In Rostov-on-Don, three women professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses were charged

In the Rostov region, the cases of three Jehovah's Witnesses - Olga Ganushi, Lyudmila Ponomarenko and Galina Parkova - were combined into one proceeding. They were charged under the article on participation in the activities of an extremist organization (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). This was reported on the website of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

The believers were chosen as a preventive measure in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place. The case against them was opened in the summer of 2019. According to investigators, they participated in religious meetings, including worship services; provided living quarters for meetings; made donations; engaged in campaigning among persons who are not followers of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses.

This was preceded by a search of the house of 70-year-old Lyudmila Ponomarenko. Security forces seized a phone, a tablet, Bibles in various translations, as well as a Bible dictionary, a Bible reference book, and a religious studies monograph.

The case against Galina Parkova was opened two and a half weeks after her husband, Alexander Parkov, was sent to a pre-trial detention center on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.

• 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 of the same year, 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.
• The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Rostov region began on May 19, 2019 with searches in 15 houses of Rostov residents. Then Vilen and Arsen Avanesov and Alexander Parkov were detained. Theyhave been under arrest for more than a year, they are accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code), and Arsen Avanesov is additionally accused of collecting funds to finance its activities (Part 1 of Article 282.3). *