In Moscow, a court arrested Jehovah's Witnesses

Alexander Serebryakov is charged under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code.

On February 12, 2021, in Moscow, the Savelovsky District Court detained Alexander Serebryakov, a follower of the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, who is charged under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization).

Serebryakov was detained on February 10 after a series of searches that took place at the Moscow believers. The name of another detainee is known - it was 43-year-old Yuri Temirbulatov. On February 12, he was also arrested.

Recall that the Investigative Department for the Northern Administrative District of the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for Moscow announced the initiation of a criminal case under CC. 1 and 2 Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organization of the activities of an extremist organization and participation in such) in connection with the continuation of the activities of the banned Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. The searches took place at 16 addresses.

Believers are accused of organizing a community in the north of Moscow from September 2017 to the present, knowing about the ban on the activities of the Administrative Center: "secret gatherings were held in one of the apartments located on Dybenko Street, where followers studied religious literature and information contained in other sources of information promoting the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, and carried out other activities specific to this association.In addition, the organizers also held online meetings via video link."

Earlier, in November 2020, four believers were placed under house arrest in Moscow for involvement in the activities of the banned organization of Jehovah's Witnesses . In the case of five members of the community of Jehovah's Witnesses in Chekhov near Moscow, the investigation was completed in December 2020.

The accusation of Jehovah's Witnesses of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization is due to the fact that in April 2017 the Supreme Court of Russia decided to recognize the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations as extremist. We believe that this decision, which entailed the mass persecution of believers in criminal proceedings, had no legal grounds, and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination.

As it became known later, the accusation against Serebryakov and Temirbulatov was reclassified to Part 1 of Art. 282.2 CC

Sources

• Jehovah's Witnesses Arrested in Moscow // Mediazone. February 12, 2021
• Court in Moscow Arrests Two Members of Jehovah's Witnesses // Interfax. February 15, 2021