Faith As a Felony: New Details of the Criminal Case Against a Peaceful Civilian in Zelenogorsk

On December 26, 2019, as a result of a series of searches in the closed city of Zelenogorsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), a local resident, Aleksandr Kabanov, was detained and later released. A criminal case was opened against the believer under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Law enforcement officers believe that Aleksandr Kabanov organized the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses of Zelenogorsk. In particular, he is suspected of "holding weekly religious meetings, distributing religious ... installations of the organization and the involvement of new adherents.

According to the materials of the case, the grounds for the detention of the believer are the "obvious traces of a crime" discovered during the search, while it is not specified which items found indicate the guilt of Kabanov in committing a "particularly grave crime."

The case is being investigated by the head of the Investigation Department for Zelenogorsk, Colonel of Justice Oleg Kolosov. Y. Ufimtsev, senior investigator of the Investigative Department for the Closed Administrative Territory of Zelenogorsk, operatives of the FSB of Russia A. Bolatov, O. Panov and D. Lobanov were also involved in the investigation.

Alexander Kabanov became the ninth resident of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, whom the authorities suspect of extremist activity. He faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison just for believing in Jehovah God.