Homes of Jehovah's Witnesses in Tver Searched and Criminal Case Initiated Because of Their Faith

On July 24, 2023, searches were carried out in Tver in three houses of local residents who practise the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. A criminal case under an article for extremism was initiated against 40-year-old Maksim Barbazyuk, 50-year-old Aleksandr Kostyuk and 68-year-old Valeriy Tolmazov.

The law enforcement officers began the raid at 6 a.m. Electronic devices were seized during the searches. According to the believers, the law enforcement officers behaved appropriately.

By 3 p.m., the three men were taken for interrogation to the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the Tver Region, where they were told that on June 29, 2023, a criminal case had been initiated against them. Investigator Maksim Prusakov questioned the believers about their religious views. The interrogations continued until 11 p.m.

The ruling to initiate a criminal case states: “Kostyuk, Barbazyuk and Tolmazov continue to carry out extremist activity by holding in-person and online meetings (videoconferences).” This is how the investigation interpreted the peaceful actions of the believers who discussed what they read in the Bible with their families and friends.

This is not the first case of prosecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Tver Region. In July 2021, a criminal case was initiated against Aleksandr Starikov and Sergey Naumenko.