Case History
In November 2020, a large-scale special operation was carried out in Moscow under the sight of television cameras — 22 searches were carried out in the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Vardan Zakaryan had to be hospitalized due to injuries inflicted by the law enforcement officers. After 3 days, he was placed in detention at the address 38 Petrovka, where Vitaliy Komarov, Yuriy Chernyshev, Ivan Chaykovsky and Sergey Shatalov had been before him. These believers were accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, and Zakaryan was accused of involving others in it. It is noteworthy that in 2010 Ivan Chaykovsky, through the ECHR, obtained compensation for the violation of his rights due to the illegal liquidation of the Moscow community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. All 5 men spent more than 2 years under house arrest. In February 2022, their case went to court. The accusation was based on the testimony of the FSB agent “Makarov”, who feigned an interest in the Bible. In March 2023, the court sentenced Chaykovsky, Komarov, Chernyshev and Shatalov to 6 years and 3 months in a penal colony; Zakarian was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in a penal colony.