Death is testified

In Dzhankoy, the 67-year-old Jehovist Vitaly Arsenyuk died of an extensive heart attack after a court hearing on charges of illegal missionary activities. This was reported by journalist Anton Naumluk.

In May, Arsenyuk was called several times to the prosecutor’s office, and then they opened an administrative case under Part 4 of Article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (carrying out missionary activities with violation of the requirements of the law), which provides for a fine of 5 to 50 thousand rubles. On Thursday, the magistrate alkhaz Tulparov held the first meeting in the case and postponed the hearing for a month. Arsenyuk died on Friday night.

“Arsenyuk headed the local committee of Jehovah's Witnesses before the ban on organizing in Russia. Together with all believers he conducted worships, prayed, sang, read and discussed the Bible,” Naumlyuk writes. “He was 67 years old, he suffered a persecution in Soviet times and could not stand it now.”

The Arsenyuk case was the third regarding Crimean Jehovists under an article on illegal missionary activities, Naumluk notes. The first process was held in Yalta. In Simferopol, the case was terminated "for the lack of an event of an offense."

On June 9, the draft committee of the military enlistment office of the Bakhchisaray district invited the appealing man-Jehovist to undergo an alternative civil service. He agreed, noting that for a long time he was seeking this. However, then the conscript said that the right to pass the AGS would be granted only if the religion is transferred to another . Two summons from Jehovist were demanded to appear at the military registration and enlistment office "to provide documents for a change of faith." The believer was not explained in which faith he should go, as well as where to get such documents. At the same time, he was warned that in case of refusal, a criminal case would be instituted.

On April 20, the judge of the Supreme Court Yuri Ivanchenko, in the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice , banned the management center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia , declaring it an extremist organization. Outlawed 175 thousand believers. Now all of them can be held accountable under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of activities of an extremist organization or participation in it), which provides for up to 10 years of the colony. Such a case has already been aroused in Orel against Dennis Kristensen's subject of Dennis. Since May 24, it has been detained.