A group of alleged members of Jehovah's Witnesses was detained in Mordovia

In Saransk, on February 6, members of the local community of Jehovah's Witnesses were detained, Interfax writes , citing the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Mordovia. The number of detainees is not specified.

“The organizers have been detained, the issue of choosing a preventive measure is being considered,” the message says.

Before this, the alleged members of Jehovah's Witnesses were searched with the participation of FSB officers, police officers and members of the Russian Guard, Interfax reports. The actions took place within the framework of the case under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (creation of an extremist community).

On February 7, it also became known about the detention of a group of followers of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Urai, Tyumen Region.

On February 6, a Danish citizen and member of a religious association, Dennis Christensen, was sentenced to six years in prison under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code. This is the first verdict in the Jehovah's Witnesses case.

UPD 14:02 Yaroslav Sivulsky told OVD-Info that law enforcement officers detained eight people. Most of them were probably released after interrogation.

It is known that 31-year-old Vladimir Atryakhin remains detained. Sivulsky noted that he has two small children. It is still unknown what exactly Atryakhin is charged with. It is expected that on February 8 the court will choose a preventive measure for the man.

• In April 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia as an extremist organization and banned its activities throughout the country. In August, all communities of Jehovah's Witnesses were added to the list of prohibited ones.