Photo: raid on believers in the Nizhny Novgorod region (July 2019)

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

Searches and Detentions of Believers in Karelia

Karelia

On July 31, 2019, the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Karelia conducted at least 15 searches in the cities of Petrozavodsk and Kondopoga in the homes and workplaces of citizens believed to be Jehovah's Witnesses. Men and women were detained for interrogation, some overnight. Several people are still not in touch, presumably they are detained.

A criminal case was opened on the grounds that in 2017 the Supreme Court of Russia banned the activities of all Jehovah's Witnesses organizations in Russia at once. Law enforcement agencies interpret this decision as a total ban on the worship of Jehovah ("Jehovah" is the name of God in the Bible).

In most cases, believers were caught by law enforcement officers at home. For some, the seizure groups came to their workplaces. Spouses Maksim and Maria Amosov were detained on the street, while the woman's coat was torn. The search in the apartment of Mikhail Gordeev, where he lives with his wife, minor daughters and mother-in-law, was carried out until the evening. During the searches, phones, tablets, computers and the like were seized from citizens.

Judging by the investigators' questions, a criminal case was opened against 44-year-old Alexei Smelov from Kondopoga and 42-year-old Maxim Amosov from Petrozavodsk. Both men have families who are struggling with unfair criminal prosecution.

Exactly 3 years ago, on July 28, 2016, the Karelian special services staged an act of intimidation for believers, breaking into the worship buildings of Jehovah's Witnesses in Petrozavodsk and Kostomuksha with machine guns. Believers were roughly knocked to the floor, pressed with their knees, kicked.

Law enforcement officers inappropriately call the religion of citizens participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Prominent public figures of Russia, the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation, as well as international organizations - the European Union External Action Service, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - drew attention to this problem. Jehovah's Witnesses have nothing to do with extremism and insist on their complete innocence. The Russian government has repeatedly stated that the decisions of the Russian courts on the liquidation and prohibition of organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses "do not assess the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, do not contain a restriction or prohibition to practice the above teachings individually."

Case of Smelov in Kondopoga

Case History
In July 2019, the deputy head of the FSB Directorate for the Republic of Karelia, M. Golubenko, opened a criminal case for organizing the activities of an extremist organization against Alexei Smelov, a father of three children. The basis for this was the report of FSB Lieutenant Usoltsev, who portrayed interest in the Bible and kept hidden audio recordings of divine services and conversations with believers. The house of Smelov and 16 other families of civilians in Kondopoga and Petrozavodsk were searched. Aleksey was interrogated twice, after which they took a written undertaking not to leave the place. In April 2021, Smelov’s case went to court. It was considered by Judge Alexander Ivanov. Although the prosecution did not provide facts of extremist calls or actions, the prosecutor requested a fine of 500 thousand rubles for him. After the debate, the court decided to continue the proceedings. As a result, Alexey Smely was fined 400,000 rubles in April 2022. The appellate court upheld the verdict.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Karelia
Locality:
Kondopoga
Suspected of:
According to the investigation in the territory of Kondopoga city in the Republic of Karelia he organized the activities of the illicit religious organization of “Administrative Centre of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia” local unit including convening meetings, organizing propaganda activities, and recruiting new members
Court case number:
11907860001000023
Initiated:
July 31, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Russian Federal Security Office for the Republic of Karelia
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-2/2022 (1-72/2021)
Court:
Кондопожский городской суд Республики Карелия
Judge:
Александр Иванов
Case History