Jehovah's Witness arrested in Bashkortostan

A resident of the city of Dyurtyuli was arrested after searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses.

On October 18, 2018, in the town of Dyurtyuli, Republic of Bashkortostan, searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is reported that after that the court detained 31-year-old Anton Lemeshev for one month as a defendant under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of activities of a prohibited organization). On October 31, the court softened the preventive measure for Lemeshev, he was transferred from the pre-trial detention center to house arrest.

According to believers, the searches began early in the morning and lasted several hours. All electronic devices, computers, phones, SIM cards, money, bank cards, documents, postcards, photographs, personal letters were confiscated from the dwellings. 15 people, including a minor girl, were brought to the Investigative Committee for interrogation. After interrogation, most of the believers were released.

In the capital of the republic, Ufa, a case is being investigated under Part 1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of activities of an extremist organization) in relation to Jehovah's Witness Anatoly Vilitkevich. From April to June 2018, he was in a pre-trial detention center, and then was transferred under house arrest.

In April 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia decided to recognize the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist. was rejected In July , an appeal against this decision , after which, in August, the organizations were included in the list of extremist ones. We believe that this decision, as well as the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in general, had no legal basis and consider it as a manifestation of religious discrimination.

Sources

• In Bashkiria, a new criminal case for faith and arrest. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2018. October 19.
• The Court of Appeal in Bashkiria transferred the believer to house arrest. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2018. October 31.