In Kerch, a case was opened against a follower of Jehovah's Witnesses. Searches were carried out in four houses

In Kerch, security forces opened a criminal case against a follower of Jehovah's Witnesses Artem Shabliy. He is accused of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization (part 1.1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to security officials, he did this by talking with people about the Bible. The website “Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia” reports this.

On May 26, security forces conducted searches at four addresses where believers lived. Five people, including Shabliya, were interrogated by the investigative department. Then everyone except him was released. Shabliy spent two days in a temporary detention center.

Investigators also questioned Shabliya's wife. They put pressure on her, threatening to imprison her husband.

On May 28, Shabliy was released from the temporary detention facility under an obligation to appear as a suspect.

Electronic devices, printed publications and some documents were seized during searches at three other addresses. In not a single case did the security forces present the documents on the basis of which they conducted the search, nor did they provide copies of the protocols.

• 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.