Photo: Sergey Melnikov

Photo: Sergey Melnikov

Photo: Sergey Melnikov

Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, Sergey Melnikov, accused of talking about religion, was released from the pre-trial detention center

Primorye Territory

On October 4, 2019, the judge of the Ussuriysk District Court (Primorye Territory) Galina Lazareva decided to change the measure of restraint for local resident Sergey Melnikov from detention to house arrest. The case against the peaceful believer has not been closed, he still faces up to 10 years in prison.

Sergey Melnikov has been in pre-trial detention since June 5, 2019. He was detained after talking about religion with a man. From the point of view of local law enforcement officers, this is extremist activity.

In Primorsky Krai, Dmitry Barmakin and Irina Buglak remain behind bars on similar charges. Law enforcement officers of the Far Eastern region are convinced that citizens cannot profess faith in Jehovah even after the explanations of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Case of Melnikov in Ussuriysk

Case History
Intelligence officers gained access to telephone conversations of Sergey Melnikov from Ussuriysk, which he conducted from April to June 2018. Later, they introduced agent provocateur Konstantin Belousov, who asked Sergey to tell him about the Bible. In June 2019, the believer was detained in his own car. Investigator E. S. Marvanyuk charged him with organizing the activities of an extremist organization, and later investigator V. V. Golsky reclassified the charge to participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The believer spent 122 days in a pre-trial detention center, 145 days under house arrest and then was placed under recognizance agreement. The prosecutor returned the case for further investigation. In the summer of 2020, the case was submitted to the Ussuriysk District Court of Primorsky Krai. On February 3, 2022, Judge Dmitry Babushkin sentenced Sergey Melnikov to 3 years of suspended sentence. The appellate court upheld this verdict in May 2022. In December of the same year, the Court of Cassation of Ussuriysk upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Melnikov
Sergey

Criminal case

Region:
Primorye Territory
Locality:
Ussuriysk
Suspected of:
According to the investigation he “took steps to organize the recruitment of new members aimed at continuing the illegal activities of the banned religious organization ‘Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center in Russia’” (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the liquidation of the religious organization “Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center in Russia” and its structural divisions)
Court case number:
11902050010000039
Initiated:
June 5, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigation Department for Ussuriysk city of the Investigation Administration of the IC of Russia for Primorye Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-27/2021 (1-510/2020)
Court:
Уссурийский районный суд Приморского края
Judge:
Дмитрий Бабушкин
Case History