Bazhenov, Budenchuk and Makhammadiev were released from custody in the courtroom one by one (May 2019)
Almost a year of believers behind bars has ended in Saratov
Saratov RegionOn May 20, 2019, the Frunzensky District Court of Saratov, chaired by Judge Igor Dyuzhakov, released from custody in the courtroom Konstantin Bazhenov, Aleksey Budenchuk and Felix Makhammadiyev, who had been in jail since June 12, 2018. They are still charged under Article 282.2 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of extremist activity), but the measure of restraint for them has been changed to a ban on certain actions. They must wear bracelets and cannot leave the house at night, communicate with other defendants in the criminal case, use the telephone and the Internet.
Believers are grateful to the court, which finally realized that there is no reason to keep civilians behind bars just for their religion. In December 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians and the reasons for their persecution are unclear.