It was illegal to suspend the activities of the local religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses in Voronezh. On March 2, 2017, the Voronezh Regional Court overturned the corresponding decision of the judge of the Leninsky District Court of Voronezh, Alexander Kuryanov. During 7 sessions, the higher court carefully studied the case materials and the testimony of witnesses from the prosecution and defense. The court considered the event of the offense unproven, and the testimony of witnesses on whom the accusations against the organization were based was contradictory!
The believers' lawyers drew the court's attention to obvious signs of forgery: four brochures submitted to the FSEM were hidden between the wall and the stand, and also shoved under the carpet at night. Recall that on October 9, 2016 , during a service with the participation of 650 local Jehovah's Witnesses, the police entered the premises. Law enforcement officers began to look for "extremist materials" in an unusual place - in the decorative colors that decorated the stage. What was the surprise of believers when the police "found" there, under the carpet pinned to the floor, hidden books included in the list of extremist materials.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not use materials that have been deemed "extremist" as a result of a series of miscarriages of justice. They strongly oppose any form of extremism that is deeply alien to their biblically based beliefs and morals. Believers welcome the decision of the Voronezh Regional Court.