The case of Solovyov and Others in Ivanovo

Case History

Three residents of Ivanovo were searched in November 2022. The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case against Sergei Solovyov for his faith. The investigation considered reading the Bible with fellow believers to be participation in the activities of an extremist organization.

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    November 2, 2022 Case initiated

    Lieutenant Colonel E. M. Skuridina, senior investigator of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, initiates a criminal case against Sergey Solovyov for participation in the activities of an extremist organization (part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). She is already conducting a similar criminal case against 4 believers from Teikovo.

    The investigation believes that Solovyov "deliberately participated in the activities ... by directly participating in meetings... a banned organization, propaganda of its activities ... the teaching of religion and religious education."

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    November 9, 2022 Search

    At 6 o'clock in the morning, the family of Sergei Solovyov is searched at his place of residence, and then at the place of registration. During the search, electronic devices, two Bibles in the Synodal translation, books by religious scholar Sergei Ivanenko, personal notes and souvenirs from the Bible Museum were seized.

    Solovyov is interrogated as a suspect.