first week I couldn't sleep at all," said Olga Korobeynikova, whose husband Vladimir is in detention in Kirov. "When I wake up, there's just pain" (see below).

Two Jehovah's Witnesses are challenging their criminal convictions for "extremism" offences allegedly committed before the 2017 nationwide ban.

Danish citizen Dennis Ole Christensen was jailed on 6 February for "continuing the activities" of the Oryol Jehovah's Witness congregation, which was banned in 2016. This has brought renewed international condemnation of the Russian authorities' treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses and of the Extremism Law (see below)

Christensen's lawyers are planning to lodge his appeal at Oryol Regional Court within the next few days.

The appeal hearing of Jehovah's Witnesses Arkadya Akopovich Akopyan, who was in December 2018 found guilty of "inciting hatred and enmity" and sentenced to community service, will be on 1 March 2019 at the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkariya (see below).

Two other Jehovah's Witnesses are currently on trial:

– Sergei Vladimirovich Skrynnikov is charged with "continuing the activities" of the Oryol community (see below):

- and Yury Viktorovich Zalipayev from Kabardino-Balkariya is accused of issuing "Public calls for extremist activity" (see below).

"Shameful and anti-legal decision"

Russian human rights group Memorial on 8 February called the judge's verdict in a "shameful and anti-legal decision" which has "brought Russia into line with countries with the most odious regimes".

Christensen's six-year prison term is also comparable to the sentences Jehovah's Witnesses received in Soviet times, Memorial notes. "It is an absurd situation, when Jehovah's Witnesses who were convicted by the Soviet regime .. are recognised as victims of political repressions in accordance with Russia's Law on Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions, and at the same time, present-day Jehovah's Witnesses are sent to prison."

Memorial added: "This verdict shows once again the flawed nature of Russian ‘anti-extremist' legislation, which allows almost anybody to be counted as an extremist. We demand that the unconstitutional ban on the Jehovah's Witnesses be lifted."

International organisations have also expressed their concern at Christensen's conviction and jailing, including the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"The harsh sentence imposed on Christensen creates a dangerous precedent, and effectively criminalises the right to freedom of religion or belief for Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia – in contravention of the State's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a 7 February statement. She noted similar concerns various UN human rights bodies have raised in recent years.

"We urge the Government of Russia to revise the Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activity with a view to clarifying the vague and open-ended definition of ‘extremist activity', and ensuring that the definition requires an element of violence or hatred," Bachelet added. "We also call on the authorities to drop charges against and to release all those detained for exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief, the freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association."


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