Detention and beating for faith in Luhansk

On November 30, 2018, in Luhansk, 22-year-old A.A. (initials changed) was detained, searched and beaten just because he was found in possession of a Jehovah's Witnesses business card.

Not far from the Luhanska station, armed men in the uniform of the LPR law enforcement agencies stopped and searched A.A.'s car. They announced that the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses had been banned on their territory since February 2018, and took him to Luhansk, to the building where the Security Service of Ukraine had previously been located. After 2 hours of waiting, the interrogation began. The man was handcuffed and beaten, presumably with a book. At the same time, the security forces tried to get information from him about Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as about his participation in this religion. Later, they began to take the young man from office to office, pulling a hat over his eyes. At one point, someone said, "Yes," and A.A. was hit in the solar plexus. When he asked permission to call his wife, he was told, "You're missing." After a six-hour interrogation, the security forces took the man to his home for a search to seize religious literature. In the end, he was released. He and his wife were forbidden to observe the precepts of his religion under threat of imprisonment.

As a result of the incident, the man was subjected to cruel and degrading treatment, restriction of the right to freedom of religion.