"It Is Armageddon For You!" After a Provocateur's Denunciation, the Kerch Law Enforcers Kept a Believer Undressed for Three Hours in the Cold

During the raid in Kerch on May 26, 2020, law enforcement officers kept the 29-year-old father of two young children, Artyom Shabliy, undressed for several hours in the cold, resulting in his illness. His 4-year-old son cut his legs on shatters from the windows broken by the law enforcers. In total 5 houses of believers were searched that day.

On May 26th, 2020 at 6 a.m. investigator for especially important cases V. Zarubin initiated a criminal case against Artem Shabliy under part 1.1. of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code. One hour later, a group of 10 armed men stormed his house, breaking a gate and window panes.

The believer was handcuffed and placed on a cold, damp floor, threatening to use a stun gun. Artyom was not allowed to stand up for a long time, although he did not resist. During the 3-hour search, the believer, wearing only underwear, stood facing the wall and was handcuffed. Because of the broken windows and open doors in the house, the believer fell ill - that morning the temperature outside ranged between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius.

The young children of Artyom suffered - the older 4-year-old son cut his legs on the glass, dotted the floor. The security forces confiscated a computer, phones, literature, documents, postcards mentioning the name of Jehovah God.

A window broken by security forces in the house of Artem Shabliy during the assault. Kerch. May 26, 2020.

After Artyom had been searched, he was taken to the Investigation Department. There, he stood in the corridor for two hours waiting for interrogation. Artyom's handcuffs were only taken off in the investigator's office. One of the law enforcers put pressure on him, saying: "It’s Armageddon for you! I'll baptize you by eight years of imprisonment. You're going to plant trees in a joint and tailor my uniform."

The investigator, Major of Justice Valery Zarubin, processed the administrative detention for two days against Artyom and sent him to the detention center. The believer was locked in a cold, dirty room measuring 1 by 2 meters, with no furniture. Artyom had to stand again until two hours later he was given a mattress, a dirty pillow, a short sheet and a blanket.

Artyom was not allowed to make a legal call to his family. All this time, no water or food was given to the believer. It was only at 18:00 that Artyom ate what his wife had brought him for the first time in a day. The isolation cell also had no technical water until 11:00 the next day until he was transferred to another room.

The next day, the investigation continued. Zarubin insisted that Artyom plead guilty. He refused Shabliy's requests to replace the investigator and the lawyer. From the detention center, where Artyom spent two days, he was released under an obligation to appear. At the exit from the detention center facility, the believer felt ill and had to call an ambulance. Without waiting for the doctors, his friends took Artyom to the hospital, where he was examined. The believer filed a complaint with the law enforcement agencies about the illegal actions of law enforcement officers.

It is noteworthy that the criminal prosecution of Artyom Shabliy started after a statement by an Igor Dukhanin. Earlier a man with the same name initiated conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses in Kerch, portraying his interest in the Bible. According to the Crimean Prosecutor's Office, in 2015 a local resident with such name and surname was sentenced to 2.5 years conditionally for extremist activities - distribution of leaflets inciting national hatred.

Law-enforcement agencies of Ukraine became interested in violation of the rights of believers in Kerch and a criminal case was initiated on the fact of illegal searches.