Actions of Law Enforcement Officers

In the Tomsk Region, There Were Five Searches of Jehovah's Witnesses. After a Night in the Detention Center, One Believer Was Placed Under House Arrest

Tomsk Region

On the morning of July 14, 2020, officers of the Investigative Committee and the FSB conducted searches in the city of Seversk. 11 men and women were taken to the security forces for interrogation. All but 50-year-old Yevgeny Korotun were released. He was placed in a detention center and placed under house arrest the next day.

"The door was opened as it was almost broken down. Approximately 10 people entered the apartment and started searching. My son and I were kept in a stairwell for hours. The neighbors took out a chair and some food," said one of the believers after the security raid.

The searches began simultaneously at 9 a.m. in the houses where five families of believers live. FSB officers detained 50-year-old Andrey Kolesnichenko and 31-year-old Andrey Ledyaikin at work, after that searches were conducted at their homes. Lieutenant Sergey Mamontov, senior investigator of the investigation department of Leninskiy district of Tomsk, wondered why Aleksey Kolesnichenko "does not attend the Orthodox or Catholic Church.

The search of 67-year-old Aleksey Yershov lasted about 5 hours. Aleksey's wife, Lyudmila, was not allowed into his apartment, but later was taken for interrogation together with her husband and daughter, whose apartment was also searched. Ludmila's anxiety and exhaustion increased her blood pressure.

Law enforcers confiscated electronic devices, various Bible translations, notebooks, WI-FI-routers, video cameras, photos, postcards, bank cards, foreign passports and even volumes of Victor Hugo and Leo Tolstoy from believers.

After the searches, the detainees were taken to the building of the Investigative Committee in Seversk, where they stayed until late in the evening. They were interrogated and then released.

Earlier in Tomsk region Sergey Klimov, a local resident, was convicted for his faith for six years in the colony. The criminal prosecution of the believers is carried out against the law and the Russian authorities' assurances that Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia have the right to practice their religion. The international community strongly condemns the religious persecution of this group of Christians.

Korotun case in Seversk

Case History
In July 2020, in Seversk, officers of the Investigative Committee and the FSB raided Yevgeniy Korotun’s apartment. During a long search, Yevgeniy’s wife and their nine-year-old son were kept in the stairway. A day earlier, a criminal case was initiated against the believer. Yevgeniy spent two days in a temporary detention center and 54 days under house arrest, after which he was sent to a pre-trial detention center. He was accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization because he held peaceful worship services. The basis for the accusation was hidden audio and video recordings made by Kira Klisheva and Yelena Studenova, an officer of the Russian National Guard. Both women feigned an interest in the Bible. At the end of March 2021, the case went to the city court. In January 2022, the court sentenced the believer to seven years in prison. The appellate and cassation courts upheld this decision. The believer is serving his sentence in a penal colony in Nizhny Tagil.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Tomsk Region
Locality:
Seversk
Court case number:
12002690003000070
Initiated:
July 13, 2020
Current case stage:
the verdict entered into force
Investigating:
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Tomsk Region
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-5/2022 (1-183/2021)
Court:
Северский городской суд Томской области
Judge:
Светлана Чеботарёва
Case History
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