New Raids in the Khabarovsk Territory. Criminal Case Initiated Against a 76-Year-Old Believer

On February 13, 2023, in the village of Dormidontovka, Khabarovsk Territory, police conducted at least two searches and interrogations of persons suspected of practicing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. A day earlier, a criminal case was initiated against 76-year-old Liliya Dolinina.

At 6:00 am, officers broke into the homes of elderly believers to conduct searches that lasted 4 hours. Electronic devices, computer storage media and personal records were confiscated from Liliya Dolinina and a man. After the searches, the believers were taken to the investigative committee for interrogation, where they were questioned to find out who else in the village professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and organizes meetings for worship.

The raids and interrogations were authorized by the Vyazemskiy Interdistrict Investigative Department and the Jewish Autonomous Region and, in particular, the investigator for especially important cases, Yuliya Vasetskaya, who also ruled that Liliya Dolinina be charged with a crime under part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The village of Dormidontovka is one more on the list of settlements in the Khabarovsk Territory, where already 29 of Jehovah's Witnesses have been severely persecuted for their faith. Four of them have been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.