Another case has been opened against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Yaroslavl region

Andrei Glazov is suspected of participating in the activities of a banned community.

On May 31, 2022, it became known that employees of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Yaroslavl Region opened a case under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization) against 50-year-old local resident Andrey Glazov. As it became known later, the court took him into custody. On September 13, the Yaroslavl Regional Court overturned this decision and released the believer under a ban on certain actions. According to the Investigative Committee, in 2019 Glazov took part in the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses "through the Internet" by video conferencing. The department's website states that a search was conducted in this case.

In May 2022, law enforcement officers conducted several searches at the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yaroslavl. Then 31-year-old believer Anton Kokovin was detained - a case was also opened against him under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code. Kokovin was released on bail.

In April 2021, Glazov's house was searched as part of a criminal case against other believers - Andrey Vyushin, Pyotr Filiznov and spouses Alexander and Maria Kuznetsova.

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 of Jehovah's Witnesses 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

• The Yaroslavl Regional Court reverses the decision of the lower court and decides to release Andrey Glazov from custody. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2022. 13 September.
• In the Yaroslavl region, a local resident is suspected of committing an extremist crime // Website of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Yaroslavl Region. May 31, 2022
• A believer from Yaroslavl was detained and placed in an isolation cell. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2022. June 13.