Two residents of the Nizhny Novgorod region were imprisoned because of their faith

On August 12, 2019, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld the decision of the lower court, which sent 51-year-old Alexander Vavilov to a pre-trial detention center for his faith. Alexei Oreshkov, 48, is also behind bars. Both are accused of participating in extremist activities, which is how the investigating authorities interpret the peaceful religious beliefs of citizens.

Two believers have been in pre-trial detention centers since mid-July 2019. At the moment, it is known that Alexander Vavilov was sent to pre-trial detention center No. 2 of the Kstovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Alexei Oreshkov is being held in pre-trial detention center No. 1 of Nizhny Novgorod. Both are charged under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (participation in extremist activities). This was preceded by mass searches and detentions of believers in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which took place on July 16 and 17, 2019.

According to the materials of the case, the believers Vavilov and Oreshkov, "realizing a joint criminal intent, acting intentionally, by a group of persons by prior conspiracy ... took active steps aimed at... conducting religious speeches and services" (from the decision to bring A. V. Vavilov as an accused, signed by investigator S. S. Sosunov).

At the moment, more than ten believers in the Nizhny Novgorod region have been prosecuted because of their religion. Law enforcement agencies are convinced that residents of the region are forbidden to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which directly contradicts the position of the Government and the President of the Russian Federation.