Seizure of Property

Law enforcement officers in Kirov plan to take away the only housing of an elderly woman as punishment for her faith

Kirov Region

On July 1, 2019, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Kirov seized Lydia Kachurina's apartment and garden, in case her 60-year-old son, Anatoliy Tokarev, was found guilty of extremism for being a Jehovah's Witness. An apartment and a plot will be needed to recover a large fine from him.

The investigation suspects Anatoly Tokarev of "organizing ... including in his apartment... meetings" of fellow believers, together with them he sang biblical songs and studied religious literature, "the so-called "Holy Scripture" (Bible)."

In May 2019, Anatoly's house was searched. When Anatoliy refused to cooperate with the investigation, the security services threatened problems for his family members.

On July 19, 2019, Anatoliy Tokarev was informed of the decision of Sergey Skorobogaty, a judge of the Oktyabrsky District Court of Kirov, who arrested his housing and land plot owned by Tokarev's elderly mother. On July 24, 2019, Anatoliy Tokarev appealed against the decision to seize property.

Tokarev and his mother are not the only Kirov residents who have faced problems because of their religion. After a series of searches in Kirov, criminal cases were opened against at least 11 Jehovah's Witnesses. Polish citizen Andrzej Oniszczuk has been held in pre-trial detention for more than 290 days.

Case of Tokarev in Kirov

Case history
Peaceful pensioner Anatoly Tokarev, a resident of Kirov, was sentenced by the court to a fine of 500 thousand rubles for his faith. The believer filed a complaint with the courts of appeal and cassation, but the verdict remained unchanged. The prosecutor asked to send the believer to a colony for 3.5 years, accusing him of organizing and financing a banned organization. According to him, this was expressed “in the joint singing of biblical songs and the study of religious literature,” as well as in covering the utility costs of an empty worship building. The persecution of Anatoliy began in May 2019. He was searched, the security forces arrested his apartment and garden, voiced threats to harm his relatives. The believer considers this pressure for refusing to incriminate himself and not admitting guilt in extremism. Judge Skorobogatov ignored the documents submitted by the defendant to international organizations advocating for Anatoly Tokarev’s right to freedom of religion. Interrogation of prosecution witnesses during the trial revealed that their testimony was falsified.
Timeline

Persons in case

Tokarev
Anatoliy

Criminal case

Region:
Kirov Region
Locality:
Kirov
Suspected of:
"joint singing of biblical songs ... in his apartment."
Court case number:
11902330022000030
Initiated:
May 8, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kirov Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-82/2020
Court:
Октябрьский районный суд г. Кирова
Judge:
Скоробогатый Сергей Валерьевич
Background