Jehovah's Witness arrested in Sochi

In Sochi, under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code detained Jehovah's Witness Danil Suvorov.

On August 18, 2021, Jehovah's Witnesses were searched in Sochi, after which 25-year-old Danil Suvorov was detained. The next day, the court took him into custody.

Suvorov is suspected of committing a crime under Part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (involvement in an extremist organization). According to investigators, "using his authority as a spiritual leader," he involved a local resident in the activities of the banned organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, and also "in order to promote the banned association, he conducted preaching activities and lectures, demonstrating extremist texts and brochures."

The investigation is being conducted by the Investigation Department for the Central District of Sochi.

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 under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code, had no legal grounds, and we regard it as a manifestation of religious discrimination.

Sources

• In Sochi, Jehovah's Witnesses were again searched. A 25-year-old believer was detained. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2021. August 20.
• In Sochi, a young man is suspected of involving a local resident in a banned extremist organization // Website of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory. 2021. August 20.