Court in Karachay-Cherkessia upholds house arrest for Jehovah's Witnesses

On April 22, the Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia upheld the house arrest of Jehovah's Witness Albert Batchaev, who is accused of “extremist” charges, the Caucasian Knot reports, citing lawyer Igor Litvinov.

“The defense provided grounds that, according to the law, the total period of detention and house arrest of an accused of a serious crime cannot exceed 12 months. On March 24, Batchaev’s house arrest was extended until June 25, and in total, taking into account this extension, it turns out to be a year and three months. In fact, all that remains is for him to be released on his own recognizance. Therefore, we asked to cancel the order on house arrest,” Litvinov told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Also, as arguments, the defense indicated that Batchaev’s pregnant wife Zhanna needed accompaniment when visiting doctors. Due to the fact that the believer cannot work, the financial situation of the family has worsened.

On March 24, 2021, the Cherkessk City Court extended the preventive measure for Batchaev until June 25. He has currently been under house arrest for over a year. He can take two-hour walks from 7 to 9 am within a radius of 500 meters from his home and communicate with those who are not involved in his criminal case.

• The case against the elder of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Cherkessk, Albert Batchaev, was opened in December 2019 after a series of searches of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Karachay-Cherkessia. Batchaev is charged with organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). The accused himself denies any connection with the organization and the collection of funds for its activities. According to the prosecution, Batchaev “had an advantage in determining the course of religious services... containing statements... encouraging the severance of family, family and friendly relationships... refusal of medical intervention... negative assessment of persons who are not followers of the religious teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses."
• In February 2020, the Cherkessk City Court released Albert Batchaev under house arrest after almost two months in pre-trial detention. The Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia rejected this decision and sent the believer back to the pre-trial detention center. In April 2020, the court again transferred Batchaev to house arrest. In July, the Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia softened the conditions for serving house arrest.
• 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.