Case of Ershov in Shadrinsk

Case History

In July 2021, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against Ilya Yershov and Aleksandr Lubin. A few days later, law enforcement officers searched the homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kurgan and Shadrinsk, after which Yershov was sent to a temporary detention facility for 2 days. In March 2023, the investigator stopped the prosecution on charges of organizing the activities of an extremist organization and separated the materials against Ilya into a separate proceeding. A new criminal case against the believer was initiated in September 2023 on charges of participating in the activities of an extremist organization.
Timeline

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    Search Interrogation Temporary detention facility

    Local Jehovah's Witnesses are being searched in Kurgan and the city of Shadrinsk, about 150 km away. Among those detained and taken in for interrogation is Ilya Ershov.

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    Search Temporary detention facility Interrogation Case initiated
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    Temporary detention facility

    Investigator Astapov releases Ershov from custody, as there are no grounds for his further detention.

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    Case initiated Art. 282.2 (2)

    Nikolay Astapov, deputy head of the first department for the investigation of especially important cases, terminates the criminal prosecution of Ilya Ershov for organizing the activities of an extremist association.

    The resolution states: "During the investigation of the criminal case ... sufficient evidence on the basis of which Ershov could be charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has not been established."

    At the same time, materials under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the case of Alexander Lubin are separated into separate proceedings against him.

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    Case initiated Art. 282.2 (2)

    Senior investigator Captain of Justice A. A. Kravchenko initiates a criminal case against Ilya Ershov for participation in the activities of an extremist organization. The basis is the report of Nikolai Astapov.

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    Interrogation

    Investigator Kravchenko interrogates Ilya Ershov as a suspect.

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    Interrogation Summon to report

    Criminal investigation officers come to Ilya Yershov's home and take him to the police station. There he is informed that he is wanted because he allegedly stopped "getting in touch" with the investigator of the Investigative Committee, does not live by registration, does not appear on summonses. According to Yershov, he has not received any calls or summonses from the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Kurgan Region, and he lives at his former place of registration.

    Then the man is photographed, fingerprints are checked, sneaker prints are photographed, biomaterial is taken and taken to the Investigative Committee, where he is summoned to report.

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