Searches Carried out at Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Vladikavkaz as Part of New Criminal Case for Their Faith. Three Believers Under House Arrest
North Ossetia-AlaniaOn July 10, 2026, in Vladikavkaz, law enforcement officers conducted searches at several addresses and interrogated 16 Jehovah's Witnesses. Three of them — Khetag Dzhanaev and the couple Zaur and Zarema Tavitov — ended up in a temporary detention facility. On July 12, the court placed them under house arrest.
Searches began early in the morning simultaneously in several homes. One of them lasted more than 10 hours. Electronic and storage devices, including mobile phones and a camera, as well as personal notes, Bibles, and bank cards were seized from the believers.
They are not the first Jehovah's Witnesses in the Republic who have faced criminal prosecution for their faith. Sabina Albegova from Vladikavkaz has been under investigation since October 2025 (her case is already under consideration in court), and since April 2026, Kristina Bazrova is in the same situation.
