In Kamchatka, the Judge Let Slip What He Sees as a Crime of Jehovah’s Witnesses

11 December 2019

Kamchatka Territory

On December 4, 2019, in the town of Vilyuchinsk, according to the transcript of the court session in the case of the Popov spouses, Judge Aleksander Ishchenko called “extremist statements” the mention that in World War II, Catholics and Protestants of some European countries shot their fellow believers from other countries. This, despite an official clarification of the Supreme Court of Russia stating “criticism of other religions” is not extremism.

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Case of the Popovs in Vilyuchinsk

Region:

Kamchatka Territory

Locality:

Vilyuchinsk

Case number:

11802300003000023

Number of the case in court:

1-95/2019

Current stage:

verdict took effect

Suspected of:

according to the investigation he participated in religious services, which is interpreted as organising and involving others in the activities of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)

Investigating:

Investigative Department of the Closed Administrative Territorial Unit of the city of Vilyuchinsk of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kamchatka Territory

Case initiated:

25 July 2018

`Persons in the case`

Mikhail Popov Михаил Попов

Yelena Popova Елена Попова

`Timeline`

2017	Некто К.И. Овчинникова, знакомая Поповой Е.В., якобы интересуется беседами о Библии.
ноябрь-декабрь 2017	Овчинникова знакомит К. Е. Полторацкую с Поповой Е.В., и они, изображая интерес к Библии, начинают вести беседы о Боге и Библии. Знакомятся с супругами. О своих разговорах они доносят в ФСБ.
31.03.2018	К.И. Полторацкий (супруг Полторацкой) дает согласие на участие в ОРМ, посвященном наблюдению за проведением Вечери воспоминание смерти Христа, на которую приглашены Полторацкие и Овчинникова П.И.

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