Jehovah's Witness from Shuya released from arrest

Dmitry Mikhailov, accused of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and financing extremist activities, has been released from the pre-trial detention center.

On November 15, 2018, the Ivanovo Regional Court overturned the decision to extend the arrest of Dmitry Mikhailov, a 40-year-old Jehovah's Witness from Shuya. He was released on bail not to leave after six months in SIZO No. 1 in the Ivanovo region.

The case on participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code), in which Mikhailov became an accused, was initiated in April 2018. In May, he was charged with financing extremist activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code), after which the court placed Mikhailov in custody. According to investigators, “ being a supporter of the religious organization “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” banned on the territory of the Russian Federation” , he participated in the work of its branch in Shuya and collected money for it.

in Shuya In July, new cases were initiated under Art. 282.2 and 282.3 of the Criminal Code, their defendants were Mikhailov's wife Elena, as well as Svetlana Shishina, Alexei Arkhipov and Svetlana Ryzhkova; it was previously reported that Ivan Morugin was also a suspect in the case.

The decision to recognize the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local organizations as extremist was made by the Supreme Court of Russia in April 2017. 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, like the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in general, had no legal basis and was a clear manifestation of religious discrimination.

Sources

• In the Ivanovo region, a believer left the pre-trial detention center after 171 days in custody. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. November 16, 2018