The European Union demanded the release of convicted Dane Christensen from the Oryol community of Jehovah's Witnesses

The European Union demanded the release of Dane Dennis Christensen, who was sentenced by an Oryol court to six years in prison for leading a local cell of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is stated in a statement by the European External Action Service.

The EU also called for an end to criminal prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses. “No one should be imprisoned for peacefully worshiping while expressing their religious beliefs,” the statement said. EU representatives also recalled the Russian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom, as well as Russia’s obligations to respect human rights.

Christensen was sentenced by the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Orel. According to investigators, he was the leader of the Oryol community of Jehovah's Witnesses (the organization is recognized as extremist and is banned). Christensen himself does not deny that he was an elder at community meetings.

Mediazona wrote in detail about Christensen’s criminal case and about the persecution of other adherents of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.