“Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia”: during an inspection of a house, a believer was given “forbidden” books

In the village of Solnechnodolsk, Stavropol Territory, during an inspection of the house of Jehovah’s Witness Gennady Serdyukov, three “forbidden” books were planted on a believer, according to the website “Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.”

The inspection of the premises took place on the afternoon of October 6, 2020, at the home of 64-year-old Serdyukov. According to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, during this event the security forces planted three books on him from the federal list of extremist materials. The order to conduct an inspection of Serdyukov’s house was issued by Judge Anton Akulinin of the Stavropol Regional Court. As part of the investigation, it is not yet known in what case the inspection took place.

Another believer was detained, but then released.

• In the Stavropol region, according to Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, criminal cases are now being investigated against 14 believers from Neftekumsk , Nevinnomyssk and Georgievsk . The oldest of them is 90-year-old Rimma Vashchenko. Cases have been initiated against them under articles on organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code) and participation in it (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code).
• 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. Later, all organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses were added to the list of prohibited ones. After this, a stream of criminal cases against representatives of the confession began.
• According to Federal Law No. 114-FZ “On Combating Extremist Activities”, extremism is a violent change in the constitutional order, violation of the territorial integrity of the state, justification of terrorism, propaganda of social inequality depending on various characteristics and discrimination, committing hate crimes, propaganda of Nazism, as well as calls for such activities and their preparation.