Jehovah's Witnesses from Sochi have had their detention in a pre-trial detention center extended. The meeting was held behind closed doors

On February 21, the Central District Court of Sochi extended the term of detention in a pre-trial detention center for Nikolai Kuzichkin and Vyacheslav Popov, suspected of organizing the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code), the Caucasian Knot reports .

About fifty people came to the hearing, but the judge, in the interests of the investigation - “in order not to disclose the materials of the preliminary investigation” - declared the hearing closed. The period of detention was extended for the fifth time; believers will remain in the pre-trial detention center until March 23.

“My client Vyacheslav Popov and I believe that the investigation, having no evidence of guilt in a serious crime, is trying in this way to exert pressure, to force people morally and physically to suffer, so that they incriminate themselves and give confessions. But neither Popov nor, as I know, Kuzichkin, no matter how difficult it may be for them morally and physically, admit themselves guilty. And this is their deep conviction - they are law-abiding people and have not done anything against the state or society. Today, during the trial, my client told the court about this, also pointing out the inaction of the investigator and his unwillingness to understand everything objectively and according to the law,” the publication quotes lawyer Roman Yanovsky as commenting.

Roman Yanovsky was supposed to represent the interests of Nikolai Kuzichkin at the trial, but the court refuses to do so, effectively depriving Kuzichkin of the right to defense.

• Jehovah's Witnesses Nikolai Kuzichkin and Vyacheslav Popov were arrested in October 2019. The period of detention is consistently extended .
• On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court recognized the “Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” as an extremist organization, liquidated it and banned its activities in Russia. In August, all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations were added to the list of prohibited organizations. After this, a stream of criminal cases against representatives of the confession began.
• In February 2019, the court handed down its first sentence with real imprisonment - Danish citizen Dennis Christensen was sentenced to six years in prison, his complaint was accepted for consideration by the ECHR. In Surgut, mass searches took place at the homes of followers of Jehovah's Witnesses. At least seven of them reported beatings, humiliation and electric shocks. OVD-Info published the story of the victims' lawyer.