Case of Tsikunov in Kaltan

Investigator for particularly important cases of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kemerovo Region - Kuzbass Maxim Somik initiates a criminal case against Alexander Tsikunov on charges of extremism. According to the investigator, the believer "from his computer ... Using video conferencing, he held weekly meetings."

In the town of Kaltan, Kemerovo Region, the homes of several Jehovah's Witnesses are being searched. Aleksandr Tsikunov was detained and sent to a temporary detention center.

Investigator Somik involves Alexander Tsikunov as a defendant in a criminal case. The believer declares that he is not guilty.

Judge of the Kaltan District Court Yevgeny Vanyushin places Alexander Tsikunov under house arrest.

Aleksandr's preventive measure is mitigated: house arrest is replaced by a written undertaking not to leave the place. For 51 days, the believer could not leave his home and fully provide for his family financially.

Investigator Tyshchenko sends the case to the prosecutor for approval of the indictment.

The prosecutor's office returns Tsikunov's criminal case to the investigator for additional investigation. The reason is that during the production of religious and linguistic examinations, the believer's right to protection was violated.

Investigator S. S. Tyshchenko appoints a repeated religious and linguistic examination of the case materials.

The case goes to the Kaltan District Court of the Kemerovo Region. It will be considered by judge Alexei Semerikov.

The defence files motions to terminate the criminal case and to return the criminal case to the prosecutor, which the court refuses. An open court hearing shall be scheduled. The court leaves the measure of restraint the same - a written undertaking not to leave and proper behavior.

Prosecutor Kupranov reads out the indictment. Aleksandr Tsikunov expresses his attitude to the charges and declares that he does not agree with the charges.

A prosecutor interrogates a woman who attended Jehovah's Witnesses worship services via video conferencing. She says that there were no calls for violence or disobedience to the state; There was communication, including on biblical topics.

The questioning of prosecution witnesses is ongoing.

It turns out that on September 4, Alexander Tsikunov suffered a heart attack. The defense files a motion to suspend the consideration of the case due to the need for treatment of the defendant.

Hearings on the case are resumed. The court interrogates investigator Tyshchenko, who was in charge of the case of Alexander Tsikunov. He states that no pressure was exerted on prosecution witnesses during the interrogation. The court examines the case materials from volumes 1 and 2, including the constituent documents of the LRO for 1999 and documents on its liquidation, certificates of income of Tsikunov and a transcript of a hidden audio recording.

30 people come to support Alexander, four are allowed into the hall.

The prosecutor reads out the case materials from volumes 2 and 3 - audio recordings of conversations of believers on everyday and spiritual topics, and search protocols of Tsikunov and his fellow believers. The prosecutor does not analyze the case materials.

The prosecution reads out the results of forensic psychiatric, phonoscopic, linguistic and religious examinations.
The court satisfies the defense's motions to interrogate linguist Zubkova and religious scholar Schiller. The defense also asks the court to exclude from the case the materials of three searches of Alexander's fellow believers as irrelevant evidence.

A study of audio recordings of conversations between Alexander Tsikunov and his wife and friends about the Bible.

The judge suspends the hearing in the case, as the believer underwent heart surgery in early September.