In Surgut, detained Jehovahors* complained to torture in the department of the IC of the Russian Federation

In the Surgut of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), the security forces tortured the detained followers of the religious course of Jehovah's Witnesses*, which was recognized by the Russian authorities extremist. This was reported on the website "Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia."

According to the followers of the religious movement, torture on the ground floor of the building of the Investigative Committee (47 Ostrovsky St.) underwent at least seven detainees. "During the interrogation, they refused to stipulate themselves and their co -religionists. After the departure of the duty lawyer, they tied their hands behind their backs and beat them, stripped the naked, doused with water and used a stun gun. The tortures continued for several hours," the report said.

It is alleged that the security forces tried to find out from the detainees, where the meetings of the Jehovah's Witnesses are held, who visit them, what are the name of the elders, as well as the passwords of telephones. The released detainees recorded injuries and turned to the prosecutor's office. "Believers will seek a thorough investigation of the sadistic appeal, the identification of the organizers and participants of the torture conveyor. Torture, cruel or humiliating human dignity, the appeal is a criminal offense. The Russian Federation signed the UN Convention against torture and inhuman treatment," the report emphasizes.

The press service of the regional department of the UK, in turn, called information about the torture of detainees inappropriate reality, writes Mediazon .

Earlier, on February 15, Jehovah's Witnesses* reported that 15 followers of the religious movement were detained in Surgut. The RF IC confirmed the initiation of the case under part 1 and 2 of Art. 282.2 (creation of an extremist organization and participation in it), part 1.1 of the same article (recruitment in an extremist organization). On February 19, three followers of Jehovah's Witnesses* were sent to a pre -trial detention center.

According to the latest data, 19 people became involved in the defendants of the initiated criminal cases.

Persecution of faith

On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses* extremist and banned its activities in the Russian Federation. According to the resolution, the head organization "Management Center" Jehovah's Witnesses "* in Russia", as well as 395 regional branches, is subject to liquidation. In August of the same year, the Ministry of Justice entered the list of extremist.

The Ministry of Justice, among other things, charged the "witnesses" of their adherents from blood transfusion. To this, Jehovists* objected that the refusal of blood transfusion is not extremism - there is no such act in the law on counteracting extremist activity.

Since then, believers have been persecuted in Russia. At the end of March 2018, it was reported that they were massively fleeing Finland . At the time of the ban in the structure of Jehovah's Witnesses*, there were more than 2.2 thousand religious groups in Russia, which, according to the organization, united 175 thousand followers.

In the fall of 2017, “Jehovah's Witnesses”* filed a lawsuit against Russia according to the media, the total amount of compensation for the complaints of believers is about 79 million euros (about six billion rubles), and the main requirement for Russia is the return of confiscated real estate.

It should be noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 11, 2018 at a meeting of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation called the introduction of a religious organization to the list of extremist "complete nonsense" . However, the words of the head of state did not prevent the Orlovsky court on February 6 of the sentence Dennis Kristensen , related to Jehovah's Witnesses*, to the six years of the colony. He was accused of extremism (part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code).

The intercession of Putin did not help Jehovah* the city of Uray in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The police, together with the FSB officers, held a special operation to detain them on February 7. A criminal case has been instituted against them, searches with the seizure of "extremist literature", computers, cell phones and other objects were held in the apartments and at the work of believers.

On February 12, the head of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Lebedev said that Jehovists* are not for faith, but for violations of the law. “This is served as if people are persecuted for religious activities. But the question is not related to religion, no one was persecuted for faith. This organization was engaged in activities that were prohibited by law,” Lebedev explained at the seminar -meeting of the chairmen of federal courts. The same position was voiced in the Ministry of Justice .

However, human rights activists are alarming. The “persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses”* is a totalitarian marker. If the country begins to plant followers of this religious organization, then there is every reason to fear a speedy regime similar to Nazi or Communist, ” says journalist and human rights activist Alexander Nedrabinek.