Photo source: Alexander Tarakanov / Lori Photobank

Photo source: Alexander Tarakanov / Lori Photobank

Photo source: Alexander Tarakanov / Lori Photobank

Criminal Investigation and Trial

In Surgut, a court released both Jehovah's Witnesses who remained in jail

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area

On April 11, 2019, at 00:01, Sergey Loginov and Yevgeny Fedin, who had been behind bars since February 15, were released from custody. Two days earlier, the Surgut City Court refused to extend the investigators' detention.

Sergey Loginov, 57, is one of 7 Surgut residents who reported torture in the building of the Investigative Committee. On the fact of the incident, complaint No. 10618/19 "Loginov and others v. Russia" was filed with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR continues to consider this complaint.

Update. The Surgut City Court imposed a ban on both believers to leave their homes at night, communicate with other defendants in the case, use mail, telephone and the Internet. This ban came into force after their release from the pre-trial detention center.

Case of Loginov and Others in Surgut

Case History
In February 2019, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against 18 men and 1 woman from Surgut (among them was a man mistaken for a Jehovah’s Witness). Their homes were searched. During the interrogations, 7 believers were subjected to violence. Artur Severinchik was sent to a pre-trial detention center for 29 days, and Yevgeny Fedin and Sergey Loginov - for 56. Timofey Zhukov was illegally placed in a psychiatric hospital for 14 days. Believers complained about the use of torture to the Investigative Committee, the ECHR and the Commissioner for Human Rights, a press conference was held with the participation of human rights defenders, but none of the security forces was ever brought to justice. In October 2021, the case materials were submitted to the court. The prosecutor requested imprisonment for the defendants for a term of 3 years and 3 months to 8.5 years in prison, and for Loginov - 9.5 years, which was the most severe request for punishment for believing in Jehovah God in modern Russia.
Timeline

Persons in case

Kim
Artem
Boronos
Vyacheslav
Burenesku
Vasily
Fedin
Evgeny
Fefilov
Victor
Gargalyk
Saveliy
Petrov
Igor
Kayryak
Evgeny
Kobotov
Igor
Logins
Sergey
Plekhov
Aleksey
Romashov
Paul
Rysikov
Leonid
Severinchik
Arthur
Shepel
Viola
Trifonov
Igor
Volosnikov
Sergey
Zhukov
Timofey

Criminal case

Region:
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area
Locality:
Surgut
Suspected of:
delivering speeches, engaging in the Witnesses' public preaching activity with local members, meeting with Bible education volunteers and appointed congregation assistants, and having as one objective the organizing of appointed men in the Vzlyotnove Congregation
Court case number:
42002007709000023
Initiated:
February 11, 2019
Current case stage:
verdict did not take effect
Investigating:
Investigative Department for the city of Surgut of the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1), 282.3 (1), 282.2 (2)
Court case number:
№ 1-27/2023 (1-130/2022; 1-1348/2021)
Court:
Surgut City Court
Judge:
Dmitriy Lyupin
Case History
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