Beating with buttstocks, threats and questions regarding Christ's crucifixion. Details of the raid on Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow

On November 24, 2020, Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow had a total of about 20 searches. In some cases law enforcers broke down the doors, two people were beaten up. Five of them spent two to six days behind bars, now under house arrest. During interrogations, believers were intimidated by the prison and threatened with taking their children away.

Armed security forces broke into homes of pensioners and young families with children, trying to find extremism in their faith. Most raids took place in Moscow and one in the Tula region. The special operation was organized as part of a criminal case being investigated by Dmitry Smadich from the first Department for Investigation of Special Cases of the Russian Federation SCS Moscow. For many months, law enforcement officers have been spying on believers.

The storming of Chernyshev's apartment started at about 6 am. The family awoke from the sounds of broken glass. Armed security guards in balaclavas and camouflage broke down the front door, threw Yuriy, the head of the family, to the floor, and his wife, Yekaterina, was placed facing the wall. The spouses and their minor daughter were then taken to different rooms and banned from communicating. The search at the Chernyshevs lasted about 9 hours in the presence of the film crew of the state TV channel. Electronic devices and all their savings were seized. During the interrogation in the Investigative Committee, the Chernyshevs were prompted to engage in self-incrimination, threatening that otherwise their daughter would be sent to an orphanage, and they "will not be helped." They were asked questions: "What if your daughter is wooed by a Muslim?", "How do you feel about Christ?" and the like. After the interrogations, Yuriy was detained and sent to the temporary detention facility. Footage of the storming of Chernyshev's apartment was posted on the news channels.

Another search took place in the apartment of A.'s family, where the law enforcers first twisted the hands of their neighbor, but when they realized that they had made a mistake, they started breaking the door to the apartment of believers. The hands of а the head of the family were twisted, he was put on the floor and hit on the back with the butt of an automatic rifle. During the search electronic devices, flash drives, bank cards, and cash, documents and personal records, a tape recorder, cassettes, and even a calculator were seized. Later, the believers were taken to the local police station, where they were photographed and fingerprinted. They were then taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning. Investigator Dmitry Smadich asked them questions, among them: "Do you believe in Trinity?", "On what was Christ crucified?", "Do you go to the elections?", "Do you recognize the president?", "Do you transfuse blood?" and "Would you cheat on your wife?".

The search lasted about 5 hours for 33-year-old Y. M. The law enforcers looked through the correspondence of the believer in the messengers and threatened her with the jail. During the search, Bible and postcards were seized. After the search, the believer was taken first to the local police station, and later to the Investigative Committee building for questioning.

In another case, law enforcement officials insulted two female believers, threatening to strip them and put them out on the street.

Viktor Tchaikovsky, 34, was also the victim of the search. Early in the morning of 24 November he was awakened by a strong knock on the door and shouts: "You are pouring us! The search in his apartment under the direction of investigator Valeria Bashaeva lasted 5 hours. Electronic devices and data carriers were seized. After the search, Victor was taken to the local police station for fingerprinting and then to the Investigative Committee for questioning. In total, the investigation lasted more than 12 hours.

Before the search of 49-year-old Vardan Zakaryan's head was smashed by law enforcement with an automatic rifle buttstock. The believer was hospitalized and was under heavy guard, no one was allowed to see him except doctors, and he was unable to move freely. Two days later, he was discharged and taken to an investigator for interrogation, then to the TDF. Several copies of the Bible were seized from his family. On 30 November, after 6 days of detention, the court released the believer under house arrest. He appealed the illegal detention and beating to the prosecutor's office.

All detained believers were sent under house arrest by court order.

Searches and detentions took place in Moscow, despite calls from international organizations to stop the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and assurances from the authorities that the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses was not forbidden in Russia.