Illustrative photo

Criminal trial

A new criminal case in the Amur Region. Four residents of Tynda were accused of extremism

Amur Region

It became known that the searches in Tynda, which took place on November 17, 2019, were carried out as part of a criminal case against four residents of Tynda - Sergey Yuferov, Valery Slashchev, Mikhail Burkov and Vladimir Bukin. All of them are accused of "organizing meetings of followers ... religious organizations".

The criminal case was initiated on November 11, 2019. The persecution of believers is carried out by the investigator of the FSB Directorate for the Amur Region, V. S. Obukhov. According to investigators, the defendants "wanted an offensive ... socially dangerous consequences, acting out of extremist motives." They are charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

During the searches on November 17, 2019, electronic media, Bibles in the Synodal translation and even a napkin with a beautiful illustration, which the security forces considered suspicious, were seized. To date, 10 believers have already been prosecuted in the Amur Region.

Case of Bukin and Others in Tynda

Case History
In 2018, in the town of Tynda, FSB agent Nurakov, feigning interest in the Bible, began attending religious services of Jehovah’s Witnesses and collecting information about them. In November 2019, a criminal case was initiated against Sergey Yuferov, Valeriy Slashchev, Mikhail Burkov and Vladimir Bukin. A wave of searches took place throughout the city. Obukhov, the investigator of FSB, who has at least eight cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses from the Amur region, accused the men of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and involving others in it. In June 2021, the case went to trial. A year and a half later, the believers were sentenced to six years and two months to six and a half years in prison. In December 2022, the appeal overturned the verdict and sent the case for a new trial, and the believers were released from the pre-trial detention center, where they spent two months. In June 2023, they were again sentenced to prison. Bukin, Slashchev and Yuferov were given six years and four months each, and Burkov - six years and two months. A further appeal in August 2023 upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Amur Region
Locality:
Tynda
Suspected of:
по версии следствия, «организовали собрания последователей... религиозных организаций»
Court case number:
11907100001000076
Initiated:
November 11, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
СО УФСБ России по Амурской области
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.2 (1.1)
Court case number:
1-45/2023 (1-9/2022; 1-131/2021)
Court of First Instance:
Тындинский районный суд Амурской области
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Валентина Брикова
Case History