Photo: Dennis Christensen during the trial
In the wake of the Christensen case: another search took place in the homes of believers in Oryol
Oryol RegionOn October 10, 2019, in the city of Oryol, FSB officers conducted searches in the homes of believers at at least two addresses. As it became known, the searches took place at the relatives of Dmitry Prikhodko, the criminal case against which was previously separated from the case of Dennis Christensen.
The security forces asked questions about where believers gather and what literature they read. DVDs were seized during the searches.
On May 23, 2019, the Oryol Regional Court sentenced Dennis Christensen to 6 years in prison just because he adhered to peaceful religious beliefs that the judges considered "extremist". This verdict undermined the explanations of the Russian authorities, who assured international authorities that the ban on religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia did not restrict their right to practice this religion.
The high-profile trial of Danish citizen Dennis Christensen caused not only indignation of human rights activists in Russia, but also international condemnation. Worse, the verdict gave the green light to intensify criminal prosecution of Russian residents for their faith.
Shortly after Christensen's verdict, another resident of Orel, Sergey Skrynnikov, was convicted on similar charges, receiving a large fine.