Lieutenant of Justice Y. V. Prokopov, an investigator of the investigative unit for the investigation of organized criminal activities of the Investigative Directorate of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Samara, initiates a case against Samvel Babayan, accusing him of organizing the activities of an extremist organization.
Early in the morning, law enforcement officers burst into Samvel Babayan's apartment. The security forces put the owner of the apartment and his 17-year-old son on the floor and read out the search warrant. During the 6-hour search, the investigator, three operational officers, two IT specialists and three special forces soldiers seized a laptop, mobile phones, flash drives, a hard drive and bank cards.
The whole family is taken for interrogation to the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then the investigator detains Samvel Babayan and sends him to the temporary detention facility.
Judge of the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Samara Irina Velmina chooses a measure of restraint for Samvel Babayan in the form of detention.
Samvel Babayan spent the first two weeks of his detention in the pre-trial detention center in quarantine. He is now being held in a double cell. Due to repairs, there has been no water supply in the pre-trial detention center for some time, so prisoners cannot take showers. The believer asks to be transferred to a non-smoking cell, but so far to no avail. In general, he is trying to get used to the changed circumstances.
In prison, Samvel's chronic diseases worsened and his sleep was disturbed. Prior to his arrest, he underwent a medical examination and was preparing for surgery. His wife gave him the necessary medicines.
Prisoners treat the believer with respect. He receives letters and parcels. He has some parts of the Bible.
Appeal against the measure of restraint of Samvel Babayan. Via video conferencing, the believer says that after suffering a cold in the pre-trial detention center, his health deteriorated significantly, one ear stopped hearing. The treatment that the pre-trial detention center can provide does not help him. The court does not take into account Samvel's state of health and whether he has a place to live. The believer remains behind bars.
Samvel Babayan is being held in a double non-smoking cell. He was recently taken to the hospital for a heart exam. His health condition continues to deteriorate: due to constant pain, he cannot sleep. Since his imprisonment in the pre-trial detention center, the believer has lost 15 kg in weight.
The believer is now in a 9-bed cell, where 7 people are currently being held. He has a respectful relationship with his cellmates. In terms of health, Samvel has no improvement.
Samvel Babayan's case is submitted to the Kirovsky District Court of Samara, and Sergey Dragunov has been appointed judge.
The defense filed a motion for the publicity of the trial, since the first hearing was held behind closed doors. The court satisfies it and proceeds to the interrogation of the prosecution witnesses.
Aleksey V.V., a former head of the department of the Center for Combating Extremism (CPE) and an operational officer, finds it difficult to answer whether there are signs of extremism in the words and actions of the defendant. In addition, he admits that Samvel Babayan did not call for enmity or religious discord. It also turns out that the witness himself did not participate in any operational measures in this case.
The son of the defendant, who was a minor at the time of the search and interrogation in the Investigative Committee, is being interrogated. He enjoys the right not to testify against himself and his relatives, so the protocol of his interrogation is read out. The young man states that he did not utter the remarks recorded by the investigator and most of the signatures were not made by his hand.
Babayan asks the court not to schedule more than three sessions a month because he is experiencing severe back pain and needs time to recover. The prosecutor objects: in his opinion, this is a delay in the process. The court rejects the petition.
The defendant becomes ill at the court hearing: it is difficult for him to breathe because of the heat. An ambulance is called for the believer. Doctors measure his blood pressure, do a cardiogram, after which the meeting continues.
Samvel Babayan's health condition is not improving - he suffers from hypertension, and as a result of examinations, he was diagnosed with several diseases of internal organs. This affects the emotional background: sometimes, due to apathy, it is difficult for him to get out of bed in the morning. Samvel takes comfort in the examples of Bible characters who have faced similar problems.
Several Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted for their faith had already been held in this pre-trial detention center. Their behavior and the decency of Samvel himself made a good impression on the administration of the institution and other prisoners.