At Least Two More Searches Were Carried Out in Kazan on Families of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Believer Is Under a Recognizance Agreement

On the morning of March 18, 2022, searches were carried out in Kazan in two families of Jehovah's Witnesses. A criminal case was opened against 41-year-old Aleksey Gerasimov for his faith, he was placed under a recognizance agreement.

At 6:00 a.m., law enforcement officers invaded the homes of civilians. Electronic devices were confiscated from a large family with four children. The head of the family was interrogated for about 4 hours and then released.

During searches, the Gerasimovs, who live with their mother, 71, were seized laptops, flash drives, bank cards, and a foreign passport by the security forces. On the same day, Aleksey Gerasimov was interrogated twice: first at the Center for Combating Extremism, and then at the local department of the Investigative Committee. Two more members of the believer's family were also interrogated.

Gerasimov was informed that on March 10, 2022, a criminal case was opened against him on suspicion of organizing and participating in extremist activities. The case file contains a hidden recording of a worship service, which, according to investigators, was attended by the suspect.

After interrogations, investigator Airat Giniyatullin released the believer under recognizance agreement, which gives Gerasimov the opportunity to continue working and provide for his family.

A few days before these events, another Jehovah's Witness from Kazan, Sergey Gromov, was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Whether these events are related is still unknown.

The news is being supplemented.