The case of Pasynkov in Mednogorsky

Case History

In December 2022, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against a resident of Stavropol, Aleksey Pasynkov, who, together with his wife, is raising a disabled child. The believer was suspected of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. Aleksey, his family, as well as other believers, are undergoing several waves of searches. Pasynkov's criminal prosecution is linked to other cases against Jehovah's Witnesses in Karachay-Cherkessia, including the case against Irina Perefilyeva.

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    November 23, 2021 Search

    Searches are being carried out in the apartment of Alexei Pasynkov in Stavropol, as well as at his brothers in the village of Mednogorsky (Karachay-Cherkessia). The search of Alexei's house is led by police major Azat Dzhamturiev, an operative for the Department of Internal Affairs of the CPE of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Around 8:30 a.m., the believer is picked up from his place of work and taken home. At Alexei's request, the security forces allow his wife to go outside with her disabled child so as not to disturb him. According to law enforcement officers, the search is being conducted in connection with a criminal case against another believer. The man's phone is seized. After the search, the security forces took Aleksey back to his place of work.

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    February 21, 2022

    The Pasynkovs are summoned for interrogation as witnesses in the criminal case against Irina Perefilieva.

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    December 8, 2022 Case initiated

    A. A. Ionov, senior investigator of the Zelenchuksky Interdistrict Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, initiates a criminal case against Aleksey Pasynkov under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

    According to the decision to initiate the case, Pasynkov, among other things, "organized and maintained contacts with persons professing the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, including those living in other regions of the Russian Federation; attracted to participate in the activities of a religious association ... Perefiliev I. A. and unidentified persons ... was the initiator and had an advantage in determining the course of worship, directed the actions of other persons present at the services.

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    March 3, 2023 Search

    Alexei Pasynkov's apartment in Stavropol is being searched again. It starts at 7 am and lasts an hour and a half. It is carried out by the FSB operative for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic Ivan Klimenko, the specialist of the CPE of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Stavropol Territory, detective Vitaly Dobrovolsky, as well as Major Azat Dzhamturiev, who searched the Pasynkovs in 2021. Law enforcement officers are looking for "objects and documents confirming illegal activities" of Alexei Pasynkov, but as a result they do not seize anything.

    After the search, Alexei and his wife are taken to the police department of the Oktyabrsky district of Stavropol for a conversation with a police officer.

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    March 31, 2023 Search

    A search is underway in the village of Kardonikskaya at the home of Alexei Pasynkov's brothers and mother. It starts at 10 am and lasts 2 hours. It is conducted by five people. During the search, the security forces behave aggressively, scattering things around the apartment. Against the background of stress, a woman has an attack, she calls an ambulance. Phones and computers are seized from believers.

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    April 5, 2023 Search

    The security forces come with a search to two more residents of the village of Kardonikskaya. According to the women, law enforcement officers threaten one of them with forced hospitalization in a neuropsychiatric dispensary.

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    November 1, 2023 Case went to court

    The case is submitted to the Urup District Court of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. It will be considered by judge Rustam Chomaev.

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    December 14, 2023 Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation

    The court satisfies the believer's request for the admission of a defense counsel to participate in the proceedings along with a lawyer.

    In addition to the participants of the process, there are 15 listeners in the hall.

    Prosecutor Azamat Adzhiyev reads out the indictment. Alexei Pasynkov reads out his attitude to the charges, without admitting guilt in extremism.

    A witness is being questioned.

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    December 28, 2023 Search

    Alexei Pasynkov's relatives are being searched again in connection with another criminal case, Svetlana Ogoreva. Bibles, personal records and electronic devices are seized from them.

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    30 January — 29 February 2024 Hearing in a court of the first instance Interrogation

    Interrogation of prosecution witnesses.

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    March 18, 2024 Hearing in a court of the first instance

    The case is being transferred to another judge, Ida Uzdenova, in connection with the death of Judge Chomaev.