FSB Officers in Khabarovsk, Aware of the Recent Death of a Believer, Raided the Home of His Widow

On March 23, 2020, FSB officers searched and seized personal belongings from 38-year-old Yelena Avramenko. A search warrant was issued for her husband, Igor, who recently died of heart failure. This circumstance did not deter investigator Stanislav Grebenkin from unceremonious actions.

Law enforcement officers came to Elena Avramenko at work and escorted her home, where investigator Grebenkin was waiting for her along with witnesses. The investigator explained that the search warrant was issued on March 17, 2020 - before it became known about the death of her husband. He assured that the procedure "will be superficial", since it is necessary "to close the case as soon as possible and hand it over to the archive." During the search, however, investigators dismantled the computer and camera, removed the storage media and seized them. In addition, notebooks, diaries, digital discs and the like were taken away from the woman. No copies or protocols were provided.

In the Khabarovsk Territory, criminal cases have been opened against 10 people, two have already been sentenced. In this Russian region, as in many others, law enforcement officers deny citizens the right to practice the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, which contradicts not only Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, but also the position of the Government and the President of the Russian Federation.