Five criminal cases have been initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses in Chuvashia

On July 30, 2012, it became known that the Investigative Committee of the RF Investigative Committee for the Chuvash The Republic initiated five criminal cases against ten residents of Cheboksary, Novocherkassk, Kanash and Yantikovsky and Alatyrsky districts aged 31 and over up to 64 years (including two women). They are charged under paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (inciting hatred and enmity, as well as the humiliation of human dignity, committed by an organized group), h.h. 1 and 2 Art. 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (creation of an extremist community and participation in it). All suspects are Jehovah's Witnesses.

According to investigators, since 2009 they “organized a network their structural subdivisions - assemblies - on the territory of the cities of Cheboksary, Novocheboksarsk, Kanash and Alatyr . Through this network, defendants in cases distributed the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and the "ideological views based on the denial and criticism of traditional cultural, moral and religious values" .

On July 30, the Moskovsky District Court of Cheboksary considered the issue of choosing a measure of restraint for the suspects. The court refused to satisfy the investigators' request for the detention of Andrei Nikolaev and Andrei Martynov.

Later it became known that two other suspects, Igor Yefimov and Aleksey Nikolaev, were arrested as a measure of restraint.

Earlier in Cheboksary, a criminal case was initiated against regarding Jehovah's Witnesses. The searches were carried out in different cities of the republic.

Recall that we do not consider it lawful to ban literature Jehovah's Witnesses and the persecution of the followers of this organization for practicing their religion.

Sources

• In the Chuvash Republic, ten local residents are suspected of creating an extremist community and participating in it // Website of the Investigative Committee of the RF Investigative Committee for the Chuvash Republic. 2012. July 30.
• Two Elders of Jehovah's Witnesses in Chuvashia Imprisoned! // There.