More than 200 Russian followers of the religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses have asked for political asylum in Finland. This was reported by Meduza with reference to the Finnish publication Aamulehti.

In 2018 alone, about a hundred Jehovah's Witnesses came to the country. It is noted that so far the migration service has considered only 10 applications. For most of them, a decision was made to refuse, but the Russians have already appealed several refusals in court.

According to Finnish authorities, in Russia “there is no systematic persecution of all Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” as an extremist organization, liquidated it and banned its activities in Russia. In August, all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations were added to the list of prohibited organizations. Now their followers are becoming defendants in criminal cases.
In July alone, according to OVD-Info, nine people were arrested in Russia on suspicion of participation in Jehovah's Witnesses. Four are in Penza, two are in Omsk, two more are in Kemerovo, one is in Krasnoyarsk. Among them there is a man with the second group of disabilities.
On August 21, in the city of Elizovo, Kamchatka Territory, riot police detained three alleged followers of Jehovah's Witnesses. Among them there is an elderly woman.

More than 200 followers of Jehovah's Witnesses from Russia have asked for asylum in Finland