Kazan. Photo source: Mikhail B / [CC BY-ND 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/)

Kazan. Photo source: Mikhail B / CC BY-ND 2.0

Kazan. Photo source: Mikhail B / CC BY-ND 2.0

Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

“Search For Everything Related to Jehovah.” New Details of the Raid on Believers In Kazan

Tatarstan

On January 21, 2020, after a day spent in a temporary detention facility, the Vakhitovsky District Court of Kazan released Tatyana Obizhestvit and Leysan Bochkareva under house arrest. Meanwhile, Leysan's husband, Andrey Bochkarev, was sent to a pre-trial detention center.

On January 22, it became known that operatives were going around the apartments of believers with questions. One of them, Daria Granik, was searched again that morning, and she herself was summoned for questioning at the Center for Combating Extremism and Terrorism.

Additional details of what happened on January 19, when at 11:15 a.m. a group of security officials invaded Tatiana Obizhestvit's apartment. Immediately, one of them loudly commanded: "Bochkarev Andrey, go out! Is Laysan's wife here? According to believers, law enforcement officers generally behaved correctly, but did not introduce themselves. Later that day, the search began and lasted about two hours. A computer was seized from the owners of the house. According to the security forces, they were looking for weapons, drugs and "everything connected with Jehovah."

During the interrogation, which took place in the building of the Department for Combating Organized Crime, methods of psychological pressure were used. For example, believers were told that their fellow believers had already begun to confess. Tatiana and Leysan were taken for medical examination in handcuffs. The case is being conducted by investigator Galimzyanov R.U.

44-year-old Andrey Bochkarev, his wife Leysan and Tatyana Obizhestvit are civilians in Kazan who have nothing to do with extremism. The right to profess any religion and peacefully gather together is guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is not prohibited in Russia.

Update. On January 28, 2020, in Kazan, security forces forcibly pushed a 30-year-old believer into a car and took her away in an unknown direction. As it turned out, she was taken for interrogation and later released. On January 29, the woman was again summoned for interrogation and asked what kind of God she believed in, and whether she knew Andrey Bochkarev, who had been arrested.

The Case of the Bochkarevs and Obizhestvit in Kazan

Case History
In January 2020, Tatyana Obizhestvit hosted guests at her home. Suddenly, law enforcement officers rushed in and searched her home. Then 15 people were taken for interrogation. Among them were two women over 80 years old and two children. A criminal case was initiated against Tatyana, as well as Andrey and Leysan Bochkarev under an article against extremism only because they believe in Jehovah God. The believers spent 2 days in a temporary detention facility, after which the women were placed under house arrest, and Andrey was placed in a pretrial detention center. In April 2021, the case went to court. Two secret witnesses testified in the case: one posing as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the other claiming that he had been “offered to join the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” In February 2023, Tatyana Obizhestvit and Leysan Bochkareva received suspended sentences of 2 and 2.5 years, respectively. Andrey Bochkarev was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in a penal colony, but was released in the courtroom, since he actually served this term in a pretrial detention center. The courts of appeal and cassation upheld this decision.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Tatarstan
Locality:
Kazan
Court case number:
11901920041000244
Initiated:
December 27, 2019
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
SCh Main Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Republic of Tatarstan
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-23/2023 (1-46/2022; 1-280/2021)
Court of First Instance:
Вахитовский районный суд г. Казани
Judge of the Court of First Instance:
Юрий Арсенюк
Case History
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