A Jehovah's Witness from Elista was detained under Art. 282.2 CC

For the first time in Kalmykia, a case was initiated under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code on the continuation of the activities of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses.

On February 28, 2023, Jehovah's Witnesses in Elista were searched in connection with a criminal case initiated on February 16 under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code. The suspect under part 1 of this article is Kishta Tutinova, she was detained and placed in a temporary detention center. On March 1, the court placed her under house arrest.

According to investigators, Tutinova held religious meetings “in the mode of online conferences,” and also involved residents of the region in the activities of the banned organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In relation to unidentified ordinary members of the organization, the Federal Security Service of Russia in Kalmykia initiated a case under Part 2 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of an extremist organization).

Searches took place at Tutinova and two other Elistin girls.

Jehovah's Witnesses are accused of involvement in the activities of an extremist organization due to the fact that in April 2017 the Supreme Court of Russia ruled that the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia and 395 local religious organizations were 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. In June 2022, the ECHR issued a ruling on the complaint of Jehovah's Witnesses, in which it recognized that the ban on their materials and organizations and the persecution of believers are contrary to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and demanded that criminal cases be dropped under Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code against Jehovah's Witnesses and release imprisoned believers.

Sources

• The security forces of another region of the Russian Federation opened a case against Jehovah's Witnesses. Searches and interrogations of believers took place in Elista. Message from Jehovah's Witnesses. 2023. March 2.