Press service: arrest extended for four more followers of Jehovah's Witnesses

In the Novosibirsk and Rostov regions, the courts extended the terms of detention in pre-trial detention centers for four followers of Jehovah's Witnesses. This was reported on the website of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

On April 16, 2020, the Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk issued a decision to extend the preventive measure in the form of detention against Yury Savelyev until July 22, 2020. Savelyev is charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organizing the activities of an extremist organization).

At the meeting, the believer stated that there is a threat of coronavirus infection in the pre-trial detention center: Savelyev's cellmate does work in the isolation ward, in which he contacts with a large number of people and does not use self-defense equipment.

Also, the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don extended the preventive measures against the followers of Jehovah's Witnesses Vilen and Arsen Avanesov and Alexander Parkov. They will be held in a pre-trial detention center until at least May 19, 2020.

The court refused to take into account the fact that Vilen Avanesov and Alexander Parkov are at risk of contracting coronavirus: Avanesov due to advanced age, and Parkov due to immune disease.

• According to the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia website, Yuri Savelyev and 17 other people filed an application with the Ministry of Justice in 1990 for the registration of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization. On August 4, 2018, the security forces installed covert surveillance in his apartment, and on November 7, 2018, the investigator opened a criminal case under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1, Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). The next day, a search was conducted in Savelyev's house and, in fact, the believer was detained. On the same and the following days in Novosibirsk, in connection with the case against Jehovah's Witnesses, investigative actions were carried out at ten more addresses.
• On May 22, 2019, officers of the Investigative Committee searched the homes of at least fifteen residents of Rostov-on-Don who consider themselves supporters of Jehovah's Witnesses. Law enforcement officers used force against some of the believers. On that day, Vilen and Arsen Avanesov and Alexander Parkov were detained. All three were charged with part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization). On January 14, 2020, the investigation brought another charge against Arsen Avanesov - receiving donations to rent a room for meetings of fellow believers was qualified as fundraising for the activities of an extremist organization (part 1 of article 282.3 of the Criminal Code).