Photo: Elena and Dmitry Mikhailov (November 15, 2018)

Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Ivanovo region, a believer left the pre-trial detention center after 171 days in custody

Ivanovo Region

On November 15, 2018, the Court of Appeal overturned the order for further detention of Dmitry Mikhailov, a 40-year-old resident of Shuya (Ivanovo region), who professes the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. He left pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Ivanovo region after spending almost six months in it.

The case of the Mikhailov spouses and others in Shuya was initiated under Part 2 of Article 282.2 and Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to investigators, the Mikhailovs, together with unidentified persons, participated in worship services. The Investigative Committee mistakenly interprets this as participation in and financing of the activities of an "extremist organization" (with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to liquidate all 396 registered organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses), while the Russian government officially states that the decision of the Supreme Court "does not contain a restriction or prohibition on the individual practice of the above doctrine." "There is a contradiction between the declared position of the Government of the Russian Federation and law enforcement practice. This cannot but cause concern, since criminal prosecutions and arrests have become systemic," the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights said in a statement .

Case of the Mikhaylovs and Others in Shuya

Case History
Wiretapping, the introduction of a provocateur, hidden video filming in the homes of believers — this began the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Shuya in the spring of 2017. A year later, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under three extremist articles against peaceful believer Dmitry Mikhailov. In April and June 2018, the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were searched: believers were treated rudely, pressured, and even a 10-year-old girl was interrogated. After the searches, new defendants appeared in the case: Elena Mikhailova, Svetlana Ryzhkova, Svetlana Shishina and Alexey Arkhipov. Dmitry spent 6 months in a pre-trial detention center. In September 2019, the investigator handed over the case to the prosecutor, but a year later he returned it for further investigation. The criminal case went to court in July 2021, but the judge returned it to the prosecutor for revision. The retrial of the case in the same court began in May 2022.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Ivanovo Region
Locality:
Shuya
Suspected of:
according to the investigation he participated in religious services, which is interpreted as participating in and funding of “the activity of an extremist organisation” (with reference to the decision of the Russian Supreme Court on the liquidation of all 396 registered organisations of Jehovah’s Witnesses)
Court case number:
11802240009000024
Initiated:
April 19, 2018
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Ivanovo Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-1/2024 (1-2/2023; 1-138/2022)
Court:
Шуйский городской суд Ивановской области
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Антон Мокин
Case History