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Criminal Investigation and Trial

Four Jehovah's Witnesses Detained in Sochi, Among them a Woman

Krasnodar Territory

On March 24, 2021, 4 believers were detained and placed in a temporary detention center in Sochi. Two days later, the court ruled to detain 54-year-old Vladimir Deshko and 48-year-old Tatyana Velizhanina in jail. 54-year-old Yuriy Logininskiy and 56-year-old Yuriy Moskalyov were placed under house arrest.

According to available data, the believers are accused of “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization” (part 1.1 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) simply because they had talked with local residents about God. FSB officers along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Krasnodar Territory took part in the arrest of the believers; the Investigative Committee of Russia is engaged in the investigation of the criminal case.

Vladimir Deshko and Tatyana Velizhanina will remain in the pre-trial detention center until at least April 18, 2021.

This is the eighth criminal case in the Krasnodar Territory. In December 2020, residents of Sochi, Vyacheslav Popov and Nikolay Kuzichkin were found guilty of organizing extremist activities. In February 2021, a 63-year-old Jehovah's Witness from the village of Kholmskaya, Aleksandr Ivshin, received an unprecedentedly harsh sentence: 7 and a half years in prison for his faith.

The case of Loginskiy and Others in Sochi

Case History
In March 2021, Vladimir Deshko, Yuriy Loginsky, Yuriy Moskalyov and Tatyana Velizhanina were arrested for their belief in God. Officers of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Krasnodar Territory participated in the detention of Sochi residents. Two days later, the court ruled to detain Deshko and Velizhanina in a pre-trial detention center, and Loginsky and Moskalev under house arrest. For conversations about God with local residents, believers were accused of “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization.” Tatyana Velizhanina had covid in a pre-trial detention center. She and Deshko were placed under house arrest after 11 and 10 months in a pre-trial detention center, respectively. In February 2022, the criminal case was submitted to the Khostinsky District Court of Sochi, and it was appointed to Judge Konstantin Sidoruk. On March 28, 2022, he found the believers guilty and sentenced Velizhanina to 1 year and 5 months, and Deshko to 1 year and 4 months in prison, which they actually served. Moskalev and Loginskiy were sentenced to 2 years of suspended sentence without restriction of freedom with a probationary period of 2 years.
Timeline

Persons in case

Deshko
Vladimir
Loginskiy
Yuriy
Moskalev
Yuriy
Velizhanina
Tatyana

Criminal case

Region:
Krasnodar Territory
Locality:
Sochi
Suspected of:
According to the investigation, the defendants "in order to promote the activities of the banned association from December 2018 to March 2019, held meetings in the city of Sochi, as well as religious speeches to spread the ideology of the banned association. In addition, in order to promote this banned organization ... carried out preaching activities with the aim of recruiting a local resident."
Court case number:
12102030014000016
Initiated:
February 18, 2021
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the Khostinsky District of Sochi of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1.1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
1-112/2022
Court of First Instance:
Хостинский районный суд г. Сочи
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Константин Сидорук
Case History