[{"body":"On the 26 of May 2020, armed security groups conducted a series of raids in Kerch. At least seven believers, including the elderly, were questioned. Five of them were taken to the investigation department and later released all but Artem Shabliy, 29, who had been detained for two days.\nIn the early morning, groups of 7-10 law enforcement officers, including representatives of the Rosgvardia and masked armed riot police, came to the homes of local residents of Kerch at four addresses under the pretext of \"examining premises, buildings and structures.\nDuring the special operation in the house of Artem Shabliy, who lives with his wife, mother and children, 2 and 4 years old, the law enforcers broke the windows in the entrance hall. The law enforcers put the cuffs on Artem himself and took them off only a few hours later, already after the interrogation in the local law enforcement department.\nAccording to eyewitnesses, one of the organizers of the raid orally mentioned that a criminal case under article 282.2 of the RF Criminal Code had been initiated against Shabliy, but no documentary evidence was provided. It is known that the case was initiated by investigator Valery Zarubin. He accuses a believer of \"involving others in the activities of an extremist organization\" while talking to them about the Bible.\nWhile Artem was interrogated in the building of the Investigative Committee, his wife remained at home with her children, but later she was called for questioning and released the same day. The investigator tried to put pressure on the woman, threatening to \"put\" her husband. Artem was placed in a temporary detention facility.\nUpdate. On the evening of May 28, 2020, Artem Shabliy was released from the temporary detention facility under the obligation to appear as a suspect. A criminal case has been initiated against him under part 1.1. Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (\u0026ldquo;involvement in the activities of an extremist organization\u0026rdquo;). Special operation at the other three addresses lasted about three hours. In one of the cases, the security guards broke the entrance gate. Electronic devices, printed media and some documents were seized from the believers. They were also taken for interrogation to the Investigative Department, where they remained for about two hours. In none of the cases were the owners presented with court orders to hold special events, and copies of the \"examination\" reports were not provided.\nRecently, Crimean law enforcers have increased pressure on those who profess the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses. On May 26, 2020, the court sent Sergey Filatov, a resident of Dzhankoy, to the general regime colony for 6 years. His fault was a Bible study with children and friends. Before that Yalta resident Artem Gerasimov was fined 400 thousand for talking to people about God. Currently the case of Victor Stashevsky, a resident of Sevastopol, who is unreasonably accused of extremism because he believes in Jehovah, is in court hearings.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2020-05-28T16:52:00+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/05/21/image_hu_629c956bfc528fb9.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/05/21/image.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/05/21/image_hu_5ec894a2047700ee.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/05/21/image_hu_195644e9b5393c11.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/05/21.html","regions":["crimea"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["search","vandalism","minors","interrogation","282.2-1.1","ivs"],"title":"In Kerch, Law Enforcers Crushed Windows When Raiding Houses of Believers During a \"Survey\". A Father of Two Young Children Was Detained","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 29, 2019, in the village of Sukhobuzimskoye (Krasnoyarsk Territory), a believer's car was smashed with a sledgehammer and a threatening note was left. Earlier, law enforcement officers conducted 13 searches of believers in this small village. Any search casts a shadow on a person's reputation in the eyes of neighbors, employers and other people.\nOn June 14, 2019, in a village with a population of about 4,000 people, security forces invaded 13 homes of believers, including the house of Kirill Mikhailin, with searches and interrogations. Another search took place on the same day in the neighboring village of Minderla and a few days later at Mikhailin's registration address in Krasnoyarsk. The searches and interrogations were led by investigator Denis Lugovoi, who had previously been seconded to the department of the Investigative Committee of Krasnoyarsk. He also investigated the criminal case against Andrey Stupnikov, initiated in July 2018 (the investigation has been completed, but the case has not yet been submitted to the court). Almost all searches in Sukhobuzimsky were accompanied by questions about Stupnikov.\nAlthough the local resident suspected of attacking Kirill Mikhailin's car was found and questioned on the same day, the episode raises important questions. What caused such intense hatred? How did the security forces' intrusion into the homes of believers affect their relations with their neighbors in the village, where everyone knows each other? Could it discredit civilians in the eyes of fellow villagers?\nAccording to believers, law enforcement officers, who accuse them of inciting religious hatred, by their own actions themselves incite hatred of dissidents in people. A striking example of this is the surge in sectarian violence that occurred shortly after the infamous Supreme Court decision in April 2017.\n","category":"crime","date":"2020-01-23T11:20:05+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/25/image_hu_355af334b13f1a25.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/25/image_hu_aa8fe315915d8d2e.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/25/image_hu_a3b4ed37535d8ffa.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/25/image_hu_f3d9c44ee14b80c8.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/25.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","search","hatred-attacks","interrogation"],"title":"What Preceded Intentional Damage to Property Based on Religious Hatred in the Village of Sukhobuzimskoe?","type":"news"},{"body":"On the morning of December 29, 2019, Kirill Mikhailin from the village of Sukhobuzimskoye (Krasnoyarsk Territory) discovered that the windshield of his car was broken, and next to it was a note with an obscene word and a mention of Jehovah God. Kirill's family has been receiving threats in connection with their religion for about a year now.\nSomeone smashed the windshield with a sledgehammer and tore off the side mirror. The sledgehammer seems to have slipped out of the vandal's hands and remained inside the cabin. A note with profanity left at the crime scene indicates that it was committed precisely on the basis of religious hatred. Kirill and his wife called the police. The suspect, one of the local residents, was questioned the same day.\nWhile studying the case file, investigator Nadezhda Shnitko found a note indicating that the crime was motivated by religious hatred and enmity, and even asked the victims if they professed the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not yet known whether a criminal case has been initiated.\nDiscrimination, harassment and hatred on the basis of religion, unfortunately, are becoming the norm in our country. The arson of a house, the attack on a 56-year-old woman are just two examples of many. Intolerance towards Jehovah's Witnesses has increased many times since the Supreme Court decision of April 20, 2017. The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in Russia.\n","category":"crime","date":"2020-01-07T09:21:37+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2020/01/1542/ewfrewfr_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_68c6a0c1632792e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2020/01/1542/ewfrewfr_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_2bde69250f6588a5.jpg","webp":"/news/2020/01/1542/ewfrewfr_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_efb8a6eb1450650f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2020/01/1542/ewfrewfr_montazhnaya_oblast_1_hu_789914daa5e37f73.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2020/01/1542.html","regions":["krasnoyarsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","hatred-attacks"],"title":"Religious Strife in Action: In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a Believer Found His Car Damaged With Insults Toward God","type":"news"},{"body":"On the evening of June 2, 2019, in Prokhladnoye (Kabardino-Balkaria), attackers set fire to an empty building where Jehovah's Witnesses had previously held worship services. At one time, the building was built by local believers, but because of persecution it is not used.\nAfter firefighters extinguished the flames, three sources of ignition were discovered. The CCTV camera was previously rendered unusable. The building was badly damaged. The police arrived at the scene, conducted an inspection with witnesses, and a report was drawn up.\nIn Prokhladny, a criminal trial under the article \"extremism\" against Arkadi Hakobyan, a peaceful believer from Prokhladny, who was unreasonably persecuted by the court for about three years, recently ended. All charges were dropped after an appeal against the wrongful conviction was filed.\nNevertheless, the actions of officials against Jehovah's Witnesses apparently fuel an atmosphere of religious hatred and enmity and push aggressive people to commit such acts of vandalism.\nUpdate. It became known that on July 2, 2019, in Kabardino-Balkaria, in connection with the arson of an empty hall for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses, a criminal case was initiated under the article \"Intentional destruction or damage to property\" committed in a generally dangerous way (part 2 of article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The case is being handled by the investigative department of the inter-municipal police department \"Prokhladnensky\".\n","category":"crime","date":"2019-06-06T10:51:25+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2019/06/909/190602_prohladnyy_kbr695_hu_cbbd71f0a263e05b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2019/06/909/190602_prohladnyy_kbr695_hu_66c39cf8fcba0b3c.jpg","webp":"/news/2019/06/909/190602_prohladnyy_kbr695_hu_86245a5e950c2591.webp","webp2x":"/news/2019/06/909/190602_prohladnyy_kbr695_hu_bfdb50007d63c540.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2019/06/909.html","regions":["kabardino-balkar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","arson","new-case","hatred-attacks"],"title":"In Kabardino-Balkaria, an empty hall for worship of Jehovah's Witnesses was set on fire","type":"news"},{"body":"Some cases of violation of the rights of believers that occurred in 2018 are published.\nOn January 21, 2018 , in Ilovaisk, two men disrupted a worship meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. They knocked down a stand with a microphone, took away a smartphone and a tablet from two believers, and then beat several participants in the meeting, including a woman. The attackers threatened physical violence, said they were authorized to do so by the \"central church,\" and accused Jehovah's Witnesses of \"destroying the Orthodox faith.\" Children witnessed what was happening, they were very frightened. The believers called the police. The DPR security forces who arrived interviewed those present and promised to check whether Jehovah's Witnesses were a banned organization. The believers also tried to submit an application to the military commandant's office, but the document was not accepted there.\nOn February 22, 2018, in the village of United (Makiivka), a man beat up two women who were talking to people about the Bible. At the same time, the man insulted believers and threatened them with murder. One of the victims was a 60-year-old woman.\nOn March 19, 2018 , in the village of Bulavinskoye, unknown persons broke the window of the Kingdom Hall, entered and set fire. Several benches were burned, traces of autopsy attempts remained on the metal safe. Burnt matches, the contents of a first-aid kit and household chemicals were scattered throughout the room. Some of the equipment disappeared from the building. The arsonists left a note to the believers: \"You have 200,000 rubles and everything will be fine.\" Thefts have already been committed in this building - in October 2017. Then the DPR police refused to initiate a criminal case.\nOn April 12, 2018, in the village of Nizhnyaya Krynka, the DPR security forces came to the home of a 61-year-old local resident, Olga A. (not her real name). One of the employees hit an elderly woman in the kidney area. They took her phone, keys to the apartment and took her away for interrogation to the local police station. At the police station, the woman was insulted and beaten, and a gas mask was put on her to get a confession of theft (allegedly during a conversation on biblical topics, Olga stole money from one of the local residents). Olga was kept in the department for a day without food. The woman was released only after her acquaintances saw her through the window of the police station. At home, Olga discovered the loss of several tens of thousands of rubles that her relatives had previously sent her. According to those who have known Olga for many years, she has an impeccable reputation. Olga herself claims that she never talked with the allegedly robbed woman.\nOn September 5, 2018, in Shakhtersk, against the backdrop of a trial to ban the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, the DPR security forces summoned one of the believers for questioning about religious activities. Dmitry B. was summoned by phone, the caller introduced himself as a police officer and threatened with riot police in case of refusal to voluntarily appear. Dmitry B. arrived at the police station. He refused to talk about his religious activities, referring to Article 44 of the DPR Constitution, which allows him not to testify against himself. A high-ranking police officer tried to search him and convince him that he was misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution. Dmitriy was kept in the police station for about 3 hours, after which he was released.\nOn December 19, 2018, in Snezhnoye, a group of 10 people, including presumably administrative staff, entered the Kingdom Hall and sealed all doors and windows.\"\n","category":"analytics","date":"2018-12-25T15:47:36+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/12/553/gorlovka_dnr147_hu_edba96866b5e05c4.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/12/553/gorlovka_dnr147.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/12/553/gorlovka_dnr147_hu_40e0cf04053f2329.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/12/553/gorlovka_dnr147_hu_291489c4041c2c9f.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/12/553.html","regions":["dnr"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","meetings-disruption","review","siloviks-violence","minors","hatred-attacks","elderly","interrogation"],"title":"Violation of the rights of believers in a separate territory in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in 2018","type":"news"},{"body":"Roman Khairullin, a 37-year-old Izhevsk resident, who in 2017 committed a pogrom in the building where Jehovah's Witnesses had previously held services, sentenced the magistrate's court to 11 months of suspended imprisonment, to pay compensation for damages and legal costs in total.\nOn the night of May 20, 2017, in the wake of the aggression against believers that swept across Russia after the liquidation of all 396 registered Jehovah's Witnesses organizations, Roman Khairullin entered a building on Krasnoposselskaya Street in Izhevsk through a broken window. With a heavy metal object, he destroyed furniture, a false ceiling, interior doors, audio and video equipment, tore out metal electrical panels, and activated fire extinguishers. The man explained his barbaric actions by a negative attitude towards the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The actions of Roman Khairullin were recorded by CCTV cameras.\n","category":"victory","date":"2018-11-12T22:29:23+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2018/11/512/izhevsk-top3278_0_hu_1fd55b8976a5133e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2018/11/512/izhevsk-top3278_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2018/11/512/izhevsk-top3278_0_hu_df4b52a9790376ce.webp","webp2x":"/news/2018/11/512/izhevsk-top3278_0_hu_8d505f46d3a324ef.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2018/11/512.html","regions":["udmurtia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","violent-raid","hatred-attacks","suspended"],"title":"In Udmurtia, a sentence was passed for a pogrom committed on the basis of hatred","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 9, 2017, Jehovah's Witnesses filed a complaint with Tatyana Moskalkova, High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, against the decision of the Russian Supreme Court of April 20, 2017. Believers ask the Ombudsman to exercise the right to appeal against a court decision that has entered into force.\nAmong other things, the attention of the Commissioner for Human Rights is drawn to the massive, growing human rights violations that followed the court's decision. We are talking about a surge of aggression and vandalism against believers, raids by law enforcement officers, surveillance of believers, collection of personal information, including regarding minors, refusals to provide alternative civilian service, discrimination in the workplace, arrests of believers and even imprisonment.\nThe believers hope that after reviewing the case materials, Tatiana Moskalkova will consider it necessary to appeal to the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Russia with a demand to cancel the unjustified and illegal court decision.\n","category":"rights","date":"2017-10-10T16:49:39+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/10/224/supremecourt-02_2_hu_6f94193f48413aef.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/10/224/supremecourt-02_2.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/10/224/supremecourt-02_2_hu_b4a658cdc4ba2873.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/10/224/supremecourt-02_2_hu_f34d62b92cfde2a.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/10/224.html","regions":["moscow"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","commissioner-rf","complaints","asc","work-restrictions","minors"],"title":"Jehovah's Witnesses ask the Commissioner for Human Rights to appeal the decision of the Supreme Court","type":"news"},{"body":"On September 16, 2017, in the village of Chunsky (Irkutsk region), unknown persons entered the building on Mira Street, where Jehovah's Witnesses used to hold services, cut open internal doors, smashed sound amplification equipment, damaged burglar alarms, and sprayed powder fire extinguishers around the hall. A statement was filed with the police on the fact of hooliganism.\nThe building has not been used in any way since the decision of the Supreme Court, which banned the activities of registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses. The decision is being appealed to the Presidium of the Supreme Court of Russia. Believers have no doubt that these and other barbaric actions were provoked by an unjustified court decision against Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-09-20T16:13:21+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/09/218/image0012543_hu_a95cd0a2f879a2e6.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/09/218/image0012543_hu_eb2d253dd2589d18.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/09/218/image0012543_hu_aecad76374fd1678.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/09/218/image0012543_hu_6452bc53fe6cc660.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/09/218.html","regions":["irkutsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism"],"title":"In the Irkutsk Region, vandalism against the building of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On August 17, 2017, a 56-year-old follower of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses was attacked in the village of Nikonovsky (Ramensky District, Moscow Region), as a result of which she was hospitalized.\nThe attack took place at approximately 18:00. Three believers on a bench were talking, holding a Bible in their hands. At this time, a local resident approached them from behind and shouted \"Get out! You've been banned!\" struck one of the believers on the head with a glass jar she had in her bag. The blow was so strong that residents of neighboring houses mistook it for a shot. Continuing to shout religious insults and threats, the attacker scattered the contents of the believer's bag.\nAn ambulance team stopped the bleeding and took the victim to the hospital, where she was hospitalized with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury with a concussion. A police report has been filed.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-09-04T16:09:58+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/09/211/ambulance_hu_ad238e38cb50ae6e.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/09/211/ambulance.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/09/211/ambulance_hu_76ea713e8e6538bc.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/09/211/ambulance_hu_192829281775e914.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/09/211.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","hatred-attacks"],"title":"Brutal attack on believers in the Moscow region on the basis of religious hatred","type":"news"},{"body":"Pogroms, arson, acts of violence and vandalism, confiscation of personal belongings, insult to the religious feelings of believers in the most heinous form, illegal arrests - all this is becoming an everyday reality in modern Russia. This was made possible only by the incitement of religious intolerance in society, which has intensified many times after the recent decision of the Supreme Court.\n","category":"from-the-scene","date":"2017-06-20T22:22:23+03:00","duration":"9:12","image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/06/182/vandalism_1_hu_f675ec6431f79dec.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/06/182/vandalism_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/06/182/vandalism_1_hu_12ecab308259263f.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/06/182/vandalism_1_hu_c8589201c8bb5625.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/06/182.html","regions":["oryol","udmurtia","moscow_obl"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","hatred-attacks","violent-raid","arson"],"title":"Video: A wave of sectarian violence has swept the country","type":"video"},{"body":"On May 24, 2017 in the village. Zheshart (Komi Republic) set fire to the house in which worship services of Jehovah's Witnesses were held. The porch and half of the roof burned down. The building suffered significant damage. The remains of a Molotov cocktail were found.\nAbout 50 followers of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses live in the village. They are shocked by what happened. The action continued a wave of vandalism following the Supreme Court's decision against Jehovah's Witnesses. Incidents also occurred in St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Moscow, Penza, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Tula regions, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the Republic of Udmurtia.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-26T17:44:02+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/169/170524_zheshart_podzhog3383_hu_217af44bed1e69d5.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/169/170524_zheshart_podzhog3383.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/169/170524_zheshart_podzhog3383_hu_f4ceeacbd0089a74.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/169/170524_zheshart_podzhog3383_hu_e7f77a73e7130a6d.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/169.html","regions":["komi"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","arson"],"title":"Arson of the building of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Komi Republic","type":"news"},{"body":"On the night of May 20, 2017, in Izhevsk, a man entered the building on Krasnoposelskaya Street, where Jehovah's Witnesses worship were held, through a broken window. Inside, he destroyed furniture, a false ceiling, interior doors, audio and video equipment with a heavy metal object, tore out metal electrical panels, and activated fire extinguishers. Thanks to a security alert, local believers arrived at the building, with their help, the man was detained by the police. Investigative actions are being carried out. The man explained his barbaric actions by a negative attitude towards the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses.\nThe Supreme Court's decision sparked a wave of such aggressive, intimidating actions against Jehovah's Witnesses. Incidents also occurred in St. Petersburg, in the Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Moscow, Penza, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Tula regions, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory .\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-24T17:49:11+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/167/izhevsk-top3278_hu_d60750e1298a383b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/167/izhevsk-top3278.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/167/izhevsk-top3278_hu_510d8cc331774202.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/167/izhevsk-top3278_hu_ae098bac2a216be7.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/167.html","regions":["udmurtia"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","violent-raid","hatred-attacks"],"title":"Pogrom in the building of Jehovah's Witnesses in Udmurtia","type":"news"},{"body":"Late in the evening of May 6, 2017, unknown persons drove a car to a residential building on the street of the Ministry of Railways in the village. Novokhopersky (Voronezh region) and broke glass in the apartment of a local resident who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. The action was accompanied by shouts, the meaning of which the woman did not hear.\nIn addition, on the night of May 14, 2017 in Yekaterinburg, on the porch of the building where the services of Jehovah's Witnesses were held, unknown persons applied an offensive inscription.\nThe decision of the Supreme Court against the organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses, issued on April 20, 2017 and which did not enter into force, caused a wave of aggressive actions against the followers of this religion. Incidents also occurred in St. Petersburg, in the Kaliningrad, Moscow, Penza, Rostov, Tula regions, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory .\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-15T14:18:26+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/163/170506_vandalizm3274_hu_82fb23b57dd289a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/163/170506_vandalizm3274.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/163/170506_vandalizm3274_hu_77ee8ee59c014178.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/163/170506_vandalizm3274_hu_d7f4d38254c749b1.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/163.html","regions":["voronezh","sverdlovsk"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism"],"title":"New cases of vandalism against Jehovah's Witnesses: Voronezh and Sverdlovsk regions","type":"news"},{"body":"On May 5, 2017, in the city of Novomoskovsk (Tula Region), unknown persons entered the courtyard of the building where Jehovah's Witnesses used to hold services and put a threatening inscription on the door.\nActions against Jehovah's Witnesses dictated by religious intolerance became more frequent after the decision of the Supreme Court of Russia on April 20, 2017 to liquidate registered organizations of this religion.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-09T15:44:20+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/159/novomoskovsk_vandalizm3107_hu_5b48e6d4c3a2ea01.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/159/novomoskovsk_vandalizm3107.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/159/novomoskovsk_vandalizm3107_hu_4edd6bd7d51d1d58.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/159/novomoskovsk_vandalizm3107_hu_606cdda02c7f8965.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/159.html","regions":["tula"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism"],"title":"Manifestation of religiously motivated vandalism in the Tula region","type":"news"},{"body":"On April 30, 2017, another act of vandalism was committed against followers of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. In the village of Lutsino, Moscow Region, a local resident who had previously spoken negatively against the religion threw a Molotov cocktail into the house where a family of Jehovah's Witnesses lived while intoxicated. The resulting fire destroyed two houses and cars of believers.\nThe culprit of the arson was detained in hot pursuit.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-08T17:38:57+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/158/0_1_hu_f90a387eb0d07e0b.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/158/0_1.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/158/0_1_hu_7d2b72adcff378f4.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/158/0_1_hu_4b1297bb1c362ef0.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/158.html","regions":["moscow_obl"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","arson"],"title":"A house inhabited by Jehovah's Witnesses in the Moscow region","type":"news"},{"body":"On the night of April 22, 2017, in the city of Gukovo (Rostov Region), unknown persons damaged a household where Jehovah's Witnesses worship were held. They broke the mailbox, threw mud at the front door and dented the fence.\nOn the night of April 30, 2017, in Achinsk (Krasnoyarsk region), one of the local residents, aggressively opposed to Jehovah's Witnesses, broke a window in the house where Jehovah's Witnesses worship were held. The next day, the believers asked him to stop such hooligan actions. However, the local resident reacted aggressively and said that he would not stop doing what he was doing.\nOn the night of April 30, 2017, in Penza, unknown intruders entered the territory of the house where Jehovah's Witnesses worship were held. They broke down the gate and hung it on an arch above the place where it was installed.\nOn the night of May 2, 2017, in Kaliningrad, unknown assailants smashed a window with a stone in the house where a family of Jehovah's Witnesses lives. At that time, a relative of the believers was in the house. When the glass was broken, he was in shock for several minutes. Believers report that he has always had peaceful, good-neighborly relations in the district. The only reason for the incident, he believes, is hatred caused by the decision of the Supreme Court to liquidate Jehovah's Witnesses and incited in the media.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-05-05T16:53:56+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/05/157/vandalizm2_hu_c72c0c3ccc67348a.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/05/157/vandalizm2.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/05/157/vandalizm2_hu_53eb6a0262b25026.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/05/157/vandalizm2_hu_7d4b0bbf21189602.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/05/157.html","regions":["rostov","krasnoyarsk","penza","kaliningrad"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","hatred-attacks","administrative-center"],"title":"Four New Cases of Vandalism After the Supreme Court Decision Against Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"A few hours after the Supreme Court of Russia announced the decision to liquidate the center of Jehovah's Witnesses, late in the evening of April 20, 2017, a group of men drove up in 2 cars to the largest worship building of Jehovah's Witnesses in St. Petersburg, located on Kolomyazhsky Prospekt. They blocked the exit from the building with cars. One of the visitors, shouting insults to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and threats of physical violence, threw the façade of the building, including glass doors and windows, with pre-prepared cobblestones. The liturgical building suffered significant damage.\nSuch a development of events was predicted by the lawyers who spoke in court. Earlier in the day, speaking in the debate, Maksim Novakov, representing the Jehovah's Witnesses Center, predicted that the trial could provoke a wave of violence against the Witnesses, ranging from damage to property to attacks on believers motivated by religious hatred. These are the inevitable consequences of the fact that peaceful people are unreasonably considered dangerous criminals.\n","category":"crime","date":"2017-04-25T12:46:58+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2017/04/150/vandalism_hu_6278eccc146a8285.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2017/04/150/vandalism.jpg","webp":"/news/2017/04/150/vandalism_hu_3b50bb42f4e5a86b.webp","webp2x":"/news/2017/04/150/vandalism_hu_144e8831c8248551.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2017/04/150.html","regions":["stpetersburg"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism","violent-raid","administrative-center"],"title":"The Supreme Court's decision provoked a harsh act of religious intolerance in St. Petersburg","type":"news"},{"body":"On December 17, 2016, approximately 15 people came to the worship building of Jehovah's Witnesses on Poselkovaya Street in Sochi, led by Police Major S. A. Matsko. Police officers, as well as people in Cossack uniforms, blocked all the doors in the building.\nLaw enforcement officers insisted on the expulsion of believers from the hall, leaving only two. As a result, believers, deprived of the opportunity to control the actions of a group of operatives, were planted with a printed publication included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials.\nIn addition to the fact that this outrageous forgery was committed, the police disrupted the services of two Sochi communities of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is noteworthy that one of the \"witnesses\" who came with the police helped knock out the gate into the courtyard of the liturgical building. Six months ago, the same witnesses were seen searching the apartment of Jehovah's Witnesses.\n","category":"siloviki","date":"2016-12-19T16:16:50+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2016/12/75/planting-01_0_hu_4e3c9539bf236ac7.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2016/12/75/planting-01_0.jpg","webp":"/news/2016/12/75/planting-01_0_hu_6040977556c61772.webp","webp2x":"/news/2016/12/75/planting-01_0_hu_62d4767538f77ccd.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2016/12/75.html","regions":["krasnodar"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["meetings-disruption","plant","fabrications","fsem","vandalism"],"title":"In Sochi, Authorities Planted a Prohibited Item on Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"},{"body":"On October 28, 2016, on the fence around the worship building of Jehovah's Witnesses at 13 Pushkari Street, inscriptions were found with threats against followers of this religion. A total of 17 meters of the fence surface was damaged.\nThe check showed that the inscriptions were made the night before by two unknown persons. Believers associate this action with unreliable defamatory information about Jehovah's Witnesses disseminated by individual activists in the Kirov region.\nBelievers made efforts to repair the damage caused by the vandals. The photo above was taken after the threatening inscriptions were washed away.\n","category":"crime","date":"2016-10-31T16:35:56+03:00","duration":null,"image":{"jpg":"/news/2016/10/53/kirovkh-01_hu_130874e044f9919.jpg","jpg2x":"/news/2016/10/53/kirovkh-01.jpg","webp":"/news/2016/10/53/kirovkh-01_hu_8ab8fce07c6bb3b3.webp","webp2x":"/news/2016/10/53/kirovkh-01_hu_1f4df7e9622eb890.webp"},"permalink":"/en/news/2016/10/53.html","regions":["kirov"],"subtitle":null,"tags":["vandalism"],"title":"In Kirov, an act of vandalism against the worship building of Jehovah's Witnesses","type":"news"}]