New Searches and Detentions in Kirov

On the morning of March 26, 2019, a wave of new searches began in Kirov in the homes of citizens thought to be Jehovah's Witnesses. It is known there were searches in at least 10 apartments. Several people were detained and a criminal investigation is proceeding against Aleksandr Shamov, 58; Andrey Shchepin, 27, and Evgeniy Udintsev, 70.

Earlier, in October 2018, after raids on the houses of believers in Kirov, five people were arrested and sent to the detention center. Currently, three of them are under house arrest, and two have been languishing in prison for 169 days, one a citizen of Poland, Andrzej Oniszczuk. The only basis for prosecution is their confession. (The Polish consulate keeps track of what is happening with Andrzej Oniszczuk.)