The Case of the Chechulins in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

Case History

Sergey and Yelena Chechulin became defendants in yet another criminal case against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. In September 2022, the Investigative Committee initiated a case against them on suspicion of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. A month later, their home was searched, and the couple were placed under a recognizance agreement. In December 2023, the case went to court. The prosecutor requested 6 years in a penal colony for the Chechulins, but the court applied an article of a lesser charge for participating in the activity of an extremist organization and in April 2024 gave the couple a 2-year suspended sentence. The court of appeal upheld this decision, but in October of the same year, the court of cassation sent the case for reconsideration. In February 2025, a second sentence was handed down — 6 years suspended. This decision was upheld by the second court of appeal.

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