Criminal Case, Searches and Interrogations in Minusinsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory

On the evening of April 19, 2019, in Minusinsk, officers of the Investigative Committee and the Federal Security Service with the participation of Rosgvardia fighters invaded the homes of citizens believed to be Jehovah's Witnesses. Searches were carried out in 5 houses. More than 30 people were detained for questioning and later released. A criminal case has been opened against 42-year-old Dmitry Maslov under the article "organization of extremist activity" (part 1 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He signed a recognizance not to leave.

During one of the intrusions, an employee of the National Guard pushed 76-year-old Alexander Potemkin, because of which the man fell and received bodily injuries. His house was searched, electronic devices were seized.

Religious persecution in his city was launched by V. Kolenichenko, acting head of the Minusinsk District Department of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory, who on April 19, 2019 authorized the searches on his own, explaining that "going to court with a petition for a search is not possible due to the late time of the day." Earlier in the day, a criminal case was opened against Dmitry Maslov for the fact that, according to investigators, he rented a holiday cottage and organized a worship service there.

Law enforcers mistakenly mistake citizens' religion for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, as well as international organizations - the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses "do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually."