PACE observers called for Christensen's release without waiting for an appeal

On February 7, 2019, observers of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressed serious concern about the verdict against Dennis Christensen. They stated: "The accusation and imprisonment of Christensen only for confessing his faith is an unacceptable violation of the right to freedom of religion."

"The speakers expressed the hope that Christensen's conviction would be overturned by the decision of the Court of Appeal and called on the Russian authorities to release him while the appeal is pending."

The observers recalled that the European Court of Human Rights had previously defended the right of Jehovah's Witnesses to conduct religious activities without interference from the Russian authorities. In addition, PACE itself has previously expressed concern about the abuse of the law on countering extremism by the Russian authorities. Thus, on April 21, 2017, PACE issued a statement stating, among other things: "The recent decision of the Supreme Court to declare the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation an extremist organization and to close it and 395 local religious organizations of the Witnesses raises serious concerns about religious freedom in Russia, and also serves as another example of how anti-extremist legislation is used to suppress freedom of expression opinions and peaceful assemblies" (source).